Les jeux de Pourim et leurs déclinaisons à Tripoli

Résumé En

Purim and its Relatives in Tripoli : Comparative Perspective on the Social Uses of Biblical Stories. The story of Purim in the biblical book of Esther, provided a text which animated and was used to interpret Jewish life throughout the ages. Its relevance to Jewish communal life in the Diaspora was poignant because it takes place in setting where Jews appear as weak minority. The question of the relation of Jews to non-Jews is salient in the story and various readings of that theme became relevant in different social and historical settings. This process is explored with reference to the Jewish community of Tripoli, Libya, with examples from the 18th through the mid-20th centuries. That community established two local Purims, celebrating the deliverance of the Jews and the general population of Tripoli on two occasions in the 18th century. In the mid-20th century, the biblical tale of Joseph, which is prototype of the Esther story was, mobilized in tense situation prevailing between Jews and Muslims. In all these instances, biblical themes and texts were used to express and guide complex situations in which Jewish life followed distinct trajectories while intertwined with society at large.