While most of Tunisia’s Jews left the country during the 1950s and 60s, roughly 1,000 remain on the island of Djerba, which boasts a historic synagogue and a community with its own traditions, living under the protection of the government. The synagogue continues to attract a large wave of pilgrims from abroad on the holiday of Lag ba’Omer, which this year fell last Tuesday. A member of the Tunisian national guard chose the festive occasion to open fire on a crowd outside the synagogue, killing two Jews and three security personnel. Ben Cohen examines how the country’s regime has responded:
A member of the Tunisian Jewish community expressed serious concern regarding the remarks delivered by President Kais Saied to Tunisia’s National Security Council on Wednesday, pointing to the absence of any condemnation of anti-Semitism or condolences specifically directed to the Jewish community. “I heard his entire speech, and I realized that it is probably very difficult for him to mention the word ‘Jews’,” the Jewish community member—who spoke on condition of strict anonymity for fear of reprisals—told the Algemeiner during a telephone interview on Thursday.
“Without a doubt, [Saied] is not only a hater of Israel but also anti-Semitic,” the person added emphatically.
Saied has caused consternation among Tunisian Jews in the recent past, having been taken to task by Jewish organizations in 2021 after he delivered a speech in which he accused Jews of being responsible “for the instability in the country”—an assertion the Tunisian leader later denied making.
Saied’s comments were echoed by other Tunisian political leaders. A statement from the heads of the Tunisian Labor Union (UGGT) condemned the “vile terrorist operation” in Djerba before denouncing “the instrumentalization by the media and foreign circles, by wrongly identifying this heinous terrorist crime with what is called ‘anti-Semitism,’ with a view to smearing Tunisia.”
Read more on Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/05/11/disquiet-among-tunisian-jews-over-presidents-response-to-deadly-synagogue-attack/