Few people are fully aware of the effects of the Holocaust in
Tunisia. After the German occupation over 5,000 Jews were
taken away and sent to over 30 different forced labor camps
and work sites.
At the work camps the Jews were treated with extreme cruelty
and forced to work 14-hour days under subhuman conditions.
Dozens of Jewish activists from Tunisia were sent to death
camps in Europe where they perished.
Following prolonged negotiations with the Claims Conference,
one year ago the German government agreed to recognize
Holocaust victims from Tunisia and pay them reparations.
Today hundreds of Holocaust survivors from Tunisia have been
officially recognized and most of them are now receiving
reparations.
Last week a center for the study of the Holocaust in Tunisia
was opened in Netanya and a monument to the memory of the
victims was dedicated. The center is funded and supported by
the Claims Committee at a total cost of $14,000.
The monument was built inside Netanya's restored Tunisian
beis knesses, where construction work has been
underway for over a year. Seminars and workshops on Tunisian
Jewry will be given at the study center to be operated at the
site.
