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Great Synagogue (Temple of Osiris) at Tunis, Tunisia
Constructed between 1933-1938, the Great Synagogue of Tunis (also known as "La Grande Synagogue") served as the premier synagogue outside the old Jewish quarter, capable of accommodating over 400 worshippers. Located in the new part of the city along the grand Avenue de Paris (now Avenue de la Liberté), it is one of 82 synagogues that once existed in the Tunisian capital. Historically, it served as the premier synagogue outside the old Jewish quarter (“harat el-yahud” in Arabic), and was capable of accommodating over 400 worshippers. Under the patronage of former Tunisian President Zinedine Ben Ali, the sanctuary was renovated in the 1990s in a bold art deco style. Today, the Great Synagogue remains the most prominent Jewish building in Tunisia, and as such has been the occasional site of protests. In 2011, for instance, an angry crowd marched past the synagogue chanting "Khaybar, Khaybar!"—a reference to a Jewish oasis in Saudi Arabia that was destroyed in the 7th Century.
Description
Origins: The need for such a grand structure in the modern section of Tunis was first envisioned in the late 19th Century by local notable Giacomo Di Castelnuovo. He wanted a synagogue that could accommodate the two branches of Tunisian Jewry that typically remained distinct: the Touansa (indigenous Tunisian Jews) and the Granas (Jews originally from Portugal and Livorno, Italy). French philanthropist Daniel Osiris agreed to endow the construction.
Stylings: Designed by architect Victor Valensi, the building’s interior reflects the art deco style popular at the time of the building’s construction, with bold shapes providing a unique look and feel. Hebrew text decorates much of the exterior, including the front gates, the front façade, and the ring around the rooftop dome.
Tunis Great Synagogue Interior (August, 2008)
Attack: During the Six Day War, in June of 1967, an angry mob ransacked the synagogue and burned torah scrolls. In the mid-1990s, Tunisian president Zinedine Ben Ali paid for a massive rehabilitation of the building. According to former residents, the synagogue interior was originally mostly white, with bold colors only added during Ben Ali's restoration.
Torah school: The synagogue complex also featured a Talmud Torah school, which once prepared boys for their Bar Mitzvah ceremony and which today houses the official offices of the Jewish community.
Status: Today the synagogue is primarily a tourist site and is rarely used. A police unit is permanently based outside the synagogue. Officers typically require that tourists produce a passport and give “proof” of Jewish identity before they are allowed access to the interior.
![Great Synagogue (Temple of Osiris), Interior View, Stained Glass [2] (Tunis, Tunisia, 2013)](https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/IAElDppjRM2d4F6x7Et9/convert?w=100&h=100&fit=crop)
![Great Synagogue (Temple of Osiris), Interior View, Stained Glass [1] (Tunis, Tunisia, 2013)](https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/2AVIKDGBQyq7zl2yM4GQ/convert?w=100&h=100&fit=crop)
![Great Synagogue (Temple of Osiris), Interior View, Ark [2] (Tunis, Tunisia, 2013)](https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/R7gnh2HfTODAzfAYgC9Q/convert?w=100&h=100&fit=crop)
![Great Synagogue (Temple of Osiris), Interior View, Ark [1] (Tunis, Tunisia, 2013)](https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/JQdBRJUS3iB7kPKvntFc/convert?w=100&h=100&fit=crop)
Sources
Archiwebture. "Fonds Valensi, Victor (1884-1977). 024 Ifa." Accessed January 7, 2014. http://archiwebture.citechaillot.fr/fonds/FRAPN02_VALVI.
Haim Saadoun, ed. Tunisia (Jerusalem: Ben Zvi Institute, 2006).
Harissa. "La Synagogue de Tunis." Accessed January 7, 2014. http://www.harissa.com/D_Religion/lasynadetunisgalula.htm.
Jacob Pinkerfeld, Synagogues of North Africa, (Jerusalem: Bialik Press, 1957).
SephardicGen. "The Portuguese Jewish Community in Tunis." Accessed January 7, 2014. http://www.sephardicgen.com/tunis.htm.
Wikipédia. "Granas." Accessed January 7, 2014, http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granas.
Wikipédia. "Grande synagogue de Tunis." Accessed January 7, 2014. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_synagogue_de_Tunis.