The Martyrdom of a Moroccan Jewish Saint

In 1834, a 17-year-old Sephardic Jewish girl was executed in Morocco for recanting her alleged conversion to Islam. In an exhaustive analysis, Vance (history, Northern Kentucky U.) views the martyrdom of Sol Hatchuel in the contexts of the complex socio-legal status of Jews in Ottoman Empire society; gender discourse in traditional and modernizing Jewish, North African, and Middle Eastern narrative; varied accounts of her ordeal in Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Spanish, Spanish, and French tales and poetry; and inspirational legacy. While Jewish versions emphasized her fidelity to her faith, European authors framed her story to justify the need for outside intervention to protect minorities and women. The study is based on doctoral research in Near Eastern languages and civilizations. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sharon Vance, Ph.D. (2005) in Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania, is an Assistant Professor of History at Northern Kentucky University. She has published articles in Jewish Culture and Society in North Africa (Indiana University Press, forthcoming) and Genesis Revista della Societa Italiana della Storiche, as well as in the Encyclopaedia of Jews in the Islamic World (Brill, 2010).