Synagogue of the Kohanim of Djirt

The Synagogue of the Kohanim of Djirt (Hebrew: בית הכנסת כהנים הדינתרייתא, romanized: Beit Knesset Kohanim HaDintreisa, lit. 'Synagogue of the Priests of Djirt'; Arabic: كنيس كوهانيم جيرت) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Hara Kbira "Greater Neighborhood", the Jewish neighbourhood on the outskirts of Houmt El Souk, the main town on the island of Djerba, Tunisia.

Synagogue of the Kohanim of Djirt (Beit Knesset Kohanim HaDintreisa)
Hebrew: בית הכנסת כהנים הדינתרייתא Arabic: كنيس كوهانيم جيرت
The synagogue exterior, in 2007
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Nusach Edot HaMizrach
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Status	Active
Location
Location	Er Riadh, Djerba
Country	Tunisia
Location of the synagogue in Tunisia
Geographic coordinates	33°51′50″N 10°52′06″E
Architecture
Type	Synagogue architecture

In 2023 Djerba was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1]

History

The synagogue is named after the ancient Jewish village of Djirt, modern day er-Riadh, also known as Hara Sghira "Smaller Neighborhood”, which is located south of Houmt El Souk. According to tradition, it was in this village where the first Jews, members of the kohanim who were exiled from Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, settled. The inside is lavishly covered with decorative coloured tiles.

The synagogue is to be distinguished from the El Ghriba Synagogue. El Ghriba's founding is also traced to the flight of priests from the destruction of the Second Temple during the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE). Legend tells that they brought with them a door of the Temple, which is covered over in a wall of the synagogue.^[2]

See also

• Africa portal
• Judaism portal

• History of the Jews in Djerba
• List of synagogues in Tunisia