The annual pilgrimage to the El-Ghriba Synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba returned this spring with a modest but deliberate international presence, as worshippers gathered under a visible security apparatus for the first time since a deadly 2023 shooting disrupted one of Africa’s oldest Jewish festivals. Participants said about 500 people attended the weeklong Lag B’Omer celebration, which ran from April 30 to May 6, drawing visitors from France, China, Ivory Coast, and Italy.
The return of foreign pilgrims marked a cautious milestone for a community that has lived in Tunisia since Roman times. In May 2023, a national guardsman shot and killed five people — two Jewish pilgrims and three security officers — outside the synagogue shortly after the festival, sending shockwaves through the local Jewish population and the diaspora. The synagogue was also the target of an al-Qaida truck bombing in 2002 that killed about 20 people.
France’s ambassador to Tunisia was among this year’s attendees, a symbolic presence given that two French citizens were among the 2023 victims. “We are back, and we are proud to be Tunisian Jews,” said Redj Cahen, a Tunisian-Italian pilgrim who returned after skipping last year’s gathering. “It is a feeling you cannot explain. Only those who come here understand.”
Inside the synagogue, worshippers lit candles, read sacred texts, and wrote wishes on eggs later placed in a sacred cave — a tradition believed to bring blessings. The atmosphere mixed devotion with social exchange, as local Jews and members of the diaspora reconnected. Muslim visitors attended alongside Jewish pilgrims, continuing the pilgrimage’s long role as a symbol of coexistence.
The most visible sign of recovery came with the return of the Minara procession, a pillar tradition that had been suspended after the 2023 attack. The Minara, a pyramid-shaped structure of gold and silver, was draped with brightly colored scarves by women in a gesture associated with good fortune, fertility, and marriage. A charity auction of paintings and religious items followed, after which the decorated tower was paraded through the streets to the beat of a darbuka drum, singing, and showers of candy — the first such procession since the violence.
Security remained tight throughout the festival. A visible but contained police presence surrounded the synagogue, while heavier measures were deployed at entry points to the island. Vehicles were searched and identification documents inspected at checkpoints. Security was especially concentrated in Hara Seghira and Hara Kebira, Djerba’s main Jewish quarters.
“This year’s Ghriba pilgrimage marks a gradual return,” said René Trabelsi, a former tourism minister and prominent figure in the Tunisian Jewish community. “We are returning little by little.” Trabelsi noted that Tunisian authorities had pushed to maintain the pilgrimage despite the challenges, in part because the event supports the local economy.
Khedir Hnaia, who has worked at the synagogue for more than three decades, welcomed the return of longtime visitors. “We would like to reflect a good image to the world, to bring back the glory of Ghriba and make it even better than how it used to be,” he said. Haim Haddad, a member of the pilgrimage organizing committee from Zarzis, added, “We need to stand up for our country, we love Tunisia very much and in the same way our country stood up for us we will always stand up for it.”
The El-Ghriba pilgrimage, which historically drew thousands from around the world, remains far below its pre-attack scale. Organizers and participants described this year’s gathering as an act of resilience — a gradual return to a tradition that has anchored Tunisia’s Jewish identity for centuries.