JEWISH PILGRIMAGE TO DJERBA: A TUNISIAN SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001305

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG (WLAWRENCE),DRL/IRF (WCOMSKY)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: JEWISH PILGRIMAGE TO DJERBA: A TUNISIAN SUCCESS
STORY

REF: TUNIS 669

Classified By: Ambassador William Hudson for Reasons 1.4 b and d


1. (C) Summary: Approximately 3,500 Jewish pilgrims,
including reportedly 500 Israeli citizens, descended on the
Tunisian island of Djerba for the annual pilgrimage to El
Ghriba synagogue on May 15-16, coinciding with the Jewish
holiday Lag B'Omer. The pilgrimage took place with no
reported problems, and was a positive example of GOT policies
of religious tolerance and Tunisia's acceptance of its
dwindling, ancient Jewish community. On May 15 Ambassador,
accompanied by Poloff, visited the La Ghriba synagogue to
witness the pilgrimage. End Summary.

Background on the Pilgrimage
--------------


2. (U) The El Ghriba synagogue is said to have been built
1,900 years ago using a stone from Solomon's temple. While
the present synagogue is believed to be approximately one
hundred years old, some of its Torahs and parchments
reportedly date back to the original construction of the
synagogue. The fame of the El Ghriba synagogue is based on
numerous traditions and beliefs that emphasize its antiquity
and importance among the local Jews as well as those of the
former Jewish communities of Tunisia and Libya. The
synagogue annually becomes the site of a two-day celebration,
culminating in a procession to the synagogue by a throng of
pilgrims wheeling a large pyramidal lamp (the menorah)
covered in fabric through the streets, while praising
venerated rabbis from Jewish history. Within the synagogue a
shrine is filled with eggs inscribed with the names of young
women, a rite said to guarantee fertility. (NOTE: The
pilgrimage and ceremony at El Ghriba is uniquely Tunisian and
is different from more common forms of celebration of Lag
B'Omer. One Tunisian Jewish community leader said he would
not likely attend the ceremony, describing it as "pagan." END
NOTE.)

Security
--------------


3. (U) Since the 2002 bombing on El Ghriba synagogue, the
first attack attributed to al Qaeda after September 11, the
GOT has significantly increased security around the
synagogue. For the pilgrimage, security measures included
helicopter patrols, K-9 explosive detection units, and
barricades on all streets within a half-mile around the
synagogue. Numerous Djerbans said that 3,000 extra police
were on the island for the pilgrimage. The Tunisian Soccer
Championship Cup, normally held on a Sunday, was rescheduled
for Friday, May 12, reportedly so that security resources
used for the soccer match could be shifted to Djerba for the
pilgrimage. According to multiple Djerba residents, only
foreigners and members of the Tunisian Jewish community were
granted access to the site of the pilgrimage.

Celebration at La Ghriba
--------------


4. (U) The procession of the menorah took place on May 15,
and was attended by Minister of Tourism Tijani Haddad and
Kamel Ben Ali, Governor of the Medenine province, which
includes Djerba. On that day the synagogue and the
surrounding community center were packed with pilgrims of all
ages and diverse nationalities. While some participated in
rites inside the synagogue, many others relaxed in a
makeshift market area, where food and entertainment were
available. The atmosphere was celebratory and jovial, with
impromptu dancing and singing. Many pilgrims approached the
Ambassador to thank him for his presence, and to discuss the
pilgrimage. Several Tunisian-American pilgrims described
their small Tunisian Jewish communities in Philadelphia and
Los Angeles. An Israeli pilgrim and tour guide, who said she
had previously visited Tunisia with the delegation of
then-Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom during the UN World
Summit on the Information Society in November 2005, said she
had led a delegation of "six busloads" of Israeli pilgrims.
Many pilgrims noted the peaceful atmosphere of the
pilgrimage, and praised the fact that they were welcomed in
Tunisia.

RCD Rally Atmosphere in the Synagogue

--------------


5. (U) At the culmination of the procession, the Grand Rabbi
of Djerba, Minister Haddad, Governor Ben Ali, and two
visiting French parliamentarians gave speeches in the
jam-packed synagogue. Despite the religious location and the
presence of hundreds of pilgrims, the event seemed less about
the significance of the pilgrimage or holiday, but rather
felt like a ruling-party RCD rally. Speakers extolled the
virtues of Tunisia's climate of religious tolerance, as led
by Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Fervent chants
of "Long Live Ben Ali!" interrupted speeches every few
minutes. Local Jewish leaders were among the most active in
leading cheers of support for the Tunisian President. (NOTE:
The Jewish community has traditionally strongly praised the
GOT for its support. END NOTE.) Haddad, delivering a message
from Ben Ali said: "Tunisia will remain, as it has for
millennia, a country of tolerance, brotherhood and concord,
in which the three revealed religions coexist in security and
tranquillity."

The Local Take
--------------


6. (C) In conversations with Djerbans, Poloff noted no
animosity towards the Jewish pilgrimage, nor the local Jewish
population. On the contrary, time and time again, non-Jewish
Djerbans boasted of the tolerance and good relations with
their local community, and the welcome they offered to the
pilgrims, who had been coming "for hundreds of years".
Several Tunisians pointed out that Jews were in Tunisia,
"even before the arrival of Islam." Others noted the
positive impact of 3,500 pilgrims on Djerba's tourism-based
economy. One nineteen-year old Djerba resident said her only
regret was that non-Jewish Djerbans couldn't access the site,
"to attend the party" where there would be food and music.


7. (U) Some interlocutors demonstrated sensitivity when
talking about the Israeli pilgrims who had attended. (NOTE:
Numbers of Israeli pilgrims has increased in recent years and
the GOT abolished travel restrictions on Israeli citizens in

2005. END NOTE) Several times, when listing pilgrims'
nationalities, Djerbans would loudly state: "French, Belgian,
Italian, of course Tunisian" -- and then lowering their
voice, assumedly not to draw attention to a sensitive topic
-- "and Israelis." While articles in mainstream Tunisian
newspapers highlighted the tolerance demonstrated by the
pilgrimage, opposition paper al Mawqif warned that the
pilgrimage showed further progress toward normalization with
Israel, a process it and its supporting party oppose. One
prominent editorialist compared Tunisia's welcome of Jewish
pilgrims to the racist anti-Semitic/anti-Israel
demonstrations by students at Manouba University in March
(reftel),condemning the "racist discourse" of anti-Semitism
and noting that since the decline of the Jewish community in
Tunisia, young Tunisians knew Jews, "only through the prism
of Israel and the historic injustice suffered by Palestinians
for nearly sixty years."


8. (C) COMMENT: The Jewish pilgrimage to El Ghriba is a clear
example of Tunisia's oft-trumpeted religious tolerance. The
pilgrimage also plainly showed the tacit contract between the
Jewish community and the GOT, which in turn for support,
security and tolerant policies on religion receives the firm
allegiance of the community. The GOT also focuses on the
economic benefits of the pilgrimage, as shown by the presence
of the Minister of Tourism rather than the Minister of
Religious Affairs. In conversations with the MFA, our
interlocutors often point to the Djerba pilgrimage as a step
on the path to normalization with Israel. However, it is
also possible that the GOT views the pilgrimage as a step in
lieu of normalization. END COMMENT.
HUDSON