or fans of Star Wars , the name Jerba (also known as Djerba) is familiar. For it’s in Ajim, on the beautiful island of Jerba, that Obi-Wan Kenobi lived. But Jerba, situated just off the North African country, Tunisia, is also known for the communal harmony that surrounds its existence.
“Centuries have gone by, yet our brotherhood remains unshaken. Ours is a culture of pluralism, a tradition of tolerance and although the conflict outside deeply saddens us, our spirits are unshaken,” says Es-Sayyidi Adel, while digging into a Jewish Breek filo pastry served by a cherubic granny. The presence of Adel, a devout Tunisian Muslim Arab, at a Jewish neighbour’s whitewashed stone cottage with bright blue doors, summed up his country’s legacy of peace and harmony. On Jerba Island, off Tunisia’s south-eastern coast, Jews and Arabs, despite the bloody conflict in the Middle East, have coexisted for over a thousand years.
Strolling down a dusty alleyway where Arabic scribbles and Hebrew welcome signs form a perfect canvas, members of both communities are seen greeting each other in true Mediterranean spirit, with two pecks on each cheek, playing cards under shady trees over mint tea, gossip and smiles. “In Jerba, this is the way we Muslims and Jews live, like Jerbians. I was born in Er-Riadh, the Jewish quarter, just a stone’s throw from the grand synagogue. I’ve had Jewish friends, neighbours and classmates, and our religious backgrounds mattered less. We’ve loved each other as fellow Tunisians,” smiles Afif Traouli, a Tunisian diplomat formerly posted in India.
Tunisia being a former French colony, the island is known in French as ‘L’Ile de Paix et de Tolerance’ or ‘The Island of Peace and Tolerance’. Jerba, in her quietude, speaks volumes about her peaceful legacy. It is believed that Jews arrived on the island long before the destruction of the First Temple (in ancient Jerusalem) while some believe it was thereafter. Another theory is that many Tunisian Jews are descendants of those that fled Spain to North Africa’s Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) after the Spanish Inquisition. Passionately upholding their ancient traditions, Jerba’s devout Jews in colourful kippah skull caps and tsitist katan, a Jewish vest, practice the ancient faith of their forefathers. Although many Tunisian Jews have migrated to Israel, the majority of those who remain are said to inhabit the island.
Celebrated for its rugged beauty, stunning seascapes and rich culinary, musical and artistic traditions, the Mediterranean island is justifiably a hotspot for tourists. Along with its towering mosques like the Masjid er Rahmah (Mosque of Mercy) and Masjid Ghouraba to name a few, Jerba houses a beautiful Maltese style St Joseph Catholic church, plunk in the heart of Houmt Souk, its dazzling traditional market. A soft and gentle service in German or Italian held on Sunday mornings provides tranquillity to worshippers, namely, expatriates on the island.
While eloquent Arabic sermons rise from the loudspeakers of the packed mosques during Friday prayers, verses in authentic classical Hebrew at one of Judaism’s holiest synagogues, the ancient El Ghriba, spiritually elevate the hundreds of Jewish pilgrims that visit each year during the Pèlerinage La Ghriba (the pilgrimage that takes place annually close to Passover around summer). The ornate blue interiors of the synagogue illuminated by oil lamps, Jews praying passionately and the singing and dancing in the sprawling courtyard as a part of the yearly celebrations are, as many first-timers to the island call, ‘ a pure miracle in this day and age of conflict’.
While in Houmt Souk, Jews and Arabs do business side-by-side, even co-own many shops, in the Hara Kebirah (larger Jewish quarter) and Hara Seghirah, (the smaller quarter), one can find bakeries, hairdressing salons and restaurants with members of both communities working together, both Islamic and Judaic religious symbols beautifying the walls and doors. “Can you imagine, this is the only spot on the planet where one can have dinner in a Jewish restaurant in the heart of an Arab country,” smiles Marie, a European tourist, while being served traditional kosher Arabic-Jewish delicacies by Younah, Jerba’s famous Jewish chef. “Kullu normal ya akhi” (it’s all normal, brother) he smiles when asked about the brotherhood, continuing the conversation with Aymen, his Muslim neighbour, in rustic Arabic.
While secular schools have students from both communities studying together, a traditional Jewish school in the Hara teaches Hebrew and theology and outside it are the words that seem to sum up the island’s spirit, “Love Thy Neighbor”. Haim, Tunisia’s scholarly and soft-spoken chief Rabbi and a native of Jerba, is proud of the country’s legacy of tolerance and the brotherhood his community shares with its Muslim Arab counterparts.
Despite recent terrorist attacks having rocked the country, deeply damaging its tourism and threatening the lives of her peace-loving folk, salam and shalom (peace in Arabic and Hebrew) seem etched in every one of her bricks and stones.
See www.tourismtunisia.com for more details.
The author is a freelance writer
Arabic scribbles and Hebrew welcome signs form a perfect canvas as members of both communities are seen greeting each other in true Mediterranean spirit
