Tunisian Jews feel that they are in danger, the head of a Tunisian rights group said.

Three serious incidents against members of the Jewish community have occurred in recent weeks, Yamina Thabet, head of the Tunisian Association Supporting Minorities, told reporters Wednesday, the French news agency AFP reported.

Thabet visited the Tunisian island of Djerba, home to about 2,000 Jews and the El Ghriba synagogue, which dates back to 586 B.C. In 2002, terrorists blew up a vehicle near the synagogue, killing 21 people.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Tunisian Jews feel in danger, they are really afraid,” Thabet said.

She said that in recent weeks police interrupted a holiday meal over a stolen motorbike, ultimately firing tear gas at the gathering and leaving when a bus full of tourists approached.

In another incident, a man calling himself “the new Hitler” broke into a Jewish school and assaulted an adult supervisor in front of the young students and reportedly attacked two young girls.

Late last year an imam called openly for a “divine genocide” of the Jews in a sermon. Despite the fact that Incitement to racial hatred is punishable by up to three years in prison in Tunisia, the imam has not been prosecuted, according to the association.

Thabet denounced “harassment” by Tunisian security forces, and blamed the government, opposition parties, and the National Constituent Assembly for the attacks on Jews, according to Babnet Tunisie.

She said she believes some of the incidents involving government officials are an attempt to push Tunisian Jews to leave Tunisia, according to Babnet Tunisie.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount