The Tunisian government abolished the Jewish Community Council in 1958, and sanctioned armed attacks on Ben Gardane in 1982. By 1976, there were only 85 Jews left in the once-prosperous trading town - and they were unwanted by the other Tunisians. When Tunisia won its independence in 1956, the branch provided the means for residents to immigrate to Israel. The branch provided the Jews of Ben Gardane with schooling and supplies in order to cope with the border’s closing. The future seemed bleak until a Zionist branch was founded nearby in Djerba in 1945, led by Nissim Cohen. For fear of being bombarded by Allied troops, most families fled to the neighboring towns of Djerba and Zarzis sadly, upon their return, they found their homes ransacked. The Libyan border closed during WWII, and while the Jews of Ben Gardane weren’t affected directly by the warfare, they were greatly affected financially by the border’s closing. Unfortunately, it was not a comfort that would last for long. By 1946, they made up about 40% of the population at 675 people, which was an impressive feat. However, that did not stop Jewish families from flocking to Ben Gardane in search of economic prosperity by 1936, there were already 489 Jewish residents in the town, and it only continued to grow. That being said, not every Jewish family was able to capitalize on such ventures, thus creating a stark disparity between the richer and poorer Jewish families. Because of the poor border control in the area, illicit trading opportunities were rampant and easily accessed, therefore many Jewish families took advantage of that and were able to build themselves sustainable lives based on cross-border trading. Jews first began to migrate there in the early 19th century, drawn in by its bolstering trading economy. The small town of Ben Gardane lies on the coast of southeastern Tunisia, adjacent to the Libyan border. It’s a possibility, albeit a rather bleak one. But those were only 8 people, and they were buried in unmarked graves, which may have been the ransacked Jewish graves. They were brutally put down and, as a result, some families found themselves carrying the “bullet-riddled corpses of their sons and brothers” to the cemetery. One specific attempt, the Battle of Ben Guerdane, took place in March of 2016, where a radicalized group of Tunisians returned from Libya and attempted to seize Ben Gardane for the Islamic State. Ben Gardane’s recent history touts it as “an incubator for jihadists,” concerning its ongoing conflicts between Tunisian security forces and armed militia from the Islamic State. Some of those graves, however, might be the modern burial sites for young men who fought for the Islamic State. Statistics show that more than “100 Jewish gravestones have been plundered and desecrated since the beginning of 2013.” The cemetery at Ben Gardane is no exception, with many graves propped open and empty, and many Hebrew headstones cracked so badly, they are illegible. While the Tunisian government has been trying to take steps to make the country more accommodating for religious minorities, there are still hate crimes levied against them, as evidenced by the ransacking of Jewish graves. One can only hope that it continues to weather the warfare that constantly engulfs it. All the same, it’s clear that it has stood the test of time, as it is still regularly visited and utilized. It’s a desolate, barren place, the graves decrepit and the terrain uncared for. The cemetery at Ben Gardane presents quite the gloomy, downtrodden image. Cemetery in the Tunisian city of Ben Gardane (Bengardane, بنڤردان or بن ڤردان, Benguerdene, בן גרדן), Tunisia.
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