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The Jewish River and Synagogue of Nefta (Nefta), Tunisia
Nestled amidst thick Palm trees, the Jewish River is found directly behind a ruined synagogue in the small oasis town of Nefta, Tunisia.
Description
The Jewish River and Synagogue of Nefta
A grove of tall palms, thick grass, and bushes lines a narrow, creeping river in the verdant oasis town of Nefta (1). A cramped brick pathway runs down a small hill overlooking the river (1). Brick walls line the path and a trough cuts through its center, facilitating the flow of water down the hill and to various buildings along the way. Sitting directly next to this path lies the decrepit remains of a ruined synagogue(1). Old brick supports hold the far exterior walls in place, but the roof has long since been torn off. Another exterior wall is only partially intact, while the interior of the tiny space is filled with sand, discarded planks of wood, crumbled stone, and assorted detritus (1).
History of the Jewish Community
Although there are currently no Jewish families living in the area, this small town of roughly 21,000 has been home to Jews throughout history (2). Indeed, local myths place its founding to biblical times when Kostel, the grandson of Noah, named the town Nefta (Hebrew for "flammable mixture") because it was the first place that water boiled after the flood (3). A small Jewish community was still active in Nefta during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A single rabbi serviced the town, along with its neighbors Qafsa and Tozeur (4). The Jewish residents worked mostly on farms and raised cattle (4). By the mid-to-late 19th century, Jews were trading in dates and also working as tailors and jewelers (5). Most of the date orchards were owned by the Touitou family, a wealthy family that headed the Jewish community in the town (5). Between the World Wars the Jewish population of Nefta stood at approximately 150 people (5). Though the Jews of Nefta were mostly left unharmed during World War II, the economic conditions and increasing hostility of the local Muslim populations led many families to emigrate to Israel (5). While there are no longer Jews in the area, their presence lives on in the remains that they left behind.
Sources
Notes:
1) Chrystie Sherman “Synagogue in Nefta, Tunisia,” 2016. Diarna archive, accessed August 4, 2018.
2) “Tunisia Census Data, Population 2004-2014” Statistiques Tunisie Regional Data, January 27, 2015 http://regions.ins.tn/TNCD2014/tunisia-census-data-population-2004-2014?region=1023160-nefta&lang=en accessed August 4, 2018.
3) Norman Douglas, Fountains In The Sand: Rambles Among The Oases Of Tunisia, 1912, accessed August 4, 2018.
4) H. Z Hirschberg, A History of the Jews in North Africa. Edited by E. Bashan and Robert Attal. Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill, 1981, accessed August 4th 2018.
5) Shmuel Spector, and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust. Vol. 2. New York: New York University Press, 2001, accessed August 4th 2018.
Bibliography:
Douglas, Norman. Fountains In The Sand: Rambles Among The Oases Of Tunisia, 1912, accessed August 4, 2018.
Hirschberg, H.Z. A History of the Jews in North Africa. Edited by E. Bashan and Robert Attal. Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill, 1981, accessed August 4th 2018.
Sherman, Chrystie. “Synagogue in Nefta, Tunisia,” 2016. Diarna archive, accessed August 4, 2018.
Spector, Shmuel and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust. Vol. 2. New York: New York University Press, 2001, accessed August 4th 2018.
“Tunisia Census Data, Population 2004-2014” Statistiques Tunisie Regional Data, January 27, 2015 http://regions.ins.tn/TNCD2014/tunisia-census-data-population-2004-2014?region=1023160-nefta&lang=en accessed August 4, 2018.
Tunisia Trip Summer 2016
Photos Courtesy of Chyrstie Sherman
Write-up prepared by Sarah Lord, 10 August 2018.