clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Tunisia's chief rabbi apologises to President Kais Saied

September 26, 2020 at 10:13 am

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied (C) 26 November 2019 [Anadolu Agency]

Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Tunisia Khalifa Atwan apologised to President of the Republic Kais Saied and his cabinet for not inviting them to the celebration of the Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, and to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

The rabbi attributed the decision of the council of the Jewish general congregation to preventive measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus epidemic during the celebrations.

The rabbi expressed in a press statement: “We apologise for not inviting them as usual due to the epidemic that the country is witnessing, which calls for reducing the number of attendees at ceremonies and other gatherings.”

It should be noted that the Jewish community in Tunisia is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the Maghreb region and in the Arab world.

El-Ghriba synagogue, located in the island of Djerba, is one of the oldest synagogues in the world.

READ: Tunisia to import phosphates for first time