Under the regimes of Bin Ali and Muburak, the remnants of those historic Jewish Communities experienced relative security. The synagogues of Tunis and Cairo were a tourist attraction. The synagogues were protected and restored. The protection and respect given to those edifices helped symbolize the stability of the government to the international community. On February 13th, Tunis experienced a
Death to the Jews Rally, in front of the Great Synagogue, whose interior is pictured above. In 1947 Tunisia had a Jewish population of 120,000. The two thousand remaining Jews are divided between Tunis and the Island of Djerba. The congregation at Djerba's El Ghriba synagogue, shown below, has been meeting for 2000 years. It's Torah Scroll is the oldest in the world. Certainly the people of Tunisia and Egypt have the right of self determination. Hopefully their Jewish citizens will have the right to safety.
Under the regimes of Bin Ali and Muburak, the remnants of those historic Jewish Communities experienced relative security. The synagogues of Tunis and Cairo were a tourist attraction. The synagogues were protected and restored. The protection and respect given to those edifices helped symbolize the stability of the government to the international community. On February 13th, Tunis experienced a Death to the Jews Rally, in front of the Great Synagogue, whose interior is pictured above. In 1947 Tunisia had a Jewish population of 120,000. The two thousand remaining Jews are divided between Tunis and the Island of Djerba. The congregation at Djerba's El Ghriba synagogue, shown below, has been meeting for 2000 years. It's Torah Scroll is the oldest in the world. Certainly the people of Tunisia and Egypt have the right of self determination. Hopefully their Jewish citizens will have the right to safety.
Interesting information. I too hope the historical and religious history of the Jews survives the revolution. For a deeper understanding of the overthrow of the dictatorship in Egypt see the recent edition of Frontline on PBS. It reveals in detail how the revolution was based on social networking and the internet. MM is no "Mubarak in the Lehigh Valley." He is the true "Tribune of the People." Great blog!
ReplyDelete