Djerba – This year’s Jewish pilgrimage on Tunisia’s island of Djerba saw a “marked return” of worshippers, organisers said Monday, after two years of scaled-down turnout due to safety concerns.
The annual pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest, has in the past drawn thousands of pilgrims from Europe and beyond, attracting international and local tourists as well.
But after a deadly 2023 attack on the synagogue that killed two worshippers and three police officers, fewer pilgrims have been turning out while officials also placed restrictions on the event.
“This year, there has been a marked return of pilgrims to the island. We estimate that around 200 people have come from abroad,” said Rene Trabelsi, a former tourism minister and co-organiser of the event.
Djerba, whose palm trees and beach resorts attract flocks of tourists each year, is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the region outside of Israel.
The pilgrimage is at the heart of the Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the community still live — mainly on the island — compared to around 100,000 in the 1950s, before many left for Israel and France.
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Source: AFP
