El Ghriba Synagogue: Tradition, Faith and Community | FULL DOCUMENTARY

Nestled in the southern Mediterranean basin, just off the coast of Tunisia, lies Djerba, an island of myth and legends and the site of a very special synagogue. Here exists a sacred monument where the two communities of the island, Jews and Muslims, unite once a year. On this island is found one of the oldest and most famous synagogues of the Jewish diaspora. The name of this sacred place, the Griba. Over many centuries, the architecture has evolved. Although little is left of the original synagogue, the Griba continues to attract the faithful from all over the world. Its history goes back to very ancient times when, in the 6th century BC, the Jews witnessed the destruction of their sacred temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians. With their city under siege and their one and only temple destroyed, they no longer had a sacred place to offer their offerings for sacrifices. They had no option but to flee. Some join other Jewish communities in the diaspora. Others turn up on these shores. Among them was a group of priests, and in Hebrew we call priests kohanim. And they carried with them relics from the temple, including a door. They managed to carry these relics from Jerusalem, crossed the Mediterranean, and they arrived on the island. They found a secluded spot, and they buried the relics in the ground, and they built a synagogue on the relics. And that is the mythical origins of the Griba Synagogue. Ethnomusicologist Ruth Davis studies cultural exchanges between Muslims and Jews of Djerba with a particular interest in the legendary origins of the Griba. The name of this synagogue comes from the Arabic meaning strange. There is another version of the mythical origins of this sacred place, that of a mysterious and solitary woman. She seemed very strange, and the people of the village were afraid of her. And one day they noticed her hut had burst into flames. And rather than coming to see what was going on, they actually stepped away, and they thought this might actually be something magical and sinister. After the fire, according to the legend, the villagers discovered the Griba's body completely intact. Believing that they are in the presence of a saint, not a sinister person, they decide to build a sanctuary, calling it the Griba. A myth and a cult are born. Her body was, some say was actually interred where the synagogue stands. But in any case, there is a shrine to her in the synagogue, and that is the little grotto where you see the women coming, placing candles and eggs, and there's a whole cult around the shrine of the Griba. It is said that the Griba is buried in the cave under the holy ark which houses the scrolls of the Torah, the sacred text of the Jews. The very same place where the relics of the Temple of Jerusalem are thought to be placed. During the pilgrimage, which honors the Griba's memory, thousands of women arrive with candles and eggs in order to make vows and wishes. They're wishing, they're praying to the Griba for what they want, and typically what they want is a husband and a baby. So it's very much associated with fertility and the idea of eggs. And remember, this comes, the festival comes in late spring, and spring itself is a festival of fertility, and eggs are also used in other cultures and religions for symbolizing fertility. Jewish women from Jerba and from all over the world meet here to pay tribute to the Griba. But they are not alone. Women from another religion are also here with their own vows and wishes. It always had resonance for the Muslim inhabitants of Jerba. The cult of the grotto, of the laying of eggs, the fertility cult, was something that Muslims came for. The pilgrimage of the Griba takes place on the 33rd day of Passover. It coincides with another Jewish holiday, the festival of La'eg Ba'omer. For the Jewish pilgrims arriving at Jerba, the festival of La'eg Ba'omer is a moment of joy and piety, strengthening the social bond of an entire community. This is a minor festival, it's not obligatory to celebrate it in Judaism. And that's nice, because it means that you can do the sort of things that you wouldn't normally do on Jewish religious festivals. And in fact, it is specifically a festival of rejoicing that breaks a sombre period of seven weeks between the festivals of Passover, which commemorates the exodus from Egypt, and the festival of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. And La'eg Ba'omer, the 33rd day of that period, is when everyone can let their hair down and celebrate. The Jewish community of Jerba is one of the last found in the Arab world. Their isolation on this Tunisian island allows them to keep their religious traditions and orthodox practices intact. They are now a community of only 1,000 Jews, a small minority compared to 160,000 of mostly Muslim Jerbians. On this island, Jews and Muslims live in harmony and respect. North coast, facing the Mediterranean, is found the most important city of Jerba, the commercial and economic center, Humtzouk. It is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman city called Jerba. The port has witnessed a large number of civilizations, Roman, Carthaginian, Vandal, and Byzantine. The fish market is frequented by both Jews and Muslims. Here, as throughout the island, languages are spoken, which reflect the history of coexistence between these two communities and their cultural and economic exchanges for hundreds of years. A mix of Hebrew, Berber, Arabic, French, and Aramaic can be heard. In the medina, some tailors sew a black ribbon at the bottom of the trousers, a symbol of mourning for the local Jewish population in memory of the destruction of their temple in Jerusalem. The souk is full of jewelry, with shop signs reflecting the diversity of their owners and customers. Most Jerbian Jewish men work in the jewelry business as manufacturers, sellers, or buyers. Youssef Gamoun has owned his shop for over 40 years, preserving the traditions of the community he belongs to. This is a foot bracelet made by a Jew. The jeweler, Solomon, is inscribed here. A bracelet like this weighs a kilo. Here it's written 1905 on this stamp. It's made by hand. And here are silver bracelets, two pieces, each weighing 500 grams, made by the same craftsman, Solomon. And the same stamp, 1905. Before today, there was always a stamp of the master craftsman. It's the work of Jerbians. Everything comes from here. This is for the head. It's to hide hair from behind. And the red color is protection against the evil eye. It's a typical Jewish hat, 100%. For thousands of years, Jews have worked in Jerba as gold and silversmiths and jewelers, gaining an international reputation for their know-how. To them, jewelry has no hidden secrets. At a glance, they are able to recognize provenance and the makers. Jewish and Muslim brides adorn themselves with ornaments made by these Jewish jewelers, necklaces, earrings and brooches. This one is older, very thin, 150 years old, maybe older. It's over, we don't make these kinds of pieces anymore. There are no longer any artisans alive who can make pieces like this. For centuries, symbols made from silver remain the same, doves, fish, and other representations of fertility. Images shared by both Jewish and Muslim communities. The Jews, since their arrival, work in Homsuk, but they live mainly in two villages, Haraskira, the small district, and Harakabira, the large district. About 20 synagogues and places of religious teaching are found in these two villages. Every Friday, with the appearance of the first star, begins Sabbath, the day of rest for the Jews. And for the next 24 hours, the faithful, like Yusef Gamun, take a break from their daily life and turn entirely towards the Divine. Dominique Jarassé is an historian of art and architecture of synagogues, and particularly those of Tunisia. He has studied the locations of Jewish prayer sites on the island. The village must be organized for the Sabbath, in such a way so that the faithful can go to the synagogue, live their lives during the entire duration of the Sabbath, I would say as if they were in their own home. In the synagogue, the Torah is carefully stored in the Holy Ark. The Torah, which God entrusted to Moses and his people, contains all God's commandments, as well as the history of the Jews since their beginning. It is the only sacred element which exists in a synagogue. And here we still have, in Haraskira and Harakabira, an eruv. An eruv is a symbolic enclosure which can be created by a wall. It can be made of a simple wire which surrounds the whole village, even including some houses, so that these houses can be inside the village, forming a symbolic enclosed space in order to comply with the ritual rules of Sabbath. And each of the synagogues is a bit of a marker inside this symbolic space. On the island, synagogues are discreet and hidden. Their entrance is preceded by two courtyards, a reference to the architecture of the Temple of Jerusalem. These courtyards offer a time for pause, reflection and introspection before the faithful enter inside. On the Sabbath, the faithful can only come to synagogue on foot. Only men are allowed to enter to listen and participate in reading the Torah. Upon arrival, they attach tefillin to the arm and head. Two cubic boxes contain four passages of the Torah. The leather straps for the arm are placed first, then those on the head. The reading of the Torah is conducted first and foremost among the faithful. Because of this, the Gerbians have invented a square-shaped design for reading. This configuration means that the Teba is in the center and all the faithful are around it, so that they can, of course, here and above all, go up to the Teba, read and say a prayer. The result is a circulation of prayer and reading in the synagogue. As in all synagogues, the Holy Ark always faces towards Jerusalem, a direct reference to the destroyed Temple. Even during the religious ritual sometimes, there are worshippers who are not facing the Torah. That's because the Torah must be heard and not necessarily seen. This is in complete contrast to Christian worship. Here, the faithful may be hidden behind a column and see nothing, but they have what they need, a book for prayer while listening to the text. We may think that they are not participating, but that's totally false. They are present and participating in the service. The synagogues of Jerba always have these types of benches, which are very welcoming for several people to sit upon, and if we look closely at how they are arranged, none are turned in the same direction. So here, we are in a very relaxed atmosphere. But this seating plan doesn't prevent religious rituals from being deeply sacred and profoundly holy. The reading of the entire Torah takes place during services over the course of a year. According to the ancient rites from Babylonian times, this reading is done using a yad, in Hebrew, hand, which prevents human contact with this sacred parchment. The synagogue is not only a place of prayer, it is also a school and a setting for religious study. The Torah, which in Hebrew means instruction, is taught to men of all generations. The 20 synagogues found in Haraskira and in Harakabira are enclosed within the community, but the synagogue of the Griba is isolated. The nearest village is more than one kilometer away. This difference may be explained by the legendary origins of its construction. The isolation of this sacred building is not its only peculiarity. This is a strict Orthodox community, and the Griba is the only synagogue where the ritual boundaries between men and women are done away with during the pilgrimage. At this time, women may enter the inner part of the synagogue during services. Women come and they can go wherever they please, and they use the synagogue as they wish. They come, they sit, they pray, they can go to any part of the synagogue. It's a complete contradiction of normal practice. There is a traditional custom in this synagogue of hanging silver plaques in memory of a deceased or to thank the Griba for having granted wishes. These are placed next to those deposited on the occasion of a bar mitzvah, the Jewish ritual celebrating a boy becoming a man at 13 years old. All these offerings, accumulated over the years, form a wall of thanks on the ark above the grotto. The Griba pilgrimage is a great reunion place because it's when the Tunisian Jewish diaspora come from France and Israel and come and rejoin there the small number of relatives that they have that are still living in Jeddah. In the building which adjoins the synagogue is the hostel named the Grand Fonduek. Once a home for pilgrims, the courtyard today welcomes and is filled with the many Jews and Muslims who are here for the pilgrimage. These encounters are festive, with song and a shared joy. This is an opportunity for women to hang scarves on the menorah, a hexagonal silver pyramid on which is inscribed the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and the names of famous rabbis of Tunisia. It's part of a five-tiered candelabrum and on the festival of the Griba it is paraded out and it's covered with shawls and the shawls are multicolored and really are supposed to make the menorah look beautiful and of course it is also a shrine to the Griba itself. From under the scarves, women whisper their vows and wishes asking for the help of the Griba and to give thanks for her miracles. Three thousand dinars. Three thousand. And before you begin, a little music, please, just to give us a taste of the party to come. The pilgrimage is also an opportunity for the community to raise the necessary funds for the maintenance of the synagogue. Items are auctioned, then deposited on the menorah accompanied by musical encouragement. The money collected will go to the Griba for its renovation and also for the benefit of the local community. We're going to pull the menorah out in front of the synagogue. Every person who comes here on pilgrimage to the Griba experiences the special gathering of two communities united by a sacred building and the legend of a mysterious woman. I just find it fascinating and just very personally moving that this place is invested with so much emotion and so much feeling and you really do feel, you sort of feel the resonance of it all every time you come. And for me in particular, I've been coming here over a period of some 35 years and then periodically since then and each time, of course, it's a reunion for me with friends in the community and it's that reconnection that for me, it's a very personal thing. The Griba, the oldest synagogue found in Africa is special for the Jews who worship here because it contains the relics carried from the Holy Temple establishing on Djerba, the Jerusalem of North Africa. And for Muslims who visit, it is a site of a saint who gives them hope and answers their prayers. Every year during the pilgrimage the miracle of the Griba continues to unite Jews and Arabs for this joyous occasion. Along with their two faiths they share dreams and wishes for the coming year.