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Cemetery, Ben Gardane (Bengardane), Tunisia

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The Cemetery at Ben Gardane

While the Tunisian government has been trying to take steps to make the country more accommodating for religious minorities, there are still hate crimes levied against them, as evidenced by the ransacking of Jewish graves. Statistics show that more than “100 Jewish gravestones have been plundered and desecrated since the beginning of 2013.” [8] The cemetery at Ben Gardane is no exception, with many graves propped open and empty, and many Hebrew headstones cracked so badly, they are illegible. 
Some of those graves, however, might be the modern burial sites for young men who fought for the Islamic State. Ben Gardane’s recent history touts it as “an incubator for jihadists,” concerning its ongoing conflicts between Tunisian security forces and armed militia from the Islamic State. One specific attempt, the Battle of Ben Guerdane, took place in March of 2016, where a radicalized group of Tunisians returned from Libya and attempted to seize Ben Gardane for the Islamic State. They were brutally put down and, as a result, some families found themselves carrying the “bullet-riddled corpses of their sons and brothers” to the cemetery. But those were only 8 people, and they were buried in unmarked graves, which may have been the ransacked Jewish graves. [7] It’s a possibility, albeit a rather bleak one.

A Brief History of Jews in Ben Gardane

The small town of Ben Gardane lies on the coast of southeastern Tunisia, adjacent to the Libyan border. Jews first began to migrate there in the early 19th century, drawn in by its bolstering trading economy. Because of the poor border control in the area, illicit trading opportunities were rampant and easily accessed, therefore many Jewish families took advantage of that and were able to build themselves sustainable lives based on cross-border trading. [1] That being said, not every Jewish family was able to capitalize on such ventures, thus creating a stark disparity between the richer and poorer Jewish families. [2] However, that did not stop Jewish families from flocking to Ben Gardane in search of economic prosperity; by 1936, there were already 489 Jewish residents in the town, [3] and it only continued to grow. By 1946, they made up about 40% of the population at 675 people, which was an impressive feat. 

Unfortunately, it was not a comfort that would last for long. The Libyan border closed during WWII, and while the Jews of Ben Gardane weren’t affected directly by the warfare, they were greatly affected financially by the border’s closing. For fear of being bombarded by Allied troops, most families fled to the neighboring towns of Djerba and Zarzis; sadly, upon their return, they found their homes ransacked.

The future seemed bleak until a Zionist branch was founded nearby in Djerba in 1945, led by Nissim Cohen. The branch provided the Jews of Ben Gardane with schooling and supplies in order to cope with the border’s closing. When Tunisia won its independence in 1956, the branch provided the means for residents to immigrate to Israel. By 1976, there were only 85 Jews left in the once-prosperous trading town - and they were unwanted by the other Tunisians. [4] The Tunisian government abolished the Jewish Community Council in 1958, and sanctioned armed attacks on Ben Gardane in 1982. [5]

However, since then, the Tunisian government has implemented sanctions protecting Jewish communities, as well as other religious minorities within the country. Although it is still an Islamic nation, it also claims to be a “civil state,” and therefore pledges to protect its religious minorities. [6]   Yet, the damages done were immense, and the changes in the country have been enough for the Jews of Ben Gardane to lose almost all interest in the town. Today, there aren’t even enough Jews in the town for a statistic to appear on the census. [1] The once-prosperous trading port has now become a site for Islamic militancy, and the remnants of Jewish history there are, sadly, becoming more and more derelict. 

Ben Gardane, Tunisia

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