UIA School for Girls

The Alliance israélite universelle was founded in 1860 in Paris with the aim of fighting for Jewish rights throughout the world and defending Jews wherever they were persecuted. The Alliance set up a French-language educational network in the Middle East and North Africa, where Jewish children could receive a western education steeped in French language and culture. On the eve of the First World War, the Alliance had set up in these regions 183 schools with 43,700 students of both sexes.  

The Alliance Israélite Universelle operated two schools for Jewish girls in Tunisia. One in Tunis and one in Sfax. The first Alliance Israélite Universelle for Jewish girls opened in 1882, sharing the building of the boy’s school. In 1891, the Girls’ School moved into the former palace of Nessim Samama in the hara on el Mechnaka Street. While most of the pupils were aged between five and seventeen, the site also contained a kindergarten. In 1891, 847 girls attended the school on el Mechnaka Street. From 1900 to 1911, the Parisian Louise Bornstein (later Louise Guéron) was the principal of the School for Girls in Tunis. She was one of only a handful of Ashkenazi women who worked at the Alliance. In addition to traditional educational disciplines the school also acted as a centre for women’s professional formation, teaching girls cutting and embroidery. In the 1950s the school was led by Mme Lili Shebabo. Nos Petits provided lunchtime meals for all the pupils. In 1962, 913 girls attended the school, which had 32 teachers.