Organizers tout uptick in pilgrims to Tunisia Lag B’Omer fest 3 years after attack

Around 200 Jewish pilgrims make trip from abroad to Africa’s oldest synagogue, after annual fest that once attracted thousands only saw several dozen participants in last 2 years

by · The Times of Israel
French Jewish pilgrims light candles at the Ghriba synagogue, Africa's oldest synagogue, on Tunisia's southern island of Djerba on May 4, 2026 during the annual pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)
French Jewish pilgrims gather at the Ghriba synagogue, Africa's oldest synagogue, on Tunisia's southern island of Djerba on May 4, 2026 during the annual pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)
A Jewish man stands inside the historic Ghriba synagogue on Tunisia's southern island of Djerba, a day before the pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site, on May 3, 2026. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)
French Jewish pilgrims light candles at the Ghriba synagogue, Africa's oldest synagogue, on Tunisia's southern island of Djerba on May 4, 2026 during the annual pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)
People visit the historic Ghriba synagogue on Tunisia's southern island of Djerba, a day before the pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site, on May 3, 2026. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

DJERBA, Tunisia — This year’s Jewish pilgrimage on Tunisia’s island of Djerba saw a “marked return” of worshippers, organizers said, after two years of scaled-down turnout due to safety concerns.

The annual 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 worshippers and three police officers, fewer pilgrims have been turning out, while officials also placed restrictions on the event.

“This year, there has been a marked return of pilgrims to the island. We estimate that around 200 people have come from abroad,” said Rene Trabelsi, a former tourism minister and co-organizer of the event.

Just several dozen people turned up in each of the past two years.

Djerba, whose palm trees and beach resorts attract flocks of tourists each year, is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the region outside of Israel.

French Jewish pilgrims gather at the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest synagogue, on Tunisia’s southern island of Djerba on May 4, 2026, during the annual pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

The gathering was being held from April 30 to May 6. It marks the Lag B’Omer festival, which began on Monday evening, 33 days after the start of Passover.

A Jewish man stands inside the historic Ghriba synagogue on Tunisia’s southern island of Djerba, a day before the pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site, on May 3, 2026. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

The history of Jews in Tunisia dates back to Roman times, before the Muslim conquest of North Africa.

People visit the historic Ghriba synagogue on Tunisia’s southern island of Djerba, a day before the pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site, on May 3, 2026. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

For centuries, the community prospered under various rulers, with occasional episodes of persecution – including by France’s fascist Vichy rule during World War II, and then for a period under direct Nazi occupation. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded, the community numbered 110,000.

French Jewish pilgrims light candles at the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest synagogue, on Tunisia’s southern island of Djerba on May 4, 2026, during the annual pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

It dwindled rapidly in the 1950s, as Jews emigrated en masse to France or Israel, leaving only 20,000 behind. Thousands more left the country in 1967 after anti-Jewish riots erupted during the Six-Day War.

About 1,500 Jews still live in Tunisia, mainly in Djerba.