Thousands of Jews flock to Djerba, Tunisia, for their annual visit

Hundreds of Jews from around the world began arriving on Wednesday at the synagogue, the oldest Jewish synagogue in Africa, in an annual festive season on the Tunisian island of Djerba.

The official activities will continue until Thursday, in the presence of a number of Tunisian ministers and religious and cultural figures from Tunisia and abroad, while continuing the annual visit of Jews to the alien over a week, amid tight security.

The two-day visit coincided with the month of Ramadan for the first time since 1978, and the organizers prepared a group breakfast on the occasion.

Hundreds of mourners arrived in the synagogue this morning, lit candles and wrote their wishes on the eggs amidst the hummingbirds, while others preferred to take a bouquet of figs.

Tunisian Tourism Minister Roni Trabelsi, a Jew, said: "By visiting al-Gharibah in Tunisia, we are delivering a message of peace to the world, and despite our differences in religion, we can live together.

He added in a statement to the media during the celebration of the launch of the visit to the temple, that this season witnessed the influx of hundreds of Jews who have not visited the alien for a long time, and this is good.

Trabelsi predicted that about 7,000 visitors would visit the country until May 26, after the number was around 3,000 last year.

Trabelsi, a businessman with a tourist travel agency and a son who is responsible for the "alien", was appointed tourism minister in November 2018. He was the first Jewish minister to hold office since the first president of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba (1957-1987).

Culture of tolerance
Tunisian Prime Minister Yousuf Al-Shahed visited Wednesday the "strange" accompanied by Trabelsi.

"The culture of tolerance and openness to the other ensures the ability to develop the spirit of citizenship and democracy, strengthen social relations between individuals and groups, and enhance the sense of belonging to this dear homeland," he said.

Tunisian Jews organize the hajj pilgrimage annually, with more than 1,200 people, most of whom are residents of Djerba and Tunis, numbering about 100,000 before Tunisia's independence in 1956.

During the visit, the Jews go to the left side of the temple (where the great rituals of the visit take place), where women light candles and put eggs in a designated place, after writing their wishes for next year.

When they leave this place, they go to a large sheikh named Berbi (a Sheikh with a blessing) to read them some parts of the Torah.