"The #Jewish population is now nonexistent, but for thousands of years the #Jews of #Libya lived under the rule of the #Greeks, #Romans, #OttomanEmpire, #Italian, #British and #Arabs. In 1911, they made up roughly 4% of the #Libyan population. In 1938, “race protection laws” banned Jews from sending their children to school, working in skilled professions or intermarrying. Later the community was divided and sent to concentration camps across #Europe and #NorthAfrica.
In the years following World War II, the remaining Libyan Jews were forced to emigrate, leaving just 100 in 1969 and none at all by 2004. Many went to #Israel and many to #Rome, adding to the spread and diversity of Libyan and North African Jewish #cooking. Today we enjoy such dishes as #mafrum (stuffed #potatoes), #couscous and #chraime (a spicy #fish #stew). Learning about these #foods helps us to understand our people."
