I recently came back from a week-long trip with my wife to Djerba, Tunisia. I’ll write a longer post about the trip in general, but for now I want to focus on one thing that kept catching my eye—and ear: the Judeo-Arabic used around Hara Kabira. Most people talk about Jewish languages outside Modern Hebrew as if they were relics. In Djerba, Judeo-Arabic is not a museum piece. It’s printed on signs, written on walls, and spoken by the people who live there.
As a teenager, I remember being surprised to learn that hundreds of thousands of Jews still speak Yiddish as a first language. Djerba gave me the same kind of jolt: a reminder that Jewish languages aren’t just things academics write books about. They’re still alive in the most ordinary, mundane ways.
I’m not getting into debates over what counts as “real” Judeo-Arabic versus Arabic simply written in Hebrew letters. I’m just sharing examples of what I saw.
A Note on Translation
I have translated some of the shorter signs as best as I could. Note that this is not a perfect translation, and I’m not a native speaker of Tunisian Judeo-Arabic. I’m just trying to capture the general meaning of the signs for readers who don’t read Arabic. Translating the shorter signs was a fun exercise, but I didn’t attempt to translate the longer ones, which would require more time and expertise than I have. If you have any corrections or suggestions for improving the translations, please let me know in the comments!
Forbidding Shorts in Synagogue
Shorts are forbidden in synagogue.Slightly wider view.
It is forbidden to enter the synagogue
חראם עליך תדכל לצלא
wearing shorts
בצרואל קציר
unless it covers
אלדי מא יכטטישי
the knees when sitting
הרכבא באעד לקעאד
Slihot Incentives
Incentives for Slihot attendance.Slightly wider view.
The slihot are being forgotten
הסליחות חיתנששא
As such, all of the Rabbinical (students) must pray
עלה האדא הרביין אלדי מלוזמין יצללו
the morning prayers in Yeshiva.
שחרית פישיבה
They can rise for slihot any time they please
ינזזמו יקומו הסליחות וקת אלדי יחבבו
here at the Synagogue of Rebbe Shalom
כאן כי צאלת רבי שלום
or the Trablesia Synagogue
האו צלא טראבלסייה
and students who wear tefillin
והתלאמדה אלדי לאבשין תפילין
when they come for slihot
אלדי יקום הסליחות
they shall receive (take) ten dinar
יאכד עשרה דינאר
for each day they rise
כל יום אלדי יקום
slihot start around 4:30
בדו סליחות פרבעה ונפץ בתקריב
Yeshiva Ohr Torah Donations
I removed the phone number because this is the internet—but if you’d like to donate, contact me and I’ll give you the number.
A sign for donations to Yeshiva Ohr Torah in Djerba.
Mikva Guidelines
A warning sign about the water level in the kelim mikva:
Cropped sign.Mikva sign.
If you find the water
אידה תלקא למא
beneath the red line
תחת נקט לחמרין
the immersion is not effective
מאיינפאעשי טבילה
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