Jewish jewelers in Djerba, Tunisia go on strike to protest attacks

Last week:

More reports of heightened anti-Semitism have emerged in the wake of the Brussels shooting attack - this time, in Tunisia.

Masked Muslims entered the main market in Djerba on Thursday, and stabbed Gabriel Ozen, 38, a Jewish jeweler and father of four.

Passerby stated that the assailants yelled, "the nation of Mohammed is coming back to take revenge" shortly before the attack.

Ozen fought the Muslim attacker, but was still stabbed in the chest, authorities said. He was rushed to intensive care in local hospital and is in serious, but stable, condition.

Some background:

Better-known for its sight-seeing and tourist culture, the island of Djerba also houses a majority of Tunisia's Jews. The Jews in Djerba are a hybrid variety, existing both separately and as a part of the rest of Djerban society. On the one hand, in their public lives, they interact daily with fellow Djerbans, Tunisians, and foreigners. On the other hand, Djerba's Jews are firmly tied to their religion and customs, and their private lives are set apart from the rest of Tunisian society.

Many of Djerba's Jews own jewelry shops downtown in the Houmet Souq. They do business with Muslim and Christian partners, and they sell their goods to buyers from all backgrounds. Plenty of them have non-Jewish friends, and the young adults with whom we spoke enjoy conventional activities, such as traveling and going out to night clubs. Moreover, outside the walls of the Hara Kebira - the main Jewish quarter of the island and where most of Djerba's Jews reside - many Jews prefer not to wear a kippah (the religious head covering), and instead make an effort to integrate into local society. Thus, outside of the Jewish quarter, it is difficult to distinguish them from other Djerbans.

Apparently, these attacks against the Jews have become a pattern, and the Jewish jewelers have gone on strike to protest:

Jewish gold dealers continue their strike in Djerba for the second consecutive day against the backdrop of attacks against a number of them, most recently when one was assaulted with knives in the market.

They are angry at what they described as unacceptable actions of a youth in the area who threatened them with murder, according to Mr. Nahum Mamo, who confirmed that there is no difference between a Muslim and a Jew in the Tunisian island of Djerba in the light of peaceful coexistence between the two sides.