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Ghriba Synagogue at Le Kef, Tunisia

Description

Ghriba Synagogues

The Ghriba synagogue at Le Kef is one of seven ancient synagogues that serve as pilgrimage sites and are considered to be especially holy. [10] The other ones are located in various countries in Northern Africa such as Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. [10] Most of them exist in isolation—a translation of the word ghriba. [10] However, ghriba can also mean abandoned, extraordinary, solitary, strange, and wonderful. [2]

It’s unclear why Ghribas are sacred. One explanation given is that after a miracle occurred, the face of a goddess appeared in the sky and three stones fell from heaven to earth. [4] The first stone fell to Djerba, the second to Annaba, and the third to le Kef. [4] Another explanation given by the locals is that the synagogue was built upon the tomb of a virtuous woman, lending the site its sanctity. [2] Some scholars believe that the synagogue is sacred because it is located near the cemetery were nomadic Jews buried their dead. [2]

Ghriba Synagogue of Le Kef

The synagogue today is known as Ghribet el Yahood (sanctuary of the Jews) and doesn’t actually have any congregation members. Previously, the Jewish congregation numbered 3,000 people. [1, 14] The synagogue is "attached to a Sefardic rite" and can be found in the town’s Jewish quarter, Hara el Yahud. [2,6] It is an enduring "rallying point" for Jews from the interior of Tunisia and from Algeria. [13] Jewish people from Algeria would go on pilgrimage each year to see the synagogue during the festival of Sukkot.

There are many important artifacts housed in the synagogue, including “pieces of tefillin, tzedekah boxes, [139] silver wall plaques that honor the dead, photos of the Jewish community from the 19th century up until the 1950s, and drapery embroidered with the Star of David”. [11, 12] There is also a “wooden circumcision chair … displayed prominently at the entrance and black-and-white photos that show the 1994 restoration at various stages”.  [12] There are 600 year old Torah scrolls written on sheepskin, which the president of the synagogue wanted to move Tunis or Djerba during the restoration. [12] But the local authorities refused and kept the scrolls in the local museum until the restoration was complete.

Restoration

Since the Jewish community sharply declined after 1984, the synagogue fell into a state of disrepair. [6] However, government efforts restored it to the public on April 13th, 1994. [6] The Muslim president of Tunisia, Zine al-Abidien Ben Ali, donated $50,000 which pushed the the three-month project forward. [12,14] These efforts were overseen by Mohammed Tlili, an Arab citizen of the town and the former director of the Historical Society of Le Kef. [1,12] As the Jewish population declined, Tlili felt that the town “had a moral obligation to do something". [12] 

The government has undertaken efforts to restore other synagogues in Tunisia to promote Jewish tourism from Israel, Europe, and the United States. [12] However, the president also “wants people to come back and visit the places where they were born and raised”. [12] In line with these efforts, on March 20, 2017, Bernard Nessim Taieb, a member of the committee of the Jewish community in Tunisia, informed the press that development efforts on the synagogue at le Kef had begun again. [7] The valuable artifacts in the synagogue were kept in the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions for safekeeping during the restoration. [3]  The restoration efforts of a Jewish synagogue by the Tunisian government are meant to celebrate the “peaceful cohabitation” of a city that has· “known the mixing of culture and civilizations”. [3]

Jewish History 

Le Kef is a town of 50,000 people and the previous Jewish population of le Kef was clustered in a district right next to the synagogue. [5,12] The Jewish population was primarily descended from so-called “desert Jews” in addition to immigrants from Tunis and Bizerte. [9] In 1830, there were about 200 Jewish people and that number peaked during the early 1900s, remaining stable near 800 people. [2,9] Additionally, the increased Western influence of the 1930s prompted Jewish parents to send their children to French public school. [9] However, after World War II and Tunisian independence in 1956, there were only 313 Jewish people in le Kef. [2]  The last Jewish person left le Kef in 1984 and gave the keys of the synagogue to the ASM (Medina Safeguarding Association). [2,14]

Sukkot

The Sukkot festival week is also known as the “feast of huts” and everyone in the surrounding region went on an annual pilgrimage to le Kef. [2] This pilgrimage, or “séouda”, falls between the feasts of Eid El Ftira and Shavuot. [2] During this three day long celebration, people would walk a calf decorated with scarves and necklaces around town before killing it as an offering to the notables of the town. [2] Then, a large serving of couscous was cooked over a wood fire and served to the whole community. The Jewish community also donated meat and semolina to pay for the festival and allow food to be distributed for free. However, this tradition died out once the last Jewish person left.  

Le Kef, Tunisia

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