Tunisia is one of the success stories of the Arab spring. But can its Jews—who have lived in relative peace with their Muslim neighbors for more than one thousand years—survive democracy—and changing demographics? A lone television drones on in the corner, cartoons in Arabic, no one watching. Across the sprawling, dimly lit lobby, 11 old folks sit apart, solitary sentinels against the passing of a cloudy afternoon. A slender, elegant woman—dressed as if a suitor is scheduled to arrive any moment to whisk her off to a splendid seaside lunch—perches at the edge of her easy chair. Ten feet away, a bent gent rocks slowly forward and back; he greets a stranger with a sudden burst of life and a warm smile. A small woman with eyes that dance like a child’s invites me to see...

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