Footsteps Through Time: A Journey into Jewish Tunisia’s Past and Present

Erin Zaikis— a JDC Board Member who sits on the organization’s Africa/Asia committee — stepped into a lesser-known corner of the Jewish world when she visited Djerba, Tunisia, on a recent trip. While there, she immersed herself in a community that has proudly preserved many of its most sacred customs and rituals — and got a firsthand look at how JDC’s pathbreaking work. In this reflection, Zaikis walks us through her unforgettable journey. 

This Passover, I had the privilege of visiting Tunisia. A trip that started as a spontaneous vacation quickly became a meaningful journey into one of the oldest, most enduring Jewish communities in the world. 

Our first stop was the island of Djerba, a place where Jewish life has not only survived for more than 2,500 years but continues to thrive in unexpected ways. According to local tradition, Kohanim(priests) fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE, settling in Djerba and bringing with them a door and stones from the Temple, some of which were incorporated into the construction of the El Ghriba Synagogue. Sadly, this synagogue has been the site of three terrorist attacks, most recently in 2023, but it remains a powerful symbol of endurance. Each year, thousands of Jews from around the world flock to Djerba for the annual Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to El Ghriba; in fact, it is the only time of year when Israelis are allowed to enter the country. 

Djerba’s Jewish population today is divided between two areas: Hara Sghira and Hara Kbira, near Houmt Souk. Historically, these were the only two entirely Jewish towns in the Maghreb. Today, the community numbers around 1,000-1,100 people and the strength and continuity of this community is astounding. 

Our guide throughout Djerba was Alite Sabban, a powerhouse of a woman (and mother of 10!) who runs the JDC-supported Kanfei Yonah all-girls school. She proudly showed us around the classrooms, where students learn English and Hebrew and receive both religious and secular education. She took us to several of the island’s 20 synagogues, each built in a similar style with covered and open-air sections facing Jerusalem. In many, we saw men studying Torah, and in fact, five of the synagogues house yeshivot. The synagogues have walls lined with blue tiles, stained glass windows, and silver plaques shaped like fish or incense holders that commemorate the deceased. In Djerba, it is actually the synagogue, not the cemetery, that holds the community’s collective memory. 

We were also lucky enough to attend a bris during our visit. It felt like a full-on block party with hundreds in attendance: separate tables for men and women, children munching on circular matzot, and guests feasting on boiled potatoes, fava beans, dates, and harissa. The entire community showed up in their finest clothes to celebrate life, tradition, and joy. 

Despite their deeply traditional lifestyle, Djerban Jews blend modern and ancient practices in fascinating ways. Most men are jewelers or silversmiths. Approximately 80% of the community are descendants of Kohanim, and the person removing the Torah from the ark does so barefoot. At El Ghriba, visitors must remove their shoes before entering the sanctuary. 

Some customs are unlike anywhere else in the world — men are summoned to prepare for Shabbat by the blast of a shofar on Friday afternoons, blown by the community rabbi from the rooftops. Families still bring their challotand pots to the local baker before Shabbat to keep them warm, a tradition no longer practiced elsewhere. 

The roles of women and men in the community are shaped by custom and tradition. In most synagogues, women do not attend services, and there are few women’s sections. Engagements are often arranged, and couples do not speak before marriage. And yet, the Djerban women we met were surprisingly modern, most worked, and many knew more English than their husbands. 

We ended our trip in Tunis, where we spent Shabbat at Bet Mordechai in La Goulette, the last functioning synagogue in the capital. While many of the community members had traveled abroad for the holiday, the service was warm and spirited. Rabbi Daniel Cohen welcomed us with great kindness, inviting us to Shabbat dinner at his house afterwards, and we felt honored to be part of such a resilient spiritual circle. 

Throughout the trip, I never felt unsafe. Though there were armored vehicles and soldiers near the Jewish quarter, and ones providing security at each synagogue and the brit milah, there was also coexistence, familiarity, and kindness. Muslims and Jews greeted each other warmly, and we were constantly reminded that this community, while small, is not forgotten. 

At the end of the trip, I reflected on just how special it was to share this experience with my friend Lauren Lewis. We first met six years ago through JDC. Lauren, originally from Manchester, UK, was working with the JDC-supported Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM), and I was running a nonprofit, Sundara, in India that she started to work with. She then moved to Rwanda to become a JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps (JSC) Fellow at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. Exploring Tunisia’s Jewish communities together felt like a full-circle moment, made possible by the vast worldwide JDC network we’re proud to be a part of. 

What we witnessed in Djerba and Tunis wasn’t just survival, it was spirit. It was the echo of ancient prayers still rising from synagogue walls, the resilience in children’s laughter through classrooms, and the strength of a community that chooses faith over fear, tradition over forgetting. 

This journey reminded me that Jewish life doesn’t just live in the big, visible places. It breathes in the corners of the world that many overlook — and it reminded me why I’m so proud to be part of the JDC family. Through our collective work, we help ensure that this light keeps shining, wherever it flickers. 

Erin Zaikis is a JDC Board Member through JDC Entwine’s Global Leaders Initiative (GLI), based in Boston. She is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Impact and TedX speaker, and the founder of Sundara, a public health nonprofit that recycles hotel soap across India. While in India, she first learned about JDC’s work and has been traveling around the world to learn more about JDC ever since.

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