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The Jewish community of Cyrenaica is one of the oldest in North Africa. From Cyrene and the neighboring cities, Jews spread all over modern-day Libya. In this article, we will discover the history of the Jews of Cyrene and Cyrenaica.
The Jewish presence in Cyrenaica goes back to Ptolemaic Egypt: after conquering Palestine, Ptolemy I Soter deported Jews to Alexandria, all over Egypt, and all the way to Cyrenaica. Others followed as economic migrants. The most famous Cyrenean Jew of this era is Jason of Cyrene, who wrote a historical book in five volumes, on the Maccabean revolt (a Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire, that led to the founding of an independent Jewish Kingdom in Palestine).
The Cyrenaican Jewish community enjoyed several centuries of prosperity: inscriptions, especially in Berenice (Benghazi), bear witness to rich, well established and influential communities. The Jews of Benghazi, unlike those of other cities in the region, were governed by their own archon, who was himself Jewish.
Cyrene, especially its Jewish community, also became the first North African city to be reached by Christianity. Mark, the author of one of the Gospels, was a Jew from Cyrene. According to Christian tradition, he preached the Christian message in Cyrene, and then in Alexandria. The Christian Scriptures mention several other Cyrenean Jewish believers.
In 73, while the Roman legions were besieging Jerusalem, Cyrene underwent a Jewish uprising led by Jonathan the Weaver. Jonathan was denounced to the Roman governor and killed, together with several other influential Jews.
A new Jewish uprising, known as the Kitos War, broke out in 115-117. This revolt, the largest Jewish uprising against the Romans, spread to other areas of the empire.
After the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135), the last Jewish uprising in Palestine, the Romans deported twelve ships full of refugees from Palestine to Cyrenaica. Their numbers added to the half a million Jews who were already living in the region.
Jews remained in Cyrenaica and spread through all Libya during the centuries of Roman, Byzantine and Arab domination. Jews were particularly numerous in the Nafusa Mountains region.
During the Ottoman era, many Jews from Tripoli moved to Benghazi. The Sanusi brotherhood was favorable to the Jews, as they appreciated their economic contribution and peaceful attitude.
During the Second World War, about 2000 Libyan Jews were imprisoned by the Italian occupation authorities, in the Jadu concentration camp, in the Nafusa Mountains. Around 500 of them died.
As all over North Africa, most Libyan Jews emigrated during the 20th Century. Today, there no longer are any Jews in Libya: there were only about 100 Jews left at the time of the 1969 Libyan Revolution, and the last remaining Jews left during the 1980s. Sadly, most of their synagogues and the rest of the Libyan Jewish heritage was destroyed after they left. Since 2011, David Gerbi, a Libyan Jewish psychanalyst who now lives in Italy, is fighting for the restoration of the Libyan Jewish heritage.
