Rabbis To Supervise On The Maintenance Of Jewish Cemeteries In Algeria

French Senate “Séna” accused the Algerian authorities of neglecting the Jewish cemeteries and those of non-Muslims, by leaving them vulnerable to abuse and natural change, and asked for the need for the movement of Jewish rabbis to Algeria to oversee the maintenance, the collection and transfer of Jewish graves at the Jewish way “Kashar” and in accordance to the teachings of Judaism.

An accountability that was written by the French Deputy Roger Karoutchi, for Republicans, that was published on November 3, 2011, drew the attention of the French Foreign and International Cooperation Minister about re-creating and protecting Jewish cemeteries and those of non-Muslims that are prone to neglect in Algeria, as he claimed.

Same accountability added; “At the beginning of 2016, the French Foreign Ministry “Quai d’Oorsay” and the Algerian government, announced on initiating talks to assemble and maintain cemeteries of non-Muslims, which they claimed they are prone to neglect in Algeria. On May, 26, 2016, Algeria announced the results of these conversations on maintenance process and assembling the graves of non-Muslims, and announced on transferring the neglected Jewish cemeteries.

It carried doubts about the possibility of completing the process of the transfer, conversion and assembly of Jewish cemeteries in particular, and said; “Although this process seems possible, but it should take place only within the respect of the Jewish religious rules on the transfer of Jewish cemeteries” or what is known to Jews as the “Halakha” or “Halokhe”. 

Senator Karoutchi’s accountability, explained that if the church Council has participated in the talks between the French Foreign Ministry and the Algerian government, another problem remains on the table, which is convert and transferring skulls according to the Jewish way “Kashar”.

“Transfer of graves and maintenance of cemeteries must be conducted under the supervision of Jewish rabbis and synagogues who should move to these cemeteries.”

French senator of the Hauts-de-Seine department, spoke about the issue of funding the maintenance operations, and whether they discussed the way to fund the operation during the talks with the Algerian government, because nothing has so far been calculated in this regard.

He asked the French Foreign and International Cooperation Minister to inform the public of the status of the bilateral talks with the Algerian authorities on this file, and determine the modalities for financing the maintenance, transportation and transfer operations.

It seems that the French parties would like Algeria to fund, even a part of this process, because the graves are located on the Algerian soil and are subject to the local communities (municipalities).

Previously, the head of the French Cemeteries Association in Algeria, lawyer Jack Kavanagh, told Echorouk a few days ago, on the sidelines of the visit of a Peids-Noirs delegation to Algeria, parallel with November,1, ceremonies, that the association strongly opposed the French authorities’ goal to reassemble the Christian cemeteries, saying that each cemetery represents the history of a region and they must remain in place.