Inside what has remained of Mamie Lily Restaurant in the city of La Goulette, Jacob Lellouche, a Tunisian Jew, gathers with two of his close friends to brainstorm  ideas about how to keep his kosher restaurant open.

Late last September, when Lellouche was hosting his patrons in Mamie Lily, a plainclothes policeman, entered and served him with a summons to report to the Anti-Terrorism Brigade (ATB).

Inside what has remained of Mamie Lily Restaurant in the city of La Goulette, Jacob Lellouche, a Tunisian Jew, gathers with two of his close friends to brainstorm  ideas about how to keep his kosher restaurant open.

Late last September, when Lellouche was hosting his patrons in Mamie Lily, a plainclothes policeman, entered and served him with a summons to report to the Anti-Terrorism Brigade (ATB).

The ATB told Lellouche that it had managed to raid a three-member terrorist cell that confessed to a plot to kill Lellouche, as he is a prominent figure in the Jewish community, and to blow up his restaurant.

Nevertheless, Lellouche does not heed the terrorist threats and refuses even the security protection offered by the Ministry of Interior.

A targeted minority

More than 1,000 Jews still live in Tunisia, mainly on Djerba Island in southern Tunisia, where they have refused to migrate to Israel or to Europe. Every year, they organise a celebration at El Ghriba Synagogue amid tight security measures for fear of being attacked by extremist groups.

Lellouche returned from Paris nearly 18 years ago after finishing his university study. He then opened the restaurant in 1996 where he says he has spent the best days of his life. But the serious terrorist threats against him and his workers left him with no other choice but to close Mamie Lily.

Lellouche did not reach the decision lightly. Not only is the restaurant  a source of income, but also a cultural project that has been partially financed through the establishment of the Remembrance Home for Jewish Heritage Preservation association.

Named after Lellouche’s mother Lily, Mamie Lily is not far from the Jewish retirement home in La Goulette where a large number of Jews have lived and had good relationships with Muslim Tunisians.

Apart from serving kosher Tunisian Jewish dishes, the restaurant, says Lellouche “serves Jewish cuisine that has been the result of interaction among civilizations and intermarriage among Jews coming from Spain, Turkey and other countries.”

Simply decorated, the restaurant is not just a traditional eatery it is a unique gathering place where very old Jewish songs are sung, unique oil paintings are displayed and books about Jewish heritage are collected.

Lellouche says he is not thinking of leaving Tunisia because of the threats, emphasizing that he will close his restaurant only temporarily until he comes up with a solution to preserving Tunisia’s last Jewish restaurant.