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Starting from the city of Sousse, Avenue Habib Bourguiba stretches all the way to the Mediterranean shoreline. [3] To find the Keter Torah synagogue, you'll walk down this street for a little while and then take a left onto a narrow, stone-paved street. Once you're there, you'll see how time has worn away the exterior of the synagogue, leaving mostly crumbling stone behind. But there are still flashes of its former self-- patterned tiles, bright flags. Wooden tombstones run along the walls inside the synagogue to commemorate those who have died. [3]
History of the Synagogue
The synagogue was built under Yossef Guez, the Chief Rabbi of Sousse, in 1881 [2] It once served as the main place of worship for the Jewish community of the city. There used to be six synagogues in the city, the largest one having 300 members. [9] There was even a seventh synagogue built during the time in between the world wars, but it was later destroyed. As of today, Keter Torah is the only one left. [2]
Present State of the Synagogue
Despite efforts to repair the building, Keter Torah remains in mild ruin. Previously, a Jewish businessman funded a project to fix the tiling inside the synagogue. [2] However, the walls and locks of the synagogue are impervious to any attempted maintenance efforts. [7] The ceiling especially remains a large concern with cracks that cause sand and stone to fall down onto people's heads [2]
Yossef Guez
Yossef Guez was born in a village in Sousse in 1861 and died in 1934. [6] His father was Rabbi David Guez, an important Talmudist of Northern Africa. [8] Guez was the Chief Rabbi of Sousse from 1906 to 1928 before his appointment as Chief Rabbi of Tunisia, a position he held from 1928-1934. [6] In 1928, there was discontent among the Tunisian Jewish community because the Chief Rabbi had always been someone of French origin. In response, the community created a petition to express their displeasure over the lack of native Tunisians serving in that role. [5] As a result, Guez became the first native Tunisian to hold the position of Chief Rabbi. [7]
History of the Jewish People of Sousse
The Jewish settlement of Sousse began during the Punic period. [9] The Almohads destroyed the settlement in 1159, but Jewish people returned during the 15th century. [9] During the 18th century, Jews came from Livorno, Italy and they were known as the Grana. They had commercial advantages over local Jews in the textile and olive oil trade because of their European connections. [9] In 1881 under the French protectorate of Tunisia, French culture was integrated into Jewish communities. [11] In 1916, we see Zionism begin to appear with the founding of Sousse's first Zionist society. [9] During World War II, Jewish people in the city suffered and many fled to safety. [10] Jews were held culpable for Allied air raids, so they had to pay money to bomb relief funds. [4] In 1942, Jews were forced to do labor in Moknine-- unloading ships and repainting roads. In 1943, Germans fined the community 15 million francs. [9]
Fluctuating Jewish Population
One of the earliest accounts in 1853 numbers the Jewish population in Sousse to 400 families. [10] During the world wars, there were about 3500-3700 Jewish people, although much of the professional and educated class left for Tunis after World War II. [9] At the height of the community in 1951, there were 6400 Jewish people living in the city. [1] However, mass emigration to Israel and France began once Tunisia gained its independence in 1956. [9, 10] In 2006, the Jewish population had declined to a mere 36 people. [6]
Notes
[1] Bataween. "A Potted History of the Jews of Sousse."
[2] "COMMENTAIRES." Harissa.com/news.
[3] Ghiţă, "Vasile Peteanu"
[4] Hirschberg, Bashan, and Attal. A History of the Jews in North Africa. 141.
[5] http://www.jdk-as.com/familles.php.
[6] "La Tunisie Et Moi."
[7] Mejri, "Gardien Du Trésor"
[8] “M. Yossef Guez," Jewish Telegraphic Agency
[9] Spector, Shmuel, and Wigoder. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust. 1222
[10] Stillman, Ackerman-Lieberman, and Stillman. Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World.
[11] "Sousse." Museum of the Jewish People
Bibliography
"ADRA - COMMENTAIRES." Harissa.com/news. Accessed June 13, 2018. https://harissa.com/forums/read.php?56,59135.
Andrea Ghiţă, "Vasile Peteanu: SINAGOGA Din SOUSSE." BAABEL. December 10, 2013. Accessed June 13, 2018. https://baabel.ro/2013/12/vasile-peteanu-sinagoga-din-sousse/.
Bataween. "A Potted History of the Jews of Sousse." Tzipi Livni: No Linkage of Refugees. June 28, 2015. Accessed June 11, 2018. http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-potted-history-of-jews-of-sousse.html.
Hirschberg, H. Z., Eliezer Bashan, and Robert Attal. Accessed June 13, 2018. A History of the Jews in North Africa. Second, Revised Edition, Translated from the Hebrew. 2. From the Ottoman Conquests to the Present Time. Edited by E. Bashan and R. Brill. 141
the Present Time. Edited by E. Bashan and R. Brill. 141JDK-as.com. Accessed June 13, 2018. http://www.jdk-as.com/familles.php.
"La Tunisie Et Moi." La Tunisie Et Moi | אלגריבה, המרכז העולמי למורשת יהדות תוניסיה בירושלים. Accessed June 13, 2018. http://elghribajerusalem.com/la-tunesie-et-moi/?lang=fr.
"M. Yossef Guez, New Chief Rabbi of Tunis." Jewish Telegraphic Agency. August 10, 1928. Accessed June 13, 2018. https://www.jta.org/1928/08/10/archive/m-yossef-guez-new-chief-rabbi-of-tunis.
"Sousse." Museum of The Jewish People - Beit Hatfutsot :'בית התפוצות - מוזיאון העם היהודי'. Accessed June 11, 2018. https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/sousse.
Spector, Shmuel, and Geoffrey Wigoder. Accessed June 11, 2018. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust. Seredina-Buda-Z. New York University Press, 1222
Stillman, Norman A., Phillip Isaac Ackerman-Lieberman, and Norman A. Stillman. Accessed June 11, 2018. Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill, 2010.
Walid Mejri, "| Yves Eliahou, Gardien Du Trésor Des Juifs En TunisieInkyfada." Inkyfada. January 25, 2017. Accessed June 14, 2018. https://inkyfada.com/2015/02/yves-eliahou-gardien-du-tresor-des-juifs-en-tunisie/.
Tunisia Trip Summer 2016 Photos Courtesy of Chyrstie Sherman
Write-up prepared by Abby Ow on June 15th, 2018