Beyond Zionism: the enduring identity of Tunisian Jews in the twenty-first century

Tunisian Jewish identity illuminates alternative forms of Jewish belonging that remain underexplored. While influential research has often examined Jewish diasporicity through state-centred Zionist frameworks that position Israel as central to Jewish identity, diasporic diversity, particularly among North African Jews, has received limited attention. This article analyses how Tunisian Jews, in Tunisia and mainly in the diaspora, articulate and sustain identity through narratives that diverge from state-centred Zionist expectations in the twenty-first century. Drawing on six online interviews and personal accounts (five from diaspora members and one from a resident of Sousse), the analysis is guided by diaspora theory. Findings indicate that Tunisian Jewish identity is maintained less through territorial or nationalist markers than through collective memory, cultural continuity, and enduring local belonging. The analysis shows that North African Jewish experiences expand notions of Jewish belonging via diasporic and postnational forms that challenge state-centred Zionist narratives.