Algerian authorities seized the book “L’Algérie juive” (The Jewish Algeria), “l’autre moi que je connais si peu” (The Other Me that I Barely Know), published in 2023, from a bookstore in Algiers.
The book’s publisher was placed under the authority’s control, and the publishing house was banned from a literary fair before being forced to shut down permanently on January 14.
The book, written by Franco-Algerian Author Hédia Bensahli, did not spark any controversy upon its release. The plot delves into the historical and cultural ties between Algeria and its Jewish community, which was once integrated into the country before their mass exodus after independence.
However, amid rising tensions between Algeria and France—especially following France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara in July and President Macron’s visit to Rabat in October 2024—Algerian authorities have intensified their ideological control.
The crackdown escalated after the arrest of writer Boualem Sansal and against the backdrop of the Gaza conflict.
The book’s preface, written by Franco-Israeli author Valérie Zenatti, triggered backlash from some political circles.
A deputy from the Islamist party El-Bina labeled the preface as a “cultural normalization with the Zionist entity.”
Zenatti was even accused of being a “genocidaire” due to her military service in Israel during the late 1980s, an accusation that the satirical newspaper Le Canard enchaîné views as more of a populist maneuver than a legitimate literary critique.
The incident reflects the Algerian regime’s hardening stance on historical and identity issues, particularly regarding its Jewish past. While many historians advocate for a peacefulcalm acknowledgment of Algeria’s cultural and religious diversity, the government appears to favor repression and historical erasure, a policy that has endured since the country’s independence in 1962.