Préfecture de Constantine. Service des questions juives et des sociétés secrètes

Préfecture de Constantine. Service des questions juives et des sociétés secrètes 

Although it is not particularly large ( 3 linear metres), the archives of the Jewish Affairs and Secret Societies Department of the Prefecture of Constantine have unique characteristics among the archives transferred to France before Algeria's independence. First of all, it is the only example of a prefectural department archive in Algeria that has been identified to date. It was also relatively spared from post-Liberation document disposals. Finally, even if the files are often made up of only a few documents, a very large number of cases were processed, and these can be useful for research purposes. This last observation has led to the drafting of a detailed digital directory, which was made possible due to the small volume of documents held within the fonds. The Jewish Affairs and Secret Societies Department was created in the Prefecture of Constantine at the beginning of 1942. Previously, cases dealing with these issues were divided between the prefect's office and the various prefectural divisions. The files processed by the latter were transferred to the new department in order to ensure continuity. For example, the department inherited the archives of the Jewish census operations (application of the Decree of 18 July 1941), which had previously been the responsibility of the 2nd Division. A decision of the Prefect of Constantine, Louis Valin, dated 20 January 1942 (FR ANOM 93/3G1) clarified the creation of the department, revisiting the reasons that led him to establish this department in his letter to the Governor-General dated 14 February 1942 (FR ANOM 93/3G1). This department, which was attached to the 5th Division (General Police Section), would remain in operation until 1943. 

Préfecture de Constantine. Service des questions juives et des sociétés secrètes