El Ghriba Synagogue

The El Ghriba Synagogue (Arabic: كنيس الغريبة), also known as the Djerba Synagogue, is an ancient Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Jewish village of Hara Seghira (currently known as er-Riadh), several kilometres southwest of Houmt El Souk, the main town on the island of Djerba, Tunisia.^[1] The synagogue appears to be the oldest synagogue in the world.^[2]

El Ghriba Synagogue
Arabic: كنيس الغريبة
The synagogue interior, in 2007
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Maghrebi (Tochavim)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue Pilgrimage site
Status	Active
Location
Location	Er Riadh, Djerba
Country	Tunisia
Location of the synagogue in Tunisia
Geographic coordinates	33°48′50″N 10°51′34″E
Architecture
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Moorish
Date established	6th century BCE

Besides being the center of the island's Jewish life, the synagogue is also a Jewish site of pilgrimage. While extensively renovated in the 19th century CE, the buildings may date from the 6th century BCE:^[2] one of the legends associated with its founding claims that either a stone or a door from Solomon's Temple or the Second Temple is incorporated in the building. El Ghriba is the most famous of the about 20 synagogues that were being used until the 1950s in the three Jewish villages on Djerba.

In 2023 Djerba was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.^[3]

The synagogue has been the target of terrorist attacks in 1985, in 2002, and in 2023.

History

Inside the synagogue

Entrance of the synagogue

Djerba is home to around 1,300 Jews,^[4] and El Ghriba is an important feature of Jewish life on the island.^[5] According to legend, the construction of the synagogue dates from to the High Priests' escape following the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II in the year 586 BCE (or, alternately, the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE). The High Priests carried with them a door and a stone of the destroyed Temple. Thus the synagogue links the Jewish diaspora to the "sole sanctuary of Judaism".^[6] In modern times, the local Jews are distinguished by their dress, which includes a black band around their pants, which signifies the destruction of the Temple.^[7]

Another tradition claims that the synagogue was built on a spot where a young girl (ghriba, "the isolated one") had lived, that had not been accepted by the others. She died, and her uncorrupted body was found by the Jews of the nearby village, and then buried in a cave which became the site of an annual pilgrimage for Lag BaOmer.^[6]

Buildings

Courtyard of El Ghriba

The synagogue was built at the end of the 19th century at the spot where the sixth-century building had stood.

On the outside, the current synagogue is a modest building, whereas the interior is richly decorated. In contrast to the other synagogues of Djerba, El Ghriba consists of two covered halls. Following several structural extensions the first of the two halls was built through the roofing of a formerly open courtyard in order to increase the capacity for the number of visitors. At the entrance, there are two columns dividing the room into three areas. This hall is connected to the main hall by three vaults. At this side there are two columns, supporting a high skylight of numerous windows. Initially there were twelve windows in the hall, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

During later renovations further windows were added. The north side also was modified. The Teva (the cupboard for the Torah) is located under the skylight (at the western side of the prayer room). A third column to the east is missing. It probably never got constructed. Local tradition sees that as a reminder of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. Furthermore, it is said that the building should remain unfinished, because "nothing, except for the divinity, is perfect". The wooden benches for the believers are situated around the Teva. The inner walls are decorated ceramic tiles with blue, white and brown ornaments that were painted in hand work. A recess underneath the holy arc marks the spot where the body of the girl is supposed to have been found: It is known as «the cave of the girl».^[8]

The inner courtyard is surrounded by covered loggias standing on columns. Pilgrims can use the adjacent buildings for accommodation. The oldest of them were built at the end of the nineteenth century, whereas the newer ones stem from the early 1950s.

Pilgrimage

Lag Ba'Omer procession returning to the El Ghriba synagogue, 2007

People visiting El Ghriba

The pilgrimage takes place every year on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer,^[9] in between Pesach and Shavuot. On the 14th of Iyar, the festivities begin, in remembrance of the tannaitic rabbi Meir Baal HaNess, and last until the Lag BaOmer on the 18th of Iyar, in remembrance of Tannaitic Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai (regionally known as Rabbi Shimon).

Target of terrorist attacks

In 1985, three people were killed, including one child, and fifteen people were wounded during the festival of Simchat Torah when a local policeman responsible for guarding the synagogue fired into a crowd of celebrating Jews. The attack was in response to Operation Wooden Leg (Hebrew: מבצע רגל עץ, romanized: Mivtza Regel Etz),^[10] when Israel targeted the PLO headquarters in Tunisia. The local policeman, whose relative was killed in the operation, targeted the synagogue in a wave of anti-Jewish sentiment following the operation.^[11][12]

On April 11, 2002, a truck full of explosives was detonated close to the synagogue, killing 21 people, among whom were 14 German tourists, five Tunisians, and two French nationals. Al-Qaeda militants claimed responsibility for the bombing,^[13][14] which was found to have been masterminded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and financed by a Pakistani resident of Spain.^[15]

On 9 May 2023, a member of the Tunisian National Guard violently attacked Jewish worshippers outside, the synagogue, shooting and killing two Jewish cousins (one of the two men a French tourist and a Tunisian citizen living in Netivot, Israel), and two Tunisian security guards.^[16] Eight others were injured. The shooter, a guard at a naval center, initially shot and killed a colleague and seized his ammunition before heading to the synagogue. He was shot dead by security guards during a gunfight.^[17]

Administration

The synagogue is being supervised by an independent administration committee that was established at the end of the nineteenth century, when Djerba was a French protectorate. The administration committee organizes the annual pilgrimage and distributes the pilgrimage's revenues to the village elders.

Gallery

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See also

• Africa portal
• Judaism portal

• Chaim Madar
• History of the Jews in Djerba
• La Ghriba, a documentary film
• List of synagogues in Tunisia
• Three Pilgrimage Festivals
• Oldest synagogues in the world

References

1. Bowman, Glenn (July 18, 2012). Sharing the Sacra: The Politics and Pragmatics of Intercommunal Relations Around Holy Places. Berghahn Books. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-85745-486-7 – via Google Books.
2. Oster, Marcy (May 14, 2017). "Tunisia to seek World Heritage status for Djerba island, site of Jewish pilgrimage". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
3. "Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
4. "Tunisia's Prime Minister joins guests as Jews celebrate a unique Lag Ba'Omer festival". Jewish Chronicle. May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
5. Gilbert, Martin (2010). In Ishmael's House: A History of Jews in Muslim Lands. McClelland & Stewart. p. 345. ISBN 9781551993423.
6. Meddeb, Abdelwahab; Stora, Benjamin, eds. (2013). A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day. Princeton University Press. p. 926. ISBN 9781400849130.
7. Blady, Ken (2000). Jewish Communities in Exotic Places. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 338. ISBN 9780765761125.
8. DK (2011). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Tunisia: Tunisia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-7566-8479-2 – via Google Books.
9. "Tunisian Jews scale back annual pilgrimage to ancient synagogue because of security concerns". African News. August 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
10. MacDiarmid, Campbell. "Police officer kills five in gun attack at Tunisia synagogue". The Telegraph. United Kingdom. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
11. "Shots kill 3 at Tunisia synagogue". Chicago Tribune. October 9, 1985. p. 11.
12. "Policeman shoots into Jewish quarter". UPI. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
13. "Tunisian bomb attack trial opens". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
14. "'Jewish life goes on': Djerba community shows resilience after deadly attack". The Times of Israel.
15. Reinares, Fernando (2016). Al-Qaeda's Revenge: The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings. Columbia University Press. p. 88. ISBN 9780231801409 – via Google Books.
16. Yee, Vivian (May 10, 2023). "Naval Guardsman Attacks Synagogue in Tunisia, Killing 5". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
17. "4 killed in shooting near pilgrimage at ancient synagogue in Tunis". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.

External links

• Virtual tour on YouTube
• Elshamy, Mosa'ab (November 25, 2015). "Ancient Jewish community endures on Tunisian island" (Blog and images). Spotlight: AP Images. Associated Press. Retrieved September 13, 2024.