Thursday, Jaimary.30,1941
JEW.ISH  WESTERN BULLETIN
3
-By CHARLES WEISS, M.D., PHJ>.-
Soirector of Clinical and Research Laboratories, Mount Zion Hospital, San Francisco, California
This is the fascinating story of a I peaceful people enjoying their ancient traditions, living in harmony [with their neighbors of a different [faith—in the erstwhile French pos-Isession of Tunisia, Today, no long-ler protected by a free government, [but enslaved and driven by the fazi whip, this happy way of life remains a memory—a vague hope iror the future.—THE EDITOR.
On May 31,1929, the S. S. Gouvem-General Gueydon left Marseilles its weekly trip across the rolling ue waters of the Mediterranean, ong the heterogeneous conglomer-of passei^ers were merchants, ;ineers and tourists; Frenchmen, [alians and Arabs, Maltese, White islans and Timisians.  There was addition one American Jewish lientist (the writer on his way to e Pasteur Institute of Tunis). It not talce long to run into a Tunis-Jewish merchant, Mr. Eli Chassid. e conversation soon drifted to the iject of the Jews of Tunis. We nice to be known as Israelites," remarked with a show of some ,ty. "Since the establishment of French protectorate over Tunis 1881, we have been citizens of Ills, possessing the same civil rights the Arab Moslems and the French lOlics.  The Turkish government, ich preceded the French, forbade owning land or pursuing mechan-trades.   Hence, our people be-e merchants, real estate brokers irofessional men."
en you arrive in Tunis, perhaps would like to see some of our in-iting synagogues and rituals?" was with a great deal of enthu-and pleasure that I accepted Chassid's invitation to attend a Alitzvah" ceremony in the home me of his relatives. The foUow-Saturday evening at nine-thirty k, I passed through the huge CTorte de France") and enter-the ancient walled city of Tmiis ville indigene").  Very soon I d hear the strains of exotic lie music.  After climbing up a iw staircase, I was shown Into a not more than twelve feet crowded to capacity with women and children dressed in festive garb. The women wore embroidered pantaloons and ces. Their dark brown eyes were Tated with black 'khool." The had on their colorful breeches packets, a uniform originally im-d upon them by their Ottoman ers, but now preferred as a mark distinction from the Arabs. On ie far side of the room, seated on a bench, a group of musicians with tcly Turldsh physiogiesnomics ■e playing.  The orchestral pieces luded the "kanon,"—a stringed in-ment, the "darbouka," a type of made of goat skin, a 'taar" or anish tambouret, a banjo, a viol, d a harp-like affair played with bled fingers. From time to time, to the accompaniment of music, orchestra leader chanted Arabic srses especially improvised and de-Icated to the occasion. The festive mosphere was punctuated by fre-ent toasts made with "harald," a ong alcoholic drink distilled from e fig and the "lozatta," a soft bev-e made from the almond, t irregular intervals, the droning ds of the instnunents were inter-ted by the shrill voices of middle-Jewesses who bua:st suddenly the room and in unison uttered loud yell "yoodle, yoodle, yoo," the iect being to drive out the evil ts.  Presently the music became t rapid and crescendo, and there a commotion among the guests, violent flurry of drums and flutes aided the entrance of the young the "Bar mtzvah," himself. He ire   silk   pyjamas   with orange pes, socks of salmon hue and ht orange colored slippers. His ud parents led him to a chair in centre of the room, and to the impaniment of the music, a bar-proceeded to cut off his hair and annoint his head with oil. There s a general rush oi' relatives and snds, all eager to kiss the boy who just been shorn of his youthful I in order to be permitted to enter state of religious maturity. In grtind   melee   everybody was ^_-^ed, except the musicians and my-
i^^e Bar Mitzvah feast was now ved in buffet style.   First came ^^e brown piping hot beans ("los ^^es"), eaten with the fingers. NeJit
Bcame the "moelette titoisienne,". a distinctly Tunician delicacy. Imaghie an open sandwich made by excavating hemispherical cavities in a large, thick slice of bread. Into each of these is placed in turn a bit of meat, a piece of hard boiled egg, some calf's brain or an olive, a radish or what have you. The "piece de resistance" was the Tunisian brique. On another occasion, while enjoying the cooling sea breezes at Marsa, I saw these briques in preparation. A flat piece of dough as thin as pie crust is kneaded until about eight inches square, and folded diagonally. A raw egg is placed in the centre, and the triangular mass is thrown into a cauldron of boiling olive oil. When cool, it is eaten with the fingers like com on the cob.
About midnight my host escorted me back to my home at the Hotel Majestic. "We are happy here in Tunis," he remarked, "because we consider this our home. Some of our ancestors came here in the first century AJ5., after Titus had destroyed the first Temple. Many of the Jews who settled here turned to agriculture, cattle raising and various trades. Another large wave of Jewsh immigration occurred in the sixth centiuy during the persecution of Emperor Justinian. Again hi the seventh century because of the barbarisms of the Visigoths, many European Israelites came here. They mingled with the native Berber population and many of them were converted to Judaism. In the year 698 AJ3., there was a Jewish governor in the important sea port city of Bizerte. When in 700 AJ3., Tunis fell into the hands of Arabs, Arabian Jews entered this country. Many of them settled in the neighboring island of Djorba which is still a centre for the study of mystic "Kabbalah."
"Prom 1535 to 1574, the Spaniards ruled Tunis. It was a reign of tyranny and suffering for the Israelites. When the Inquisition was over, the Jews came here in large numbers from Algeria, Leghorn and Trieste. Dvffing the Turkish rule of Tunis which followed and which lasted im-til 1881, we were treated fairly well, although we had to wear special costumes, including skull caps, capes and breeches. We could ride on donkeys, but not oh horses. Oiu: synagogues had to be built with the ground floor at least six steps below the street level, in contrast to the mosques, which have several steps leading up to the hall of prayer."
"Would you like to visit some of our synagogues?" asked Mr. Chassid. "I could arrange for you to have a guide next Friday evening."
We started oiu: sightseeing trip late Friday afternoon. My Jewish guide, who spoke both French and Arabic, led me through a maze of narrow alleys, without sidewalks, none of which was wide enough to permit passage of an American automobile. From time to time, an Arab, riding on the back of a small bxuro, forced his way through the beehive of humanity. We could see the Jewish shops closing in preparation for the Sabbath. Finally we arrived at the "Grand Synagogue," the "Beth Hemidrash Hagadol." The approach was none too clean for one interested in sanitation. Down a few steps we went and entered the main hall of prayer. A Jewess dressed in pantalons and bodice, without veil was busily engaged in cleaning the walls of the synagogue. My guide explained, "Women are not permitted to participate in the services, but perform a Mitzvah (a good deed) by keeping the synagogue in good order."
Huge glass bowls, suspended from the ceiling and filled with oil, contained several floating burning wicks. These Yahrzeit lamps, and not the traditional Sabbath candles, are lit in Tunis on Friday evening. I was shown the scrolls of the Torah, each locked in an individual box. One of these had been left by a famous Tsa-dik, (pious man), and was never opened or read, for fear of causing blindness.
Communicating with the main hall of prayer but hidden from view by a lattice work, is a small balcony where the women are permitted to congregate in order to hear, but not see, the services. The walls of the "Grand Synagogue" are decorated with stone tablets on which are inscribed various Hebrew prayers, such as the "Abinu Malkonu" ("Our Father our King, we have sinned before thee").
"Now," said my guide, "let us go to the more interesting, smaller synagogues. We have dozens of these, each dedicated to a Kabbalistic Chassid (pious rabbi)." By this time the sun had already
pset. We hurried through many more narrow alleys.
"This man," my guide pointed out to me. "is carrying home a few spicy green branches with which to sanctify the Sabbath. This ceremony corresponds to the Ashkonazlc Kiddush."
We clambered up a narrow wooden staurcase in the Ghetto district and landed in a small room. Men were seated on low wooden benches and recithig in Hebrew the "Song of Songs." My guide joined in the refrains.
I noticed a coffee pot, suspended above a Kerosene lamp, and was told that the men stay up all night in order to study the Zohar and drink the hot coffee. Aroxmd the comer we passed the Jewish section of "La ruo des mauvaises femmes."
"There are only three bad Jewish women on this street," my guide assured me, "but there are dozens of bawdy houses for Maltese, ItaUan and French women."
Some weeks later, Mr. Chassid invited me to call at his home on a Saturday afternoon. I apparently arrived a little too early for the hot tropical sun (122 degrees Fahrbn-heit) makes it desirable to extend the Sabbath siesta imtil about five-thirty p.m. Mr. Chassid's charming, brown-eyed, olive-skinned daughter entertained me with interesting conversation. As we sipped the cooling draughts of the "Lozatto" and fanned OIU* heated brows, she answered many of my questions.
"Those announcements with black borders which you saw posted in the narrow Ghetta streets are invitations to come to the houses of people where a "Yahrzeit" is behig observed with special prayers. The notices are printed in Hebrew characters, but the language is Arabic."
I inquired about the ancient walled cemetery which is now in the heart of the business district of the now modem city of Tunis (La ville curo-peenno").
"Every Friday afternoon, the Tunisian Jewish women come to pray at the grave of the saints (Zaddikhi) who are Jjurried. there. .They, also, whitewash the tombstones, which as you notice, lie flat on the ground and are not erect."
"On the first day of each lunar month (Rosh-hachodesh) those who have lost a parent will go to the grave of the deceased and recite the Kadish there."
"What about your institutions?" I inquired. "Do you have any difficulty in maintaining your Jewish traditions or your civil rights?"
"No, not at all," Miss Chassid assured me. "Pesach, Shevouth, Rosh-Hashana and the other Jewish holidays are recognized officially by the Tunisian government, in the same manner as are the CathoKc and Mohammedan holidays. All government employees are excused from duty on these days."
"Three Sabbath day.*: are similarly observed, Fridays, Saturdays( and Sundays. While we mauitam a small Jewish hospital of omr own, the French government, provides Kosher food for our Israelites at the Tunisian General Hospital."
"We now (1929) have a total of about 140,000 Jews of whom approximately 50,000 are direct descendents of the original "Tunsi." There are some 50,000 French Jews and 40,000 Italian Jews. There are also a sprinkling of Palestinian and Moroccan Jews and even Bodouin Jews. Recently we have had an influx of White Russian Jews."
Separate synagogues are maintained by most of these groups. The Tunisian Jews are strictly orthodox and very pious. Under no circumstances will they desecrate the Sabbath. Even in the case of severe Illness they did not permit one of my colleagues of the Pasteur Institute to light a fire in then: home for the purpose of sterilizing a seringe on Saturday.
Six weeks had passed since my arrival hi Tunis. The weather was becoming more and more intolerable. Day after day the hot fiery siroko came up from the Sahara desert to plague us. Occasionally putrid air currents emanating from neighboring prehistoric lakes would greet us at midnight. I looked at my calendar and realized that the summer would soon be over and that I must hurry on to Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam and London. With great relujcrtance, I bade farewell to this land of oriental fantasy and enchantment.
As our good ship the S.S. Alesson-
dretta pulled out of the Bay of Tunis,
my eyes feasted for the last time on
the beautiful Atlas Mountains and
(Continued on Pasre 6) See TRAVELOGUE
mm\m expose
of THEfiAZIS/
THAT D>WED NOT BE SHOWN BEFORE
FACTS! REALISM! TRUTHS! ATROCITIES! PERSECUTIONS!
THAT EVEN HITIER COUIB NOT DESTROY
KNOW THE TRUTH/
ITt€AV£S NOTttING UNTOLD-NOTHIWG UNSHOWN -
OUB 2nd BIG HIT
R CHUMpi ^z----
Ist Showing In Voncouver!
Added Featnrettes:
1. Mendelssohn's Wedding March
2. Green Hornet
3. Africa Squealcs
General Pass List Suspended
ADMISSION:
"                 Before 2 |  2-5  | After 5 Lower Floor I  15c  |  20c  \ 25c Balcony_|  10c  |  15c  | 20c
-NOW SHOWING
THEATRE 55 East Hastings Tel. MAr. 6757
IT MISS THIS i
I
All Enamel
THIS 1$ VALUE
® Polished Sf eel Top
® Recessed Base
^Woter-fronl"
9 Streamline Design
and Your Old Range
5 Stores:
1263 GEANVILLE 58 W. HASTINGS 540 RICHARDS 2458 E. HASTINGS 2602 MAIN ST.