North Africa

DNA analysis reveals ancestry of man buried in ancient Spanish tomb, shows mixed heritage - study

Due to the warm climate, researchers only managed to extract usable DNA from the remains of one of the men, estimated to have been around 45-years-old, called Menga1. 

Dolmen of Menga in Antequera, Spain, April 15, 2026.
 Mimouna table at the Arviv family in Ashkelon, Israel.

Why Mimouna matters - opinion

King Mohammed VI of Morocco attends the signing of bilateral agreements at the Agdal Royal Palace on February 13, 2019 in Rabat, Morocco.

Beyond soccer: Morocco’s quest for regional stability in Africa - opinion

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends a hearing behind bars in a courtroom in Zintan May 25, 2014.

Libya's Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, dies at 53


Book review: Gorenberg demythologizes the ‘Desert Fox’

While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the central theme of this book, it is always lurking in the background because of the threat posed by Rommel and his military ambition.

War of Shadows. Codebreakers,  Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East Gershom Gorenberg Public Affairs, 2021 496 pages; $34

Ancient synagogue in Libya turned into Islamic center, Jewish group says

Libya once had about 40,000 Jews, who left following the establishment of the State of Israel.

Ancient synagogue mossaic

Arab countries that started off strong against pandemic struggle today

Hospitals in Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan packed far beyond capacity.

A man wears a protective face mask as he walks along the main market in downtown after the government eased the restrictions on movement aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus in Amman, Jordan

One historian saves North African Jewish musical heritage

Silver has amassed a collection of rare phonograph records from the era of Jewish musical stardom in North Africa, a period roughly corresponding with the first half of the twentieth century.

Jewish Music festival 2017

Remembering the the Jews of MENA on Holocaust Remembrance Day

On this Yom Ha’Shoah / International Holocaust Commemoration Day on January 27, we should contemplate what the fate of MENA Jewry would have been had German general Rommel won the Desert Campaign.

DESERT WANDERINGS: The Jewish Nation’s beginnings.

UNESCO announces couscous a world cultural heritage

This new prestigious status of couscous reflects the cultural cooperation and deep connection between the four countries that share its heritage: Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Moroccan couscous soup with green fava beans

Jewish women's organizations celebrate "Id Al Banat," Girl's Day

The women are mainly celebrating the history behind Book of Judith.

Id Al Banat Flyer

Israelis of Moroccan origin can ‘bridge’ and strengthen ties with Rabat

"It is not a coincidence that in Morocco there was no Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox [communities]. It is because the leadership said ‘we accepted everyone,'" said Shimon Ohayon.

Suzanne Harroch, a Moroccan Jewish singer from Rabat, looks through a photo album during an interview with Reuters at her home in Rabat, Morocco December 11, 2020.

Organizations to recite mass prayers for Jews buried in Arab countries

Thus far, over 100 organizations and communities have signed up at www.KaddishInitiative.com, including the Israeli umbrella organization for Jews from Arab countries.

Reciting the Kaddish prayer at the city’s ancient Jewish cemetery

Pascale's Kitchen: Traditional North-African couscous

The process of preparing couscous might be a bit complicated, but it does have the advantage of all being cooked together at the same time with the soup, at the end of which you have an entire meal.

Preparing couscous