President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia chose one of the oldest synagogues in the world — that on the Tunisian island of Djerba — as the site for a statement yesterday that his regime sought to protect the religious rights of all Tunisians.
The visit, made at the President’s request, was believed to be the first to a Jewish house of worship by a modern Arab ruler. Members of the Jewish communities of Tunis and Djerba, headed by Tunisian Chief Rabbi Mordecai Cohen, were present to receive President Bourguiba.
Chief Rabbi Cohen presented to the President a nine-inch gold model of the Torah. At the synagogue entrance a girl presented him with a bouquet. The President went inside and took his seat in the small enclosure of latticed wooden walls from which the Torah is read.
Chief Rabbi Cohen said in a sermon that when God made rulers of nations, he endowed them with wisdom. He stressed that the members of the 25-centuries old Jewish community of Djerba enjoyed liberty. He ended with a prayer for the Tunisian leader.
In his response, the President said that no distinction was made in Tunisia between Jews and Moslems who were “all Tunisians.” He said the task of his regime was “to help all Tunisians to maintain their religion, and that all we ask in return is sincerity in words and devotion in actions.”
The synagogue reputedly was founded by Jews said to have come from Babylon. The two villages on the island — Hara Srira and Hara Kbirra — have kept the Jewish traditions through the centuries. All Djerba Jews speak Hebrew, the men are all bearded and lament each year the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
