Les Juifs de Gabès

Established in the coastal oasis of Gabès, in southern Tunisia, Jews formed an ancient community of small merchants and craftsmen, neighbors of the Berber and Arab populations. Of local Sephardic rite, they were organized around their synagogues and religious institutions and preserved distinct traditions particular to the Judaism of southern Tunisia. Under the French Protectorate, they partly opened themselves to modern education. After Tunisian independence, the community gradually emptied, its members emigrating primarily to France and Israel.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World — Brill
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan