A mob in the Tunisian city of Sfax allegedly set fire to a tree in the courtyard of an abandoned synagogue on Sunday, The Times of Israel reported.
The synagogue's windows were damaged, but firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it completely consumed the synagogue, the newspaper said. Exit. No injuries were reported. (Related: 7 Jews killed in rocket attack on synagogue)
“Anti-Semitism in Tunisia”[.] This morning, an ancient synagogue burned down in Tunisia. I've written dozens of posts and articles about the rise in anti-Semitism in Tunisia, which reached its peak less than a year ago when two Jews were killed in an extremist attack. reached. “Israel must help Tunisian Jews through the West,” Israeli researcher Eddie Cohen tweeted alongside videos and photos of the synagogue.
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that's right. pic.twitter.com/8Nw1jkjtiw— Eddie Cohen (@DREDYCOHEN) February 26, 2024
Video showed flames and smoke clearly coming from the synagogue. The walls of the synagogue appeared to be covered in soot, some of the windows in the place of worship were broken, and nearby trees were clearly scorched.
The city is home to the only Jewish community of less than 1,000 people in the Arab nation. At its peak in 1948, the Jewish community numbered over 100,000, the Times of Israel reported.
A similar incident occurred in Tunisia hours after October 19, when unconfirmed claims that Israel had bombed a hospital in the Gaza Strip spread. Hundreds of rioters were captured on video setting the historic synagogue on fire.
The synagogue was home to a 16th-century rabbinical tomb that was a pilgrimage site for Jews, The Jerusalem Post reported. report. This same site had previously been damaged during the 2011 Arab Spring for reasons unrelated to Israel, The Times of Israel reported.
In May, two Jewish tourists visiting the Tunisian island of Djerba were gunned down by national security guards, and three security guards were shot dead, the newspaper reported.
