LIFE Magazine photographer Frank Scherschel took a series photographs of Jews in Tunisia. There is no date next to the photos and I couldn’t find for sure when they photos where taken. I have seen some inconclusive dates online and I assume the photos were taken in 1955. I also assume that this is the famous island Djerba. If you have better information please let me know. There are about 70 photographs (more than 100 photos in the LIFE database). I am publishing them in two posts.
Please continue – LIFE of Djerba Jews in Tunisia – Part 2
Photos licensed for personal non-commercial use only by LIFE.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Very beautiful indeed, captivating, touching. Are these people embarking on a bout which will take them too…. how do you call this place? Yes, the Promised Land. But I realize that it was quite problematic to stay after 1967. I saw a Tunisian/French movie several years ago telling the story of a cosmopolitan community there at that very period.
All North Africa tribes had to go through a tragic change. Bu the Djerba tribe was so unique and the change must have been an unbelievable shock, in Israel of France.
What has urged these tribes to move to Israel? The pictures looked so idyllic.
The Rabbi pictured here:
http://benatlas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/…
is Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz, who was killed during the YK war by an Arab gunman.
Thank you for sharing the memory of Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz.
Hello, I stumbled on your site while searching for info on Frank Scherschel. He was a friend of my grandparents in Baraboo. I was willed from them a print simillar to your jpeg #7 (man reading), although mine was in color before it faded. You are right that it is from the isle of Derbja. The inscription on the back of my photo reads:
“Taken on the isle of Djerba…This grandfather is at a temple which is like a retreat of pilgrims come for a week or so…All his sons and daughters plus grandchildren are in Israel. He decided to stay and die in Djerba…Picture won first prize in NPPA Contest. The colors come from a glass window similar to the window in the background. The lighting condition for this picture is ideal only fifteen minutes per day at a given time of the year for the sun to hit this particular part of the temple…To enter this temple one must remove shoes and special sandals are given visitors. In a storage room there are many Torahs of goat skins that are shown to visitors.
May 1954 Frank J Scherechel”
I love my photo and am trying to track down a new print. If you have any info regarding that please forward. Otherwise I hope this info sheds some light!
Jeff, thank you very much for your comment. Indeed there are color photos in the archive from same collection. I will take a look tomorrow. Your inscription is really precious. I feel so much in these photos comes from the personalty of a photographer, and we know so little about them. Fortunately their work is preserved in the archive. Btw, where is Baraboo?
they made massacres on the jews there, what is so idealic? jews of muslims country was 4th class citizens.
For one I encourage people to post in their own name on my blog. This blog is also not a place for caricatures.
hi Jeff, I have been to Djerba; the synagogue is called The Ghriba. The pilgrimage is annual at Lag B'Omer (Spring). Thousands go there, mostly from France and Israel. If you want more info, let me know. lucia
hey Ben,
my name is Rafram and i was born in Djerba Island. i share my life between Israel and Djerba now. i can recognize faces in these photos and of course landscape. i have some even older photos, mostly of family.
contact me if you want more information about the community there.
I like to know if every one can visit Jerad? my mom born in Jerad to choen betan family her grandfather was rabbi nissim choen .
Rafram, perhaps here in comments is good place to add some stories to these pictures. I can add it to the photos so people can better understand what they see. But the pictures do speak for themselves and for that beautiful kehila.
That are two parts to this post.
wow. i am having the creep after seeing the other batch of photos. i see Zankat Haddad, the small street that still leads to Rabi Avraham Synagogue. the synagogue of my family. also the street name is called after my family name.
some of the photos are not from Djerba. in the second batch i've seen some from Matmata. the one with the berber houses. also the big boat is probably in La Goulette (Tunis). the port in Djerba is too small for this big boat.
ok, i'll collect all the names i know and send them here.
i can see the printing house that was belong to my grandpa. the zohar lessons. wow…
hi guys, it's wonderful to hear from you with details. I would love to read more about Djerba, even modern stories; How many Jews are still there? I have visited the firs time in 1963 and again in 1990. No changes there. It's the same beautiful isle.
Thanks, lucia
ces photos sur djerba m’ont émues, je vais tous les ans a djerba pour le pélerinage, c’est une une ile magnifique, une grhriba , rien n’a changer, nous faisons des voeux, pendant une semaine c’est la joie, voila, cette année 2010 c’est le 2 mai, mon beau pére joseph bittan était de djerba, marléne.
hi!
where can I find more photos of this session – you said that there are more then 100 in LIFE database but I couldn’t find it…
I’ll be more then thankful for a link or an eMail…
thanks a lot
Yossi
Yossi, please send me an email via contact and let me what’s the purpose, thanks.
in the first part of Pictures where have pictures of the “kids” my dad is the 5th kid in line.I am a Tunisian jew.Most of my family live in Israel,my grandparents live in Nahariya the had an “aliha” .If U ever come to Nahariya and look for the Family Mazigh.You will find a real Tunisian Family that have kept all the culture and tradison.We are speaking arabic in home and everything goes the way it is done in Djerba.The Germans came to my grandparents house in Djerba about 1943 and took all their things,most my grandmothers Jewls and gold..and my grandfathers Taxi an old Peugeot.That time he was the only Jewish Taxi driver on Djerba.My uncle was born on the same day “Rabi Halfon “Mekobal” a Holly man died…so they named him Halfon.He was making by himself every week a newspaper for the jewish comunity in Djerba back in the years of the 1960s…Thats it for now..If anyone is interested in knowing something more.i be glad to tell…Mahgribi united
I’m a muslim tunisian living in Canada exactly from Gabés mom told me it was a big jews comunity in Gabés, and it also has beautiful memories with Jewish friends at school 1960-1965 but so sad they immigrate to France or Isreal.
All of the Jews tradition is a part of the history of our beautiful Tunisia we are brothers the women in the photos wear the “Holi” and the men wear the ” Barnous” the “Serwal Arbi” and” Shashiya” we share the same great history.
There’s today in djerba 2000 jewish liiving in peace with muslim and share the same life.
So beautiful photos thank you so much
salam,shalom, peace
Ben,
I have a photo similar to your #10 (man reading in a temple) which I have never seen before.
Is there a link to the Life series.
I’d be happy to post the pic.
Stuart
fascinating, had not heard of this place and it`s people before.
Moving Pictures.
Photo 17: In Berber village in Tataouine.
Photo 30: In Tunis. we can see “Sidi Mehriz”, with its many domes.
Thank you for publish…
Mohamed
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