Algeria Book Reading on Jewish Heritage Canceled Amid Gaza War
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Loading... - Jorge Mendez
- 29 Oct 2024
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A scheduled reading event for the book "Jewish Algeria" was abruptly canceled on Saturday, as organizers cited concerns over the timing of the event in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The event was set to take place at L’Arbre a dire, a bookshop in Algiers, which aimed to discuss Algeria’s Jewish heritage. The cancellation was announced without further details.
The decision to cancel the reading followed a statement from Islamist lawmaker Zouhir Fares, who claimed that the culture ministry had banned the event after receiving a formal request. Fares described the book as a form of “cultural normalization with Zionists,” and he shared a letter in which he urged authorities to take action against the reading. He specifically criticized the book's foreword, which was written by French author Valerie Zenatti, whom he referred to as a “citizen of the Zionist entity (Israel)” and noted her past service in the Israeli army.
In addition to the Algiers event, another reading scheduled for Thursday in Tizi Ouzou, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the capital, was also canceled, as confirmed by the organizing bookstore, Librairie Cheikh, on Facebook.
The author of "Jewish Algeria," Hedia Bensahli, expressed her disappointment over the cancellations. In a previous interview with the Algerian newspaper Le Soir, she emphasized that her book is focused on Algeria's history, spanning over 2,000 years, rather than current global events. She noted that the book had been available for sale prior to the outbreak of the Gaza war and stated, “Like everyone else, I could not have foreseen the Hamas attacks on October 7, nor the bloody response of the Israeli army.”
L’Arbre a dire has indicated that the book is no longer part of its collection, but clarified that authorities have not formally ordered its removal. The situation reflects the sensitive nature of discussions surrounding Jewish heritage in Algeria, particularly in the context of ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region.
