Chabad Lubavitch of Tunisia
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Chabad-Lubavitch in Tunisia: the Pinsons' schools in Tunis and Djerba from 1959, now run by Rabbi Binyamin Hatab, against the background of the Ghriba attacks of 2002 and 2023
| Chabad Lubavitch of Tunisia
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation |
| Founded | 1959/1960 |
| Founder(s) | Nissan Pinson and Rochel Pinson |
| Headquarters | 73 Rue de Palestine, Tunis |
| Area served | Tunisia (Tunis, Djerba, Zarzis) |
| Key people | Binyamin Hatab and Massuda Hatab |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch; Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Yeshiva Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch, Tunis |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Tunisia was founded by Rabbi Nissan Pinson and his wife Rochel (Rachel) Pinson. They had worked in Casablanca from 1953 and moved to Tunis in 1959.[1] Lubavitch.com dates Rabbi Pinson's appointment as representative to 1960.[2] The Pinsons built a boys' yeshiva, a pre-school, a day school, mikvahs, a library and a synagogue. They also set up Bet Rivkah, which Lubavitch.com calls Tunisia's first Jewish girls' school.[2][3] Rabbi Pinson died in 2007 and Rochel Pinson in February 2026, aged 102.[1] Chabad Tunisia is now "served by Rabbi Binyamin and Massuda Hattab". Rabbi Binyamin Hatab (also spelt Hattab) is "rabbi of the Grande Synagogue and director of Yeshivah Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch in Tunis".[4][1]
Emissaries and institutions
- Nissan Pinson died in Nice on 3 December 2007, aged 89.[2]
- Rochel Pinson was born in Leningrad in 1924 and died on 3 February 2026.[1] According to Chabad.org, enrolment in the Pinsons' schools rose from 33 to "more than ten times" that number. It also says the PLO's headquarters in Tunis was next door to the school.[1]
- Bet Rivkah girls' school had up to 300 pupils at its peak.[3] Chabad.org also describes an Ohr HaTorah school on Rue de Palestine.[5]
- Yeshiva Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch in Tunis is directed by Binyamin Hatab.[1] Lubavitch.com lists mikvahs in Tunis, Djerba and Zarzis, and names Meir Mazuz, later a prominent rabbi in Israel, as a former Talmud teacher in the network.[3]
- Djerba. Chabad.org (2023) reports that Chabad rabbis Samama, Hababou and Scholte were sent to Djerba by Rabbi Shmuel Pinson.[4]
- The Lubavitch.com directory lists "Chabad Lubavitch of Tunisia" at 73 Rue de Palestine, Tunis. It still names both Pinsons.[6]
The directory listing appears to be out of date, since both Pinsons have died. In September 2023 Chabad.org said Rachel Pinson, "95, still directs Chabad". Her 2026 obituary gives her birth year as 1924, which would have made her about 99 in 2023.[7][1]
Relations with the Jewish community
- Grand Rabbinate. Lubavitch.com says the government pays the Grand Rabbi's salary, "not Rabbi Pinson".[3] The current Chief Rabbi, Haim Bitan, is not a Chabad emissary. He sits on the ARIS Presidium.[8]
- Revolution, 2011. During the January 2011 uprising the Chabad house on Rue de Palestine closed. The Yeshiva World quoted "R' Binyamin Hatab, a local Chabad activist", and put the Jewish population at about 1,500.[9]
- Djerba and the Ghriba. The Ghriba synagogue on Djerba is the focus of an annual pilgrimage. In 2023 the pilgrimage was organised by René Trabelsi, a former tourism minister. BBC News named Peres Trabelsi as head of Djerba's Jewish community.[10]
Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
ARIS lists two rabbis for Tunisia:[8]
| Rabbi | ARIS role / description | Chabad? |
|---|---|---|
| Haim Bitan | Presidium; "Chief Rabbi of Tunisia" | No (Tunisian chief rabbinate) |
| Binyamin Hatab | Member; "Tunisia" | Yes. Director of the Chabad yeshiva in Tunis; Chabad.org says Chabad Tunisia is "served by" the Hatabs.[1][4] |
In March 2021 ARIS chairman Mendy Chitrik named Tunisia among the 14 Muslim-majority countries where ARIS had members.[11]
Relations with the state, business and Israel
- Suspicion and protection. Chabad.org says "Tunisian authorities viewed the Pinsons with suspicion". It also says that at one point "the Mossad explored ways to evacuate the remaining community."[1]
- 1967. Describing riots during the 1967 war, Lubavitch.com says: "They attacked the great synagogue, desecrated the Torah scrolls and burnt them".[3]
- 2002 Ghriba bombing. On 11 April 2002 a truck bomb at the Ghriba synagogue killed 21 people: 14 Germans, five Tunisians and two French nationals.[12]
- Court record: In February 2009 a Paris special criminal court convicted the German Christian Ganczarski of complicity and sentenced him to 18 years. It sentenced Walid Naouar (Nawar), the bomber's brother, to 12 years for supplying false papers and a satellite phone.[13] When the trial opened, The Guardian reported that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of ordering the attack, was being tried in absentia.[12]
- 2023 Ghriba shooting. On 9 May 2023 a National Guard officer opened fire near the synagogue during the pilgrimage. He killed two worshippers, the cousins Benjamin Haddad (42, French) and Aviel Haddad (30, Tunisian-Israeli), and three security officers. The attacker was killed.[10]
- Chabad.org gave Benjamin Haddad's age as 46.[4]
- ARIS chairman Mendy Chitrik then visited Tunis with Levi Matusof, Chabad's emissary to the European institutions and a grandson of the Pinsons.[1] Chitrik joined the burial society in Tunis and taught at the yeshiva "founded by Rav Pinson". In Djerba he was hosted by Chief Rabbi Bitan, and the French imam Hassen Chalghoumi joined him.[14]
Funding and donors
No accounts or named donors were found. In 2007 Lubavitch.com stated that the state pays the Grand Rabbi, not Chabad.[3]
Controversies
None found concerning Chabad itself.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Nissan and Rochel Pinson begin work in Casablanca |
| 1959/60 | Pinsons move to Tunis |
| 1967 | Riots; the Great Synagogue attacked |
| 11 Apr 2002 | Ghriba truck bombing kills 21 |
| 3 Dec 2007 | Nissan Pinson dies in Nice |
| Feb 2009 | Paris court convicts Ganczarski and Naouar over the Ghriba bombing |
| Jan 2011 | Chabad house in Tunis closes during the revolution |
| Sep 2019 | ARIS founded; Bitan and Hatab later listed as members |
| 9 May 2023 | Ghriba shooting; Chitrik's solidarity visit follows |
| 3 Feb 2026 | Rochel Pinson dies aged 102 |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Tunisia
- Chabad-Lubavitch in West Asia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Morocco
- Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Motti Wilhelm, Obituary of Rebbetzin Rochel Pinson, Chabad.org, 5 February 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lubavitch.com, "Senior Chabad Representative to Tunis, Dies", 4 December 2007. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Rivka Chaya Berman, "While Tunisian Jewry Dwindles, Many Recall A Leader With Love and Awe", Lubavitch.com, 18 December 2007. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Yaakov Ort, Report on the Djerba shooting, Chabad.org, 10 May 2023. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Chabad.org, "Tunisia's Russian Jewish Leader", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Lubavitch.com, Centres directory: Tunis, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ Bruria Efune, "Chabad Brings Relief and Comfort to Victims of Morocco Earthquake", Chabad.org, 11 September 2023. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, "The Rabbis", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side (ARIS).
- ↑ The Yeshiva World, "Tunisia: Israel Rescues Jews; Chabad House Closed; How Many Jews Remain?", 16 January 2011. Press (Orthodox).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 BBC News, "Djerba Tunisia: Worshippers killed near Africa's oldest synagogue", 10 May 2023. Press.
- ↑ David Ian Klein, "Matzah in Beirut or a Seder in Samarkand? These rabbis are making it happen.", The Forward, 22 March 2021. Press.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Guardian, "French court tries 9/11 suspect over Tunisian synagogue suicide bombing", 5 January 2009. Press.
- ↑ France 24, "Ganczarski condamné à 18 ans de réclusion", 5 February 2009. Press (court outcome).
- ↑ The Yeshiva World, "WATCH: HaRav Chitrik Comforts Tunisian Jews, Thanks Police", 15 May 2023. Press (Orthodox).