Hundreds of Jews are flocking to the Tunisian island of Djerba for an annual pilgrimage to Africa’s oldest synagogue with security tightened after the Bardo museum massacre and warnings of extremist attacks.
Barriers have been erected on access routes to Djerba in southern Tunisia and police checkpoints set up around Hara Kbira, the Jewish district of the island, an AFP journalist says.
“There is a lot of security, there are soldiers and police everywhere and that is very reassuring to us,” says Lorine Bendayan, who made this year’s trip from France.
Apart from Tunisian pilgrims, some 500 others are expected in Djerba for the two-day religious festival from France, Israel, Italy and Britain, according to the organizers.
A Jewish woman lights a candle at the Ghriba synagogue on the Tunisian resort island of Djerba on May 6, 2015, at the start of a two-day annual pilgrimage. (photo credit: AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID)
Netanyahu said on Saturday that his country had learned of “concrete threats” of terror attacks against Jewish or Israeli targets in the North African country, prompting a quick denial from Tunis.
But many of the Jewish pilgrims at Djerba are defiant.
“We are not afraid. We don’t care what Israel has warned,” said Bendayan.
— AFP
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