European Rabbis Court Rejects Planned Exhumation Of Jewish Graves In Algeria

French Foreign Ministry said that the work and cooperation for the planned exhumation of the French civilian graves in Algeria, which was launched in 2003, is nearing completion, and in contrast, it added that the plan on the Jewish graves was postponed indefinitely because of the refusal of the Rabbis Court and the European Rabbinical Court to prejudice to these graves without practicing the rituals and the principles of Judaism.

A response by the French Foreign Ministry, to a written question by the Senate on the situation of the French Christian and Jewish graves in Algeria, dated February,2, 2017, that the Jewish cemeteries were not concerned at first with the plan of work for the maintenance and restoration of the French civil graves in Algeria, because the Board of Jewish Rabbis refused to the exhumation of Jewish cemeteries that are scattered on the Algerian territory, because the exhumation is contrary to the principles of the Jewish religion.

French authorities response shows that, until now, the regular maintenance of different Jewish cemeteries in Algeria was authorized, and that the inclusion of Jewish cemeteries, which were classified as “very degraded” in the plan, was submitted to the Council of Rabbis in 2014.

French Foreign Ministry avoids clarification on the text of the accountability by requiring the exhumation and transfer of the remains of the Jewish way, “Kashar”, and the need to do so under the supervision of rabbis who should move to these cemeteries.

“Jewish community protested and expressed concern, and the Chief of French Rabbis transferred the matter to the European Court of Rabbis, which issued a decision against the Algerian decree that was issued on March 14, 2016, and the French Decree of May,26, 2016, which allow a partial exhumation in 37 cemeteries, citing the Jewish conditions in this topic”.

Quai D’Orsay explained: “After the response of the European Rabbis Court, the French authorities will continue to dialogue with representatives of Judaism, which began since a long history on this issue of the collection of Jewish cemeteries in Algeria, adding that France does not intend to take any action that is against the will and opinion of the French Jewish authorities.

French Foreign Ministry concluding by saying: “To some extent of time, the implementation of the action plan for the collection of Jewish cemeteries, which has not yet started, has been postponed indefinitely.

Previously, the accountability of the French Senator, Roger Karoutchi, accused Algeria, in the November 3, 2016, of neglecting the Jewish and Christian cemeteries in Algeria, claiming that they were left vulnerable to neglect and factors of nature, and called for the need for maintenance and assembly of Jewish graves and according to the Kashar Jewish way, and the movement of Jewish rabbis to oversee the process in Algeria.