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Before I embark on the second leg of my Watson journey, I wanted to reflect on the previous research I have done on Tunisia, the things I have learned about the country since then, and what I hope to accomplish during one month there.

The Jewish existence in Tunisia dates back 2,300 years when, according to the Talmud, 30,000 Jews were transferred from the Land of Israel by the Roman Emperor Titus. Their long history in Tunisia has had its ups and downs, and by World War II the Jewish population in Tunisia numbered between 90,000 and 100,000. In November of 1942 Tunisia became the first (and only) Arab country to come under direct Nazi control, during which anti-Semitic practices were instituted; Jews were forced to wear Star of David badges, property was confiscated, a fine was levied on the community, and more than 5,000 Jews were sent to a forced-labor camp. Fortunately, the Germans were forced to leave Tunisia in March 1943, after which the rights of Jews were restored, and the community flourished to reach its peak of 105,000 in 1948.

The Jews in Tunisia assumed that their life would return to normalcy after the German occupation, but those hopes were short-lived as the Tunisian struggle for national independence was achieved in 1956. In 1958, in an attempt to treat all citizens equally, the various Tunisian Jewish organizations were consolidated into the Jewish Religious Council, which was regulated by President Bourghuiba. As part of urban renewal projects, the ancient Jewish quarter of Tunis was demolished, along with an ancient synagogue. Accounts of violence against Jews began to increase, especially after conflicts involving Israel, and as a result, by the end of 1967, only around 20,000 Jews remained in Tunisia. June 5, 1967, the day that Israel attacked its Arab neighbors to begin the Six Day War, was a particularly explosive example of violence against the Jews in Tunisia; mob violence broke out, Jewish shops, cars and synagogues were looted, burned, desecrated and destroyed. Although President Bourghuiba appeared on TV and the radio and implored the violence to stop, the Jews were not reassured, and 7,000 immigrated to France

Other examples of violence punctuated the Tunisian Jewish community’s contemporary history. In 1985 a Tunisian guard opened fire on worshippers in a synagogue in Djerba and five people (four Jewish) were killed. On April 11, 2002 the 2,000 year old El Ghriba Synagogue was targeted by an Al Qaeda truck bomber, who managed to detonate close to the synagogue and kill 21 people, 16 of which were German and French (non-Jewish) tourists. As a result of these relatively isolated attacks, the Tunisian government guards the community closely, and increases protection after topical events in the Middle East, such as the Israeli bombing of the PLO headquarters in Tunis in 1985 and the Temple Mount “incident” in 1990. The population, which had begun the post-war era at a peak of 105,000, diminished over the next few decades; the total of Tunisian Jews making aliya to Israel reached 45,000 and those fleeing to France about 60,000. By 1990, only about 3,000 Jews remained in the country today, most of whom reside in Tunis and Djerba.

While in Morocco I learned a few other things about Tunisia. Namely, that it is considered one of the most liberal and progressive Arab Muslim country in the Middle East. The examples provided were the following: many Tunisians do not fast on Ramadan and it is not enforced by the government (as it is de facto in Morocco), most women do not wear head coverings and it is very developed and touristy.

All of this information was compiled from outside research and secondary sources. I hope to use this as a basis for conversations with Jews still living in Tunisia, in order to ascertain their affirmation or rejection of these recognized facts, and further details into these events. I particularly wish to discover the personal stories of this population, with regards to life during the German occupation and the struggle for independence, the incidences of violence, the migration of the remainder of the population and the characteristics of contemporary Jewish life in this Arab-Muslim state with a seemingly less-than-amicable record of relations with their Jewish community.

Sources:

  • Wikipedia
  • “The Jews of Tunisia” by Mitchell Bard
  • “The History of the Jews of Tunisia” by Alexander Rosenzweig
  • Refer to the bibliography of my original paper for more sources