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Djerba - Synagogue

City: The island of Djerba is located on the eastern side of the country, in the Gulf of Gabes on the Mediterranean Sea. With an area of 514 square kilometres it is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is very popular with tourists because of its pleasant climate and beautiful beaches.

Building: On the island is a Jewish synagogue, the El-Ghriba. The synagogue is considered to be the oldest one in Africa, in spite of the fact that the present building only dates back to about the 1920’s. It is said that Jewish immigrants escaping from the destruction of Jerusalem were the founders. There are divided opinions about this destruction. Some say it was by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the 7th century B.C.; others say it was by the Romans in the 1st century. In any case, the synagogue is very old. Each restoration has been built on the foundations of the previous building.

Object: The synagogue consists of two rooms. The first room was originally a courtyard, but because of the increasing number of visitors it became necessary to put a roof over it. Band of images 2 (+ laatste foto beeldband 1): In glass display cases there are many silver plaques displayed, donated by visitors. On one of the plaques, with a representation of the two stone tablets given to Moses it appears that the Tetragrammaton is written but this is not the case. In fact the writing says "Ha Shame" or "The name". Band of images 3: The Tetragrammaton can be seen on two old documents. On the first document the Divine Name is above a candelabrum with seven branches, also called a menorah. Band of images 4: And finally towards the exit, in the first room, the Divine Name can be seen very clearly!

 

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