In 1934, David Askénazi, the chief rabbi of Oran, Algeria, responded to a decision by Abraham Kook, at the time chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, condemning the use of the organ in synagogue services in Oran. Transcending the typical European dichotomies between Orthodox and Reform, Askénazi’s letter is above all a testimony to the religious and cultural hybridity of Algerian Jews during the colonial era. In a mere few pages, the rabbi developed a religious argument mixing elements of language and arguments typical of Maghrebian rabbis with positions common to liberal European Jews. Aware of the structure of power between the East and the West, Askénazi also criticized Kook’s interventionism in the affairs of his community. In light of what he denounced as a form of Jewish imperialism, Askénazi emphasized the agency of Sephardic rabbis and called for full recognition of their religious tradition.

1934 年，阿尔及利亚奥兰的首席拉比戴维·阿斯肯纳齐 (David Askénazi) 对时任托管巴勒斯坦首席拉比亚伯拉罕·库克 (Abraham Kook) 的决定做出回应，谴责在奥兰的犹太教堂礼拜中使用风琴。阿斯凯纳齐的信超越了欧洲典型的东正教与改革派之间的二分法，首先证明了殖民时代阿尔及利亚犹太人的宗教和文化混杂性。在短短几页的时间内，这位拉比就提出了一种宗教论点，将马格里布拉比典型的语言和论点元素与欧洲自由派犹太人的共同立场相结合。意识到东西方之间的权力结构，阿斯凯纳齐还批评库克对其社区事务的干涉主义。鉴于他谴责犹太帝国主义的一种形式，阿斯凯纳齐强调了西班牙系拉比的作用，并呼吁充分承认他们的宗教传统。