The annual Jewish pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue in the southern town of Djerba will not proceed as usual this year. Religious rituals will be confined within the synagogue, devoid of the usual festivities and visits from foreign pilgrims, as per a statement from the organizers released on April 19th. This cancellation is attributed to the current context of the Gaza conflict and the lingering trauma from the May 9th, 2023, attack.
“It served no purpose to uphold the pilgrimage in the current context; there would have been no one,” explained a Tunisian Jew familiar with the tradition. Speculations about the cancellation of the pilgrimage, which typically attracts between 5,000 to 10,000 visitors annually to Tunisia, were already circulating.
Only religious rites will be maintained given the current international context, announced the organizers’ statement, alluding to the Gaza conflict. The grand procession behind the menorah and the three-day festivities alongside moments of prayer and reflection will not take place this year.
Security around the synagogue is expected to be reinforced as well. The trauma from the 2023 attack still lingers; a member of the national guard had opened fire in the synagogue’s parking lot just after the conclusion of the procession marking the final day of the pilgrimage. Despite the immediate response from security forces, two pilgrims and three police officers lost their lives.
At the time, many traumatized pilgrims had already expressed reluctance to return this year. In Tunisia, the Jewish community now comprises only a handful of individuals, with 1,500 Tunisian Jews, the majority residing in Djerba near the Ghriba.
This cancellation underscores not only the ongoing impact of past events but also the delicate balance between tradition, security, and current geopolitical realities.