A critical analysis of the theory of the Berber origin of Jews in Maghreb

The presentation addresses the ideas of the theory of Judeo-Berbers that states that Jews who lived in Maghreb during the last centuries partly descend from the Berber proselytes to Judaism. The theory in question mainly uses onomastic and historical arguments. A detailed analysis shows, however, that the Berber origin is actually valid only for one given name and several dozens of Jewish surnames from Morocco, as well as a few surnames in eastern Algeria. These names appeared in the Jewish communities that used a Berber idiom as their vernacular language. Nothing indicates that they existed already in the Middle Ages. All onomastic arguments suggested by proponents of the theory of Judeo-Berbers attempting to link these names to the Berber proselytes to Judaism are untenable. It is also shown that the historical basis for this theory is particularly controversial being related partly to an inexact translation to French and partly to a too literally interpretation of a small passage in the writings by the medieval Arabic author Ibn Khaldûn.