JIMENA
Libya
The history of the Jewish people in Libya dates back to the 3rd century BCE. In 1911 under Italian rule, Jews were treated relatively well. Approximately 21,000 Jews were living in Libya, with the majority residing in Tripoli. However, in the 1930’s the Fascist Italian regime initiated anti-Semitic laws which barred Jews from government jobs, government schools and required them to stamp “Jewish race” into their passports. However, this was not enough to deter Jews from Libya, as 25% of the population in Tripoli was Jewish with over 44 synagogues in existence.
Photos
See AllClick on the photos to enlarge and discover the stories behind them.
Hara Kebira – Large Quarter (ASF)
Chinuch Chalukat Teudot, Or-Shalom
Batei Kneset Bushaif Zliten, Or-Shalom
Handicraft Class for Young Women (ASF)
Culture
See AllAlthough Jews lived in Libya for over three thousand years — predating the Arab Islamic conquests by centuries — today zero remain. Indigenous Jewish communities throughout Egypt and North Africa, were all but completely uprooted and destroyed in the twentieth century.