Libyan Policies
Explore policies, laws, and decrees impacting Jewish communities in Libya.
Laws and decrees
Policies that Shaped Jewish Life in Libya
Libya passed a series of laws that dissolved the Jewish community's institutions, blocked Jews from citizenship and property, and finally confiscated everything they had left behind.
| 1938 | Fascist Italy's racial laws bar Jews from government schools and jobs. |
| 1942 | About 2,600 Jews from Cyrenaica are sent to the Giado camp; Jews with British citizenship are deported to camps in Europe. |
| March 1957 | Law No. 62 bars contact with Israel and Israelis. |
| December 31, 1958 | The Jewish Community Council is dissolved and replaced by a government appointed Muslim commissioner. |
| May 24, 1961 | Owning or transferring property requires proof of Libyan citizenship, which nearly all Jews are denied. |
| August 8, 1962 | A royal decree allows citizenship to be revoked for any contact with Zionism, applied against Jews. |
| February and July 1970 | Laws transfer the property, savings, and businesses of Jews to a state custodian. Promised compensation is never paid. |
The impact
What these laws meant
Libya's Jews left behind homes, businesses, synagogues, and cemeteries. Many lived on in Rome and Israel, where Libyan Jewish communities keep their heritage alive.
Explore further
Keep exploring
Key dates in the history of the Jews of Libya, at a glance. |
The story of the Jews of Libya, from ancient times to today. |
Watch Libyan Jews tell their own stories. |
Histories, memoirs, novels, and children's books in JIMENA's library. |
For the classroom
Think about it
- Choose one of these laws. How would it have changed daily life for a Jewish family: their work, their schooling, their home, or their freedom to travel?
Sources: Discriminatory Decrees and Violations of Human Rights in Libya (Justice for Jews from Arab Countries); Giado concentration camp.
Timeline of Jewish Presence
