Can Tunisia's new Jewish minister of tourism revive industry marred by attacks?

Tunisia’s appointment of Jewish businessman Rene Trabelsi as Tunisia’s Minister of Tourism -- the first government position to be held by a Jew in decades -- marks a major step forward in the revival of the country’s once thriving Jewish community.

Around 1,500 Jews live in Tunisia today, down sharply from an estimated 100,000 before the country won independence from France in 1956 and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 which sparked hostility with the Arab world.

Trabelsi is the first Jew to sit in Tunisia's cabinet in decades, and he believe his appointment sends an important message.

“I was told by people in government that it was time for someone from the a Tunisian Jew from the private sector to take over the tourism ministry. We have a lot of talented people here in Tunisia. But Tunisian Jews, as you know, have more than 3,000 years of history behind them,” Trabelsi told Scopal.

The businessman had worked to highlight Tunisia's vibrant Jewish heritage and gained acclaim as an organizer of an annual pilgrimage to the oldest synagogue in Africa -- the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba in southern Tunisia.

Believed to have been founded in 586 BC by Jews fleeing the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, the Ghriba synagogue has long been a destination for pilgrims, especially for Jews of Tunisian descent.

Traditionally participants have come from Europe, the United States and Israel, but the number of foreigners attending has diminished considerably since a 2002 bombing at the synagogue as well as a string of attacks in 2015 claimed by the Islamic State group on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and a beach resort that killed a total of 60 people, all but one of them foreigners.

Trabelsi says, however, says that the tourism industry is already seeing signs of recovery and emphasizes that Tunisia has much to offer Jewish tourists as well as those from other religions.

“In six or seven years only, Tunisia has already recovered. Tourism is working once more, and tourists are flocking into Tunisia. This means Tunisia is different from other Arab countries, or even European countries,” Trabelsi tells Scopal.

“There should be no restrictions on tourism in Tunisia. People from everywhere should be able to come here. Tunisia is not a seasonal tourism country. We're an important cultural destination, a 3,000-year old civilization, home to Muslim, Christian and Jewish heritage. There's Djerba, but there's a lot in every other region… In every region, there are monuments to Jewish heritage, because Jews lived everywhere,” he tells Scopal.

With Trabelsi's appointment comes some hope Tunisia will be open to the establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel. But Trabelsi acknowledges that it remains a sensitive matter.

“It is a sensitive subject and a purely political matter. As...minister of tourism, I have to follow the line of my government. I would add that Tunisia has been historically committed to peace in the Middle East...The Palestinian cause is close to our hearts, that is true, and we have served it well. But our message is to look for peace. The notion of peace is very important in Tunisian culture,” Trabelsi says.