The Alliance Israélite Universelle in the Middle East and North Africa

The Alliance Israélite Universelle, founded in Paris in 1860, promoted the emancipation and modern education of Jews in the Middle East and North Africa. It created an extensive school network that provided French-language education and new paths of social mobility, and gradually gained acceptance within local communities. While the Alliance had a free hand in creating schools around the Mediterranean basin over the long nineteenth century, its presence was gradually reshaped by nationalism, the two world wars, and decolonization. Over time, political change and Jewish migration led to the closure of most schools in the region. Today, the Alliance survives in a reduced form, with a handful of institutions in Morocco, France and Israel, as well as an extensive archival and library collection in Paris.