An Egodocument by R. Joseph Ben-Adahan

Abstract Joseph Ben-Adahan, an 18th–19th century rabbi of Tétouan, wrote an egodocument narrating the sequence of events from the moment he dreamed about emigrating to Eretz Israel to his eventual settlement in Jaffa (1845). Through analysis of his writing, this article expands the academic discourse on egodocuments to the Jewish diaspora in North Africa, an area not yet discussed in this context. Ben-Adahan’s account confirms several scholarly findings regarding mid-19th-century immigration to Eretz Israel from Morocco. Moreover, it enriches our knowledge of subjects such as the complex reaction of the sages and community leaders to their colleague’s decision to emigrate. Ben-Adahan’s egodocument illuminates the behind the scenes of the immigration drama and reveals the individual face hidden until now behind the dry statistical data of the immigration process.