Disclaimer
This entry contains information known to us from a variety of sources but may not include all the information currently available. Please be in touch if you notice any inadvertent mistakes in our presentation or have additional knowledge or sources to share. Thank you.
Archive
Main Synagogue, Tataouine, Tunisia
The town of Tataouine, Tunisia once claimed a small, but thriving Jewish community. In 1946 770 Jews called Tataouine home (1). However, due to political upheaval, not a single Jew remained merely twenty years later (1). The beautiful main synagogue has been abandoned since. It now stands as a dilapidated reminder of the rich Jewish history of Tataouine.
Description
The Synagogue of Tataouine
The main synagogue of Tataouine sits next to a tight alleyway filled with merchants. Cheap plastic toys, spices, and rugs are available for purchase from local vendors right outside the doors of the abandoned synagogue (2). The entrance to the temple is located through bright blue doors underneath an arched covering (2). The utter disrepair of the structure becomes visible once inside the sanctuary. The roof of the building has collapsed, and takes up a large portion of the sanctuary floor (2). Indeed, the very stone foundations of the complex have crumbled away, leaving only a portion of the synagogues four walls (2).
However, it is still possible to see much of its original beauty despite its state of decay. The sanctuary is lined with decorative columns in soft, pale blue (2). These columns are on either end of large archways that would have given the space a grand and airy feel. The walls of the tall ceilings are lined with colorful and intricate geometric designs, set in a background of blue (2). Indeed, the Jewish community of Tataouine was founded as an offshoot of the Jewish community in Djerba (1), and as such, the synagogue bears a striking resemblance to the El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba (3).
The El Ghriba Synagogue has been meticulously maintained and it is easy to see how the synagogue at Tataouine contains the same features (3). Both share a square shaped main sanctuary surrounded by arches and blue decorative columns. They also have high ceilings and walls tiled with geometric patterns. Though the temple of Tataouine may be in complete disrepair, its former style and elegance shows through the rubble as an example of synagogue architecture in the area.
History
The Jews of Tataouine migrated south from the city of Djerba after the establishment of the French Protectorate in Tunisia in 1881 (1) The community in Tataouine was meant to serve as a satellite community of Jews from the “Little Quarter” of Djerba (1). Unlike other Jewish communities in North Africa, the Jews of Djerba did not allow women in their synagogues (4). Additionally, this community was not fond of excess singing, music and dance (4). As a result, wedding ceremonies lasted only one week, instead of multiple weeks in other areas of North Africa (4). Despite the idiosyncrasies of the community, the Jews of Tataouine were very successful. Jews owned most businesses in the town and wealthy members traded in many products including wool, mutton, groceries and cloth (1). Originally, there were three synagogues in use for a population that continued to grow (1). In 1921 there were 369 Jews in Tataouine. That number jumped to 637 in 1936, before reaching its peak of 770 in 1946 (1). The boys in the town studied Talmud, and if they were talented, went to yeshiva (1). The girls, however, did not receive any Jewish education and instead stayed home and worked to support the family (1).
During World War II, Allied bombardment of area sent the Jews of Tataouine fleeing for safety. They resided in nearby caves, while local Arabs stole from their abandoned homes and businesses (1). General Montgomery liberated the city on February 17, 1943 (1). After the war, Modern Hebrew classes were offered to the community through the Ateret Zion movement (1). This coincided with a deterioration of the relationships between the Jews and the local Arab population (1). Half of the Jewish population of Tataouine made Aliyah to Israel in 1952, while the rest left in the early 1960’s (1). There are no longer any Jews in Tataouine.
Sources
Notes
1) Shmul Spector and Geoffrey Wigoder “Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust” Vol 3, New York University Press, New York, 2001, accessed July 12, 2018.
2) Chrystie Sherman, “Photos of the Synagogue of Tataouine”, Tataouine, Tunisia, 7/6/2016. Diarna archive accessed July 12, 2018.
3) Chrystie Sherman, “Photos of the El Ghriba Synagogue,” Djerba (Jerba, Jarbah, جربة), Tunisia 7/9/2016, Diarna archive accessed July 12, 2018.
4) Jacques Taïeb, “Jerba”, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Consulted online on 13 July 2018 First published online: 2010
Bibliography
Chrystie Sherman, “Photos of the El Ghriba Synagogue,” Djerba (Jerba, Jarbah, جربة), Tunisia 7/9/2016, Diarna archive accessed July 12, 2018.
Chrystie Sherman, “Photos of the Synagogue of Tataouine”, Tataouine, Tunisia, 7/6/2016. Diarna archive accessed July 12, 2018.
Spector, Shmuel, and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust. Vol. 3. New York, NY: New York Univ. Press, 2001, accessed July 12, 2018.
Taïeb, Jacques, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Consulted online on 13 July 2018 First published online: 2010 http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/jerba-COM_0011980?s.num=1&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world&s.q=djerba+synagogue
Prior Notes
Synagogues de Tunisie by Collette Bismuth-Jarrasse pg 178
Tunisia Trip Summer 2016
Photos Courtesy of Chrystie Sherman
Write up prepared by Sarah Lord, 13 July 2018.