Tanuji
TANUJI
TANUJI , family in Tunis. Ishmael Ha-Kohen *Tanuji, was a rabbi in Tunis. Joseph *Tanuji wrote Benei Yosef (1793) for his nephew justo cohen, the leader of the Tunisian community in Leghorn. His son shalom was a rabbi and a commentator on the Talmud. joshua cohen (mid-late 18th century) was caid, official tax collector, and leader of the Jewish community in Tunis. Ḥ.J.D. *Azulai who stayed in Tanuji's home, located outside the ghetto, during his visit in Tunis, drew a vivid picture of both Joshua and his son moses, describing the great wealth and hospitality of the Tanujis and their respect for learning. A Talmud class met in their home every Sabbath in which rabbis and dignitaries participated. Joshua Tanuji ordered and financed the shipping of a Hebrew printing press from Leghorn to Tunisia. The Tanujis led the struggle against the Leghorn community in Tunis and opposed the study of Kabbalah. Joshua Tanuji even had R. Solomon Uzan imprisoned in a dispute over taxes. judah cohen (d.c. 1835), rabbi in Tunis, was known for his piety.
He wrote ten works, mainly commentaries on tractates of the Talmud; his major compositions were Ereẓ Yehudah (Leghorn, 1797) and Admat Yehudah, the latter published with David *Najar's Ẓemaḥ David (Leghorn, 1828).
bibliography:
D. Cazès, Notes bibliographiques sur la littérature juive-tunisienne (1893), 117–36; Hirschberg, Afrikah, 2 (1965), 135–7, 155–7.