The Judeo-Amazigh Cultural Substratum: An Integrated Analysis Of North African Ethno-Religious Synthesis

Introduction

The Jewish presence in North Africa constitutes one of the longest continuous diasporic experiences in Jewish history, with communities potentially predating both Christianity and Islam in the region (Hirschberg, 1963; Stillman, 1979). While scholarly attention has focused primarily on urban Judeo-Arabic speaking populations and their interactions with Arab-Islamic civilization, the extensive integration between Jewish communities and Amazigh (Berber) populations—particularly in rural...