Mr. Walter Francis

Professional Background

Walter Francis is a PhD candidate at the Department of History at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He received a master’s degree in Jewish and Israel studies from Columbia University in 2020 and a bachelor’s degree in history and public relations from American University in 2018. 

Fellowship Research

While at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a Sosland Foundation Fellow, Walter Francis will conduct research on how Jews of the Islamic world interacted with their European colonizers in the twentieth century. His project examines how World War II and the Nazi occupation of Tunisia reshaped Jewish identity and the Jewish community in Tunisia. Mr. Francis will explore the role of Jewish leadership in Tunisia during the Nazi persecution and the failure of the Vichy regime to protect Jews from antisemitism. He will examine how these events contributed to a new political perspective among Tunisian Jews as the country moved toward decolonization and independence.

Residency Period: June 1, 2026–July 31, 2026