This year’s Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisia’s island of Djerba will welcome more worshipers after two years of scaled-down participation due to safety concerns, organizers say.
The Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest, has in the past drawn thousands of pilgrims from Europe and beyond, attracting international and local tourists as well.
But after a deadly 2023 attack on the synagogue that killed two worshipers and three police officers, fewer pilgrims have been turning out, while officials also placed restrictions on the event.
This year, organizers say it will be “open to everyone, Tunisians and foreigners, as part of a gradual return to normal,” says the head of the organizing committee, Perez Trabelsi.
The pilgrimage will be held from April 30 to May 6.
Festivities will still be limited to indoors this year, whereas the pilgrimage usually includes a parade outside of the synagogue.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
