Oran (Ar. Wahrān; Sp. Orán) is a major Algerian city located on the Mediterranean coast approximately 500 kilometers (311 miles) west of the capital city of Algiers. The Jewish presence in the area dated from Antiquity, when Jews are believed to have settled near the town of Yfri, thereby entering into close contact with local Maghraoua (Maghrāwa) Berber tribes, several members of which are likely to have converted to Judaism. This nascent Jewish community was joined by Spanish Jews fleeing persecution by the Visigothic king Sisebut in the early seventh century. In 903, …