el-Ghriba synagogue
The el-Ghriba Synagogue ( Arabic كنيس الغريبة, DMG kanīs al-Ġarība , Tunisian-Arabic knīs ə l-Ġrībä ) on the Tunisian island of Djerba is the oldest surviving synagogue in North Africa and therefore also a destination for tourists in this country.
description
The synagogue is located in the village of Er-Riadh, a few kilometers southwest of Houmt Souk on the Tunisian island of Djerba . The Ghriba is the most famous of around 20 synagogues that were used in the three Jewish villages on Djerba until the 1950s.
Ghriba means “wonderful” or “strange” in Arabic and reflects the special importance of the synagogue in the Jewish traditions of Tunisia. It is the best known of several synagogues that bear the same name and that are located in other countries in North Africa (particularly near Annaba ).
history
A legend says the construction of the synagogue go to escape the high priest after the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II. In 586 v. BC back. The high priests are said to have brought a door and a stone from the altar of the destroyed temple. Today, visitors can see a stone that was incorporated into one of the synagogue's vaults and that is seen as the link between Jerusalem and the Jewish diaspora .
Other traditions also try to explain the meaning and sanctity of the synagogue. According to one of them, the synagogue is built in the first half of the 19th century on a site where a young stranger girl (ghriba) previously lived, who was not accepted by the island's residents. Since she is said to have died in a fire that destroyed her hut but not her body, the Jews of Djerba thought that she was holy and decided to build a synagogue there. Another variant tells that the girl was a Jewish refugee and saved herself from Jerusalem to Djerba with a Torah scroll and a stone from the temple, but died there of exhaustion and the synagogue was built at the place of her death.
At the Simchat Torah festival in 1985, one of the local police officers responsible for the security of the synagogue opened fire on the Jews celebrating, killing three people, including a child.
On April 11, 2002, an attack was carried out on tourists visiting the al-Ghriba synagogue. A truck loaded with 5000 liters of liquefied gas hit the synagogue and exploded. 19 tourists died as a result of the attack (14 of them from Germany); another 30 people were injured, some seriously. See: Attack on the Al-Ghriba Synagogue in 2002 .
building
The synagogue was built at the end of the 19th century on the site of the ancient building from the 6th century.
The current synagogue, a modest building on the outside but richly decorated on the inside, is made up of two covered halls in contrast to the other synagogues in Djerba. After various structural additions over time, the first hall was formed by a roof from what was previously an open courtyard in order to increase the capacity for the faithful. At the entrance there are two columns that divide the hall into three areas. This hall is connected to the main hall by three vaults. The end of the hall also has two columns, which support a high and open skylight from numerous windows. Initially, the hall had twelve windows corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel .
Additional windows were installed during later renovations and alterations. Changes were also made on the north side. The Teva (Torah cabinet) is located under the skylight (at the western end of the prayer room). However, the last column on the east side is missing; probably this was never built. Local tradition sees there as a token of memory of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. It is also claimed that the building should remain unfinished because "nothing is perfect, except the deity". The wooden benches for the believers are arranged around the teva. The inner walls are decorated with ceramic tiles with blue, white and brown ornaments, which have been hand-painted. A niche below the sacred arch indicates the place where the body of the young girl was found: it is known as "the girl's cave".
The inner courtyard is surrounded by covered loggias that stand on columns. The adjacent buildings serve as accommodation for the pilgrims . The oldest were also established at the end of the 19th century. The newer part is from the beginning of the 1950s.
Administration of the synagogue
The synagogue is controlled by an independent administrative committee that was set up at the end of the 19th century when Djerba was under French protectorate . The management committee organizes the annual pilgrimage , the income of which is paid out to the old inhabitants of the village.
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage takes place annually on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer between Passover and Shavuot . The festivities begin on the 14th of Ijjar in memory of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess and last until the Lag baOmer festival , which is celebrated on the 18th of Ijjar in memory of Rabbi Shimon ben Jochai (known locally as Rabbi Shem ').
Web links
- Gunkel: Terrorist attack in Djerba "We can't get out of here" In: einestages.spiegel.de on April 10, 2012
Individual evidence
- ^ Avi Beker: Jewish communities of the world, in: World Jewish Congress, p. 212 (Ed .: World Jewish Congress), 1996
- ^ Official inventory, July 20, 2002 in Tunis, El Fadel El Malki, Central Directorate for Judicial Police, Sub-Directorate of the Criminal Affair
Coordinates: 33 ° 48 ′ 53.8 " N , 10 ° 51 ′ 31.3" E