STORA

STORA (Satorra), Algerian family. ABRAHAM (15th century) spent time in several Algerian cities and eventually settled in Bougie, where he was a merchant and community leader. REUBEN (16th century) served as an interpreter for the Spanish forces during their conquest of oran in 1509. In 1512, he was given a house by the Spanish in the old Jewish quarter. His grandson succeeded him but was put to death in the mid-16th century for unknown reasons. The post was then given to Jacob Cansino. The Storas remained loyal to the Spanish during the Moorish invasions of Oran in the 17th century, despite Spanish injustices to the Jews. PAUL (20th century) was president of the consistoire of Algiers. During World War II, when offered the position of president-general of the Union of Algerian Jewry, which was organized by the Vichy government for collaborationist purposes, he courageously refused. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hirschberg, Afrikah, 2 (1966), 99–100, 114.