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Synagogue, Moknine (المكنين), Tunisia
No one finds the Synagogue of Moknine (المكنين) unless they are looking for it. Inside the labyrinthine city of Moknine, tucked into the bustling jewelry district, and almost hidden at the end of a dead-end alleyway is a simple and aging wooden door. It doesn’t look like much. But behind this door is a cavernous and ornate synagogue, with elaborate tilework, broad sweeping arches, and decorated wood paneling and furniture, where Tunisian Jews have worshipped for hundreds of years. The Jewish population of Moknine was known for being especially conservative and Orthodox, [1] which may explain why the Synagogue is so hidden, yet so graceful.
Description
The Synagogue of Moknine:
No one knows exactly what year the Synagogue of Moknine was constructed. Little historical documentation of its origins exists, and secondary estimates of its age widely vary. The best contemporary evidence of the Synagogue comes from an account written by a band of Christian missionaries in 1896. The account describes that upon arrival in Moknine, the missionaries were offered a place to sleep in a “new, clean, airy synagogue”. [2] This would imply that the Moknine Synagogue was likely constructed in the late 19th century. However, the architectural style of the Synagogue is an older 17th century Andalusian style, which some might say is evidence that it was built before the 19th century. [3] However, constructing a synagogue in an older style may simply indicate the orthodox nostalgia of the city’s conservative Jewish population.
The inside of the building today shows its age – and the building is aging rapidly. Between 2010 and 2016, photographic evidence shows that many of the decorative architectural elements of the Synagogue have been destroyed or removed. [4] The tall Andalusian arches that encircle the inside of the large building were once adorned with decorative tilework, but are now bare and crumbling white brick. The floor is thick with grey rubble – broken bricks and bits of tile. All moveable objects of value have long since been removed, but some pews, a teba (pulpit), and the enormous hekhal (Torah cabinet) still remain, their dark wood thickly coated in white dust. The Moknine Synagogue is an ancient and beautiful remnant of a lost era, but its luster is fading fast.
The Jewish Community of Moknine:
A Jewish community has existed in Moknine since at least the 16th century. The first Jews came there from Mahdia in the 1550s, fleeing a Spanish siege of the city. By the mid-1800s, about one hundred Jewish families populated the city. Many Jews participated in the production of jewelry, which explains the location of the Synagogue of Moknine, inside the city’s historical jewelry souk or market. [5] By 1921, there were about 595 Jews in Moknine. That number remained fairly steady through the first half of the 20th century, but went through abrupt changes around World War II. [6] During the war, large numbers of Jews went to Moknine for refuge from Allied bombings in other cities, and the Jewish population tripled to about 2,000. But the Vichy regime severely limited Jewish rights to property ownership, and forced many Jews to labor for the regime. [7] After the war, Zionist activity rapidly intensified, and many Jews left for Israel. By 1956, there were only 125 Jews left in Moknine. [8]
With the departure of the Jews of Moknine, the prognosis for its synagogue seems increasingly dire. Some efforts have been made to restore the Synagogue. A Facebook page exists to petition for its repair, raise awareness of its plight, and share other elements of Jewish Tunisian life and history. [9] In 2015, the Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs visited the Synagogue and promised to help restore it. [10] However, since that time, no action has been taken to improve the crumbling site. Only time can tell whether this jewel of the Moknine jewelry district will ever shine again.
Sources
Notes:
[1] Colette Bismuth-Jarrassé and Dominique Jarrassé, Synagogues de Tunisie: Monuments d’une Histoire et d’une Identité, (Paris: Éditions Esthétiques du Divers, 2010), 94.
[2] London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews. Jewish Missionary Intelligence, Volume 12, 1896. https://books.google.com/books?id=-ykWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA116.
[3] Colette Bismuth-Jarrassé and Dominique Jarrassé, Synagogues de Tunisie: Monuments d’une Histoire et d’une Identité, 95.
[4] Based on comparisons made between photographs published by Dominique Jarrassé in 2010 and photos taken by Crystie Sherman in Summer 2016.
[5] Irit Abramski-Bligh, “Moknine”, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: A-J, eds. Shmuel Spector, Geoffrey Wigoder, et al., (New York: New York University Press, 2001), 842.
[6] Robert Attal, Regards sur les Juifs de Tunisie, (Paris: Editions Albin Michel, 1979), Table II.
[7] Irit Abramski-Bligh, “Moknine”, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: A-J, eds. Shmuel Spector, Geoffrey Wigoder, et al., (New York: New York University Press, 2001), 842.
[8] Robert Attal, Regards sur les Juifs de Tunisie, Table II.
[9] “Patrimoine architectural tunisien en peril: La synagogue de Moknine”. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Patrimoine-architectural-tunisien-en-peril-La-synagogue-de-Moknine-667540039948197/.
[10] “Tunis: Battikh promet la restauration de la synagogue de Moknine”. African Manager, August 11, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20180816022951/https://africanmanager.com/51_tunis-battikh-promet-la-restauration-de-la-synagogue-de-moknine/.
Bibliography
“Tunis: Battikh promet la restauration de la synagogue de Moknine”. African Manager, August 11, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20180816022951/https://africanmanager.com/51_tunis-battikh-promet-la-restauration-de-la-synagogue-de-moknine/. Accessed August 15, 2018.
“La Synagogue De Moknine Un Trésor Abandonné Et En Ruines!” Harissa, February 7, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20180816023713/https://harissa.com/news/article/la-synagogue-de-moknine-un-tr%C3%A9sor-abandonn%C3%A9-et-en-ruines-0. Accessed August 15, 2018.
“Patrimoine architectural tunisien en peril: La synagogue de Moknine”. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Patrimoine-architectural-tunisien-en-peril-La-synagogue-de-Moknine-667540039948197/. Accessed August 15, 2018.
London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews. Jewish Missionary Intelligence, Volume 12, 1896. https://books.google.com/books?id=-ykWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA116. Accessed August 16, 2018.
“Moknine”. Beit Hatfutsot: The Museum of the Jewish People, 1996. https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/moknine. Accessed August 15, 2018.
Abramski-Bligh, Irit. “Moknine”. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: A-J. Edited by Shmuel Spector, Geoffrey Wigoder, et al. New York: New York University Press, 2001. Accessed August 15, 2018.
Attal, Robert. Regards sur les Juifs de Tunisie. Paris: Editions Albin Michel, 1979. Accessed August 15, 2018.
Bismuth-Jarrassé, Colette, and Dominique Jarrassé. Synagogues de Tunisie: Monuments d’une Histoire et d’une Identité. Paris: Éditions Esthétiques du Divers, 2010. Accessed August 15, 2018.
Eisenbeth, Maurice. Les Juifs de L’Afrique du Nord: Démographie & Onomastique. Algiers: Imprimerie du Lycee, 1936. Accessed August 15, 2018.
Written by Madeleine Turner, August 2018.