In the south of Tunisia on the island of Djerba lives one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Arab world. About 1,000 people. The community was at its peak in the middle of the last century, when there were nearly 4,500. After World War II, people started moving to Israel. And a few to France.

The first documents mentioning the island's Jews date back to the 11th century. If you believe local legends, they appeared here after the destruction of Solomon's Temple (that is, almost 1,500 years earlier).

For such a small community, they managed to build about twenty synagogues. Today, several of them have closed, but definitely more than 10 are still operating.

El Ghriba (in the photo) is the most famous one. Many pilgrims and tourists come here. The building has been rebuilt many times. The current version dates from the 19th century, but really stands out for its unusual architecture. They say it houses one of the oldest Torah scrolls in the world. Who would have thought that Jewish pilgrims travel to Tunisia.

Unfortunately, El Ghriba has been attacked three times. With casualties. All three incidents occurred during periods of heightened Arab-Israeli tensions. The most recent attack was last year. Now the police constantly patrol the area.

There are quite a few kosher cafes in the area. I've only seen this kind of concentration in Israel. The food is delicious. I checked.