Unknown assailants in, a vehicule threw firebombs at a synagogue and a Jewish school on the island of Djerba, in Tunisia.
The Tunisian news outlet Erem quoted a security official as saying “unknown assailants in a vehicle threw firebombs at the Jewish prayer site at the center of the neighborhood on the Island of Djerba, in an attempt to burn it down.”
The fire was reportedly contained within a small portion of the site. No one was injured.
A representative of Tunisia’s tiny Jewish community told Agence France Presse (AFP) that two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the buildings in the Jewish neighborhood, but their interiors were not damaged.
The incident occurred as Aiolent clashes were raging in some 20 Tunisian cities as people protested against rising prices and new taxes imposed by on Jan. 1.
Djerba is home to the historic Ghriba Synagogue, believed to have been founded in 586 BCE by Jews fleeing the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Ghriba Synagogue has long been a destination for pilgrims, especially Jews of Tunisian descent.
Some 1,500 Jews live in Tunisia.