Introduction: Space and Time in the Middle East and North Africa

This special issue of Jewish History explores Jewish communities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through the lens of time and space. External forces—modernization, colonialism, nationalism, and migration—reshaped temporal and spatial categories, profoundly affecting communal, religious, and social structures. The articles highlight the agency of the Jews operating within these constraints: Jews negotiated with external pressures; and frequently shaping new frameworks of time and space by drawing on, adapting, or critically reworking traditional patterns. From their often-marginalized positions, community members developed strategies in private and hidden spaces—both physical and textual—that fostered continuity and provided avenues for critique of colonial and national authority. In the wake of displacement, whether in countries of origin or in diaspora, Jews constructed mental maps and developed usable narratives to forge a sense of place and identity. These were not merely physical geographies but imagined spaces, shaped by selective memory and imbued with renewed meaning. Together, the articles contribute to a deeper understanding of time and space in Jewish history, particularly in MENA contexts. They present these categories not as static coordinates, but as active, fluid dimensions—central to the formation of identities, memories, worldviews, and strategies for both individual and collective survival.