Thousands of Jews Make an Annual Pilgrimage to This Muslim Country

From National Geographic

Every spring, around the holiday of Lag BaOmer, thousands of Jewish pilgrims travel to the island of Djerba, off Tunisia's southern coast, to visit the El Ghriba synagogue. In this 2017 travel feature, National Geographic describes the pilgrimage and the ancient community that hosts it.

El Ghriba

An ancient synagogue

According to local tradition, Jews first came to Djerba after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem, more than 2,500 years ago, and El Ghriba has been in use for centuries. The community grew over time with Jews arriving from Spain and from neighboring lands. About 100,000 Jews lived in Tunisia before independence in 1956; today a small community of about a thousand remains on Djerba, most of the Jews left in the country.

The pilgrimage

Candles, eggs, and celebration

Pilgrims come from Tunisia and abroad to pray, light candles, and place eggs inscribed with their wishes inside the synagogue. The days are filled with music, dancing, and shared meals of couscous, fish, and fig wine, as well as traditional ceremonies such as a child's first haircut.

Challenges

Security and tourism

The pilgrimage was cancelled in 2011 during Tunisia's revolution, and attacks in the years since have raised security concerns and reduced the number of visitors. Even so, the gathering continues, and Tunisia has sought international recognition for Djerba's heritage.

Read the full article at National Geographic →

This summary was written by JIMENA and is based on “Thousands of Jews Make an Annual Pilgrimage to This Muslim Country” by Christine Bednarz, published by National Geographic (June 27, 2017), with additional historical background. The original article belongs to National Geographic.