Arsonists have reportedly set fire to the synagogue of El Hamma, in the southern Gabes region, a leader of the Tunisia's Jewish community says. "Someone set fire to the synagogue on Monday night and torched a Torah scroll," Perez Trabelsi told the French news agency AFP. The village, which was once home to a sizeable Jewish community, no longer has any Jewish residents. The synagogue is located next to the burial site of Rabbi Yosef Maaravi, a 16th century Kabbalist, and is used only during yearly pilgrimages to the city. "I condemn this action and I believe those who did it want to create divisions between Jews and Muslims in Tunisia who have lived for decades in peace," Trabelsi said.
He added that he did not know who was behind the attack but criticized the lack of action by the security services. "What astonished me was that there were police not far from the synagogue," he said. Trabelsi is the head of the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, the oldest synagogue in Africa. In April 2002, 21 people were killed, including 16 European tourists, when al-Qaeda bombers attacked that synagogue.
Farhat Rajhi, Tunisia's new interior minister suggested on Tuesday that some of recent street violence was part of a "conspiracy" by people in the security forces. Rajhi's comments came after gangs rampaged through schools in the capital Tunis, terrorizing students. The army fired in the air in Carthage to disperse gangs that stormed two schools, witnesses said.
About 1,500 Jews remain today in Tunisia. They live on the island of Djerba and in the capital Tunis.