68-605: The Ostia Synagogue is an ancient former Jewish synagogue and archaeological site , located in ancient Ostia , the seaport of Imperial Rome , in modern-day Lazio , in Italy . It is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue yet uncovered outside the Land of Israel . The synagogue building dates from the reign of Claudius (41-54 AD ) and continued in use as
136-441: A propylaeum or monumental gateway featuring four marble columns; and a triclinium or dining room with couches along three walls. There was a water well and basin near the entryway for ritual washings. The main door of the synagogue faces the southeast, towards Jerusalem . An aedicula , to serve as a Torah Ark , was added in the 4th century AD. A donor inscription implies that it replaced an earlier wooden platform donated in
204-721: A Libyan emigrant who was previously the executive director of WOJAC , the most important factors that influenced the Libyan Jewish community to emigrate were "the scars left from the last years of the Italian occupation and the entry of the British Military in 1943 accompanied by the Jewish Palestinian soldiers". Zionist emissaries, so-called shlichim , had begun arriving in Libya in the early 1940s, with
272-741: A century of colonization, the equilibrium between Jews and Muslims in Morocco was upset, and the Jewish community was again positioned between the colonisers and the Muslim majority. French penetration into Morocco between 1906 and 1912 created significant Morocco Muslim resentment, resulting in nationwide protests and military unrest. During the period a number of anti-European or anti-French protests extended to include anti-Jewish manifestations, such as in Casablanca , Oujda and Fes in 1907-08 and later in
340-872: A consequence of the establishment of the State of Israel . Large-scale migrations were also organized, sponsored, and facilitated by Zionist organizations such as Mossad LeAliyah Bet , the Jewish Agency , and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society . The mass movement mainly transpired from 1948 to the early 1970s, with one final exodus of Iranian Jews occurring shortly after the Islamic Revolution in 1979–1980. An estimated 650,000 (72%) of these Jews resettled in Israel . A number of small-scale Jewish migrations began in many countries of
408-634: A few months after the events in Tripoli, the American consul in Tripoli, Orray Taft Jr., reported that: "There is reason to believe that the Jewish Community has become more aggressive as the result of the Jewish victories in Palestine. There is also reason to believe that the community here is receiving instructions and guidance from the State of Israel. Whether or not the change in attitude is
476-486: A hand "upon either their persons or property". While there is no concrete evidence of him actually taking any actions to defend Morocco's Jews, it has been argued that he may have worked on their behalf behind the scenes. In June 1948, soon after Israel was established and in the midst of the first Arab–Israeli war , violent anti-Jewish riots broke out in Oujda and Djerada , leading to deaths of 44 Jews. In 1948–49, after
544-723: A mob broke into the Jewish mellah in Mazagan (known today as El Jadida ) and caused its 1,700 Jewish residents to flee to the European quarters of the city. The houses of some 200 Jews were too badly damaged during the riots for them to return. In 1954, Mossad had established an undercover base in Morocco, sending agents and emissaries within a year to appraise the situation and organize continuous emigration. The operations were composed of five branches: self-defense, information and intelligence, illegal immigration, establishing contact, and public relations. Mossad chief Isser Harel visited
612-566: A modern Western society characterized by tolerance, democracy, and 'humane values.'" She cites the impression of Israeli journalist Arye Gelblum [ he ] in Haaretz in 1949: This is immigration of a race we have not yet known in the country .... We are dealing with people whose primitivism is at a peak, whose level of knowledge is one of virtually absolute ignorance, and worse, who have little talent for understanding anything intellectual. Generally, they are only slightly better than
680-455: A mélange of oral narratives is that first synagogues in Kerala were not built until the medieval period. Various Kerala Jews and the scholars who have studied the community believe that the earliest synagogues in the region date to the early 11th century. According to a narrative, a Kerala Jew by the name of Joseph Rabban who accepted on behalf of his community copper plates granting the local Jews
748-457: A nationalist event in the town of Petitjean (known today as Sidi Kacem ) turned into an anti-Jewish riot and resulted in the death of 6 Jewish merchants from Marrakesh . However, according to Francis Lacoste, French Resident-General in Morocco , "the ethnicity of the Petitjean victims was coincidental, terrorism rarely targeted Jews, and fears about their future were unwarranted." In 1955,
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#1732776291319816-626: A notable role in Morocco; the King retains a Jewish senior adviser, André Azoulay , and Jewish schools and synagogues receive government subsidies. Despite this, Jewish targets have sometimes been attacked (notably the 2003 bombing attacks on a Jewish community center in Casablanca), and there is sporadic antisemitic rhetoric from radical Islamist groups. Tens of thousands of Israeli Jews with Moroccan heritage visit Morocco every year, especially around Rosh Hashana or Passover, although few have taken up
884-402: A possibly Samaritan synagogue that dates from at 150 to 128 BC, or earlier, and is located on the island of Delos , Greece . However, it is uncertain if the building is actually a synagogue and that designation is generally considered untenable. The excavated Jericho synagogue has been cited as the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue in the world, although identification of the remains as
952-556: A secure home in either Israel or Europe and the Americas, and the Israeli government's implementation of official policy in favour of the " One Million Plan " to focus on accommodating Jewish immigrants from Arab- and Muslim-majority countries; and push factors , such as antisemitism, persecution, and pogroms , political instability, poverty, and expulsion. The history of the exodus has been politicized, given its proposed relevance to
1020-629: A set of privileges by the Hindu King Bhaskara Ravi Varman was also given wood by his Highness for the erection of a synagogue around 1000. While no physical evidence of this and any other similar period building survives, study of the literature, Jewish folksongs, and narratives supports the notion that synagogues likely stood in Malabar Coast towns, places now within the modern-day State of Kerala, from this epoch. A portion of these medieval-period buildings perished when
1088-401: A synagogue into the 5th century AD. There is a scholarly debate about the status of the synagogue building in the 1st century AD, with some maintaining that the building began as a house only later converted to use as a synagogue, and others arguing that it was in use as a synagogue from the 1st century. In its earliest form, the synagogue featured a main hall with benches along three walls;
1156-599: A synagogue is not certain. It was built between 70 and 50 BC as part of a royal winter palace complex near Jericho . El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba , Tunisia is said to have been built in 586 BC or 70 AD, which would make it the oldest synagogue still standing and in continuous use in the world. Two of the claimants to be the oldest synagogue structures still standing are the Old Synagogue in Erfurt , Germany, which
1224-607: Is nothing safe about this asocial element... "Aliyat HaNoar" [the official organization dealing with young immigrants] refuses to receive Moroccan children and the Kibbutzim will not hear of their absorption among them. In the 19th century, Francization of Jews in the French colonial North Africa , due to the work of organizations such as the Alliance Israelite Universelle and French policies such as
1292-785: The 1912 Fes riots . The situation in colonial Libya was similar; as in the French North African countries, the Italian influence in Libya was welcomed by the Jewish community, increasing their separation from the non-Jewish Libyans. The Alliance Israélite Universelle, founded in France in 1860, set up schools in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia as early as 1863. During World War II, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya came under Nazi or Vichy French occupation and their Jews were subject to various forms of persecution. In Libya,
1360-556: The Algerian citizenship decree of 1870 , resulted in a separation of the community from the local Muslims. France began its conquest of Algeria in 1830 . The following century had a profound influence on the status of the Algerian Jews; following the 1870 Crémieux Decree , they were elevated from the protected minority dhimmi status to French citizens. The decree began a wave of Pied-Noir -led anti-Jewish protests (such as
1428-498: The Arab world , and pressure on Jewish educational institutions to Arabize and conform culturally added to the fears of Moroccan Jews. Between 1956 and 1961, emigration to Israel was prohibited by law; clandestine emigration continued, and a further 18 000 Jews left Morocco. On 10 January 1961 the Egoz , a Mossad-leased ship carrying Jews attempting to emigrate undercover, sank off
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#17327762913191496-605: The Jewish Agency who opposed promoting a large-scale emigration movement among Jews whose lives were not in immediate danger. Later waves peaked at different times in different regions over the subsequent decades. The peak of the exodus from Egypt occurred in 1956, following the Suez Crisis . The emigrations from the other countries of North Africa peaked in the 1960s. Lebanon was the only Arab country that saw an increase in its Jewish population during this period, due to an influx of Jews from other Arab countries, though this
1564-558: The Middle East in the early 20th century, with the only substantial aliyot (Jewish immigrations to the Land of Israel ) coming from Yemen and Syria . Few Jews from Muslim countries immigrated during the existence of the British Mandate for Palestine . Prior to Israel's independence in 1948, approximately 800,000 Jews were living on lands that now make up the Arab world . Of this figure, just under two-thirds lived in
1632-516: The 1837 accession of Ahmed Bey , and continued by his successor Muhammed Bey , Tunisia's Jews were elevated within Tunisia society with improved freedom and security, which was confirmed and safeguarded during the French protectorate." Around a third of Tunisian Jews took French citizenship during the protectorate. Morocco, which had remained independent during the 19th century, became a French protectorate in 1912. However, during less than half
1700-512: The 1897 anti-Jewish riots in Oran ), which the Muslim community did not participate in, to the disappointment of the European agitators. Though there were also cases of Muslim-led anti-Jewish riots, such as in Constantine in 1934 when 34 Jews were killed. Neighbouring Husainid Tunisia began to come under European influence in the late 1860s and became a French protectorate in 1881. Since
1768-430: The 1950s, although French officials later stated that Moroccan Jews "had suffered comparatively fewer troubles than the wider European population" during the struggle for independence. In August 1953, riots broke out in the city of Oujda and resulted in the death of four Jews, including an 11-year-old girl. In the same month, French security forces prevented a mob from breaking into the Jewish mellah of Rabat . In 1954,
1836-450: The 2nd century AD, which itself had been replaced by a newer Ark donated by one Mindus Faustus in the 3rd century AD. [REDACTED] Media related to Synagogue of Ostia at Wikimedia Commons Historic synagogues Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on
1904-563: The Axis powers established labor camps to which many Jews were forcibly deported. In other areas Nazi propaganda targeted Arab populations to incite them against British or French rule. National Socialist propaganda contributed to the transfer of racial antisemitism to the Arab world and is likely to have unsettled Jewish communities. An anti-Jewish riot took place in Casablanca in 1942 in
1972-667: The French- and Italian-controlled regions of North Africa , 15–20% lived in the Kingdom of Iraq , approximately 10% lived in the Kingdom of Egypt , and approximately 7% lived in the Kingdom of Yemen . A further 200,000 Jews lived in the Imperial State of Iran and the Republic of Turkey . The first large-scale exoduses took place in the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. In these cases, over 90% of
2040-721: The Iberian Peninsula were invited to settle in various parts of the Ottoman Empire , where they would often form a prosperous model minority of merchants acting as intermediaries for their Muslim rulers. Ella Shohat has described the Zionist master narrative of the migration of Jews from Muslim lands to Israel as a discourse in which "European Zionism 'saved' Sephardi Jews from the harsh rule of their Arab 'captors'" and "took them out of 'primitive conditions' of poverty and superstition and ushered them gently into
2108-512: The Jewish population left, despite the necessity of leaving their assets and properties behind. Between 1948 and 1951, 250,000 Jews immigrated to Israel from Arab countries. In response, the Israeli government implemented policies to accommodate 600,000 immigrants over a period of four years, doubling the country's Jewish population. This move encountered mixed reactions in the Knesset ; in addition to some Israeli officials, there were those within
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2176-473: The Jewish population to Israel and France accelerated. After attacks in 1967, Jewish emigration both to Israel and France accelerated. There were also attacks in 1982, in 1985 following Israel's Operation Wooden Leg , and most recently in 2002 when a bombing in Djerba took 21 lives (most of them German tourists) near the local synagogue, a terrorist attack claimed by Al-Qaeda . According to Maurice Roumani,
2244-708: The Kerala Jews had to leave them behind under the threat of persecution by the Moors and the Portuguese or as a result of natural disasters. The balance was rebuilt as a consequence of naturally occurring or intentionally set fires, modernization efforts, or assorted other variables. Other ancient post-70 AD synagogues are: Jewish exodus from the Muslim world In the 20th century, approximately 900,000 Jews migrated, fled, or were expelled from Muslim-majority countries throughout Africa and Asia , primarily as
2312-563: The Moroccan Foreign Ministry. Simultaneously, uneasiness arose among Moroccan Jews as they examined the 17 articles of the new "Fundamental Law" signed by King Hassan on June 2. Article 15, in particular, raised concerns, emphasizing Morocco's commitment to the Arab League and the intention to strengthen ties with it. Although the new law did not revoke the equal rights of Jews and Muslims in Morocco, it notably omitted
2380-606: The Moroccan government. By 1963, the Moroccan Interior Minister Colonel Oufkir and Mossad chief Meir Amit agreed to swap Israeli training of Moroccan security services and some covert military assistance for intelligence on Arab affairs and continued Jewish emigration. By 1967, only 50,000 Jews remained. The 1967 Six-Day War led to increased Arab–Jewish tensions worldwide, including in Morocco, and significant Jewish emigration out of
2448-676: The President of the Executive Council of Tripolitania ordered the dissolution of the Jewish Community Council and the appointment of a Muslim commissioner nominated by the Government. A law issued in 1961 required Libyan citizenship for the possession and transfer of property in Libya, a requirement that was met by only six Libyan Jews. Jews were banned from voting, attaining public offices and from serving in
2516-496: The cabinet position of Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. However, that minister, Leon Benzaquen , did not survive the first cabinet reshuffling, and no Jew was appointed again to a cabinet position. Although the relations with the Jewish community at the highest levels of government were cordial, these attitudes were not shared by the lower ranks of officialdom, which exhibited attitudes that ranged from traditional contempt to outright hostility. Morocco's increasing identification with
2584-515: The continued removal of Jewish officials from prominent positions within the Moroccan government. M. Zaoui, the director of Conservation Fonciere in the Moroccan Finance Ministry, was dismissed without a specified reason. The extremist Muslim journal Al Oumal then launched a campaign against him, accusing him of Zionist affiliations. Earlier in the year, Meyer Toledano had also been removed from his role as judicial counselor to
2652-531: The country continued. By the early 1970s, the Jewish population of Morocco fell to 25,000; however, most of the emigrants went to France, Belgium, Spain, and Canada, rather than Israel. According to Esther Benbassa , the migration of Jews from the North African countries was prompted by uncertainty about the future. In 1948, 250,000 –265,000 Jews lived in Morocco. By 2001, an estimated 5,230 remained. Despite their dwindling numbers, Jews continue to play
2720-437: The country in 1959 and 1960, reorganized the operations, and created a clandestine militia named the "Misgeret" ("framework"). Jewish emigration to Israel jumped from 8,171 people in 1954 to 24,994 in 1955, increasing further in 1956. Between 1955 and independence in 1956, 60 000 Jews emigrated. On 7 April 1956, Morocco attained independence . Jews occupied several political positions, including three parliamentary seats and
2788-578: The country, particularly the Pied-Noir community. In 1956, Mossad agents worked underground to organize and arm the Jews of Constantine, who comprised approximately half the Jewish population of the country. In Oran, a Jewish counter-insurgency movement was thought to have been trained by former members of Irgun . As of the last French census in Algeria, taken on 1 June 1960, there were 1 050 000 non-Muslim civilians in Algeria, constituting 10 percent of
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2856-529: The eleventh through the 13th centuries perished long ago as a consequence of natural disasters, enemy attacks, or the abandonment of buildings when congregations shifted. These extant synagogues, though altered over time, include not only the oldest found on the Indian subcontinent but in the British Commonwealth. The consensus among historians based on a compilation of limited recorded history and
2924-522: The establishment of a Jewish Agency for Israel office in Tripoli. According to Harvey E. Goldberg, "a number of Libyan Jews" believe that the Jewish Agency was behind the riots, given that the riots helped them achieve their goal. Between the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and Libyan independence in December 1951 over 30 000 Libyan Jews emigrated to Israel. On 31 December 1958,
2992-703: The general level of the Arabs, Negroes, and Berbers in the same regions. In any case, they are at an even lower level than what we knew with regard to the former Arabs of Eretz Israel ... . These Jews also lack roots in Judaism, as they are totally subordinated to the play of savage and primitive instincts... As with the Africans you will find card games for money, drunkenness and prostitution. Most of them have serious eye, skin and sexual diseases, without mentioning robberies and thefts. Chronic laziness and hatred for work, there
3060-453: The historical narrative of the Arab–Israeli conflict . When presenting the history, those who view the Jewish exodus as analogous to the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight generally emphasize the push factors and consider those who left to have been refugees, while those who oppose that view generally emphasize the pull factors and consider the Jews to have been willing immigrants. At
3128-599: The intention to "transform the community and transfer it to Palestine". In 1943, Mossad LeAliyah Bet began to send emissaries to prepare the infrastructure for the emigration of the Libyan Jewish community. In 1942, German troops fighting the Allies in North Africa occupied the Jewish quarter of Benghazi , plundering shops and deporting more than 2000 Jews across the desert. Sent to work in labor camps like Giado , more than one-fifth of that group of Jews perished. At
3196-422: The late King Hassan II 's offer to return and settle in Morocco. As in Tunisia and Morocco, Algerian Jews did not face large scale expulsion or outright asset confiscation or any similar government persecution during the period of exile, and Zionist agents were relatively allowed freedom of action to encourage emigration. Jewish emigration from Algeria was part of a wider ending of French colonial control and
3264-504: The massacres, 18,000 Moroccan Jews left the country for Israel. Later, however, Jewish migration from Morocco slowed to a few thousand a year. Through the early 1950s, Zionist organizations encouraged immigration, particularly in the poorer south of the country, seeing Moroccan Jews as valuable contributors to the Jewish State: The more I visited in these (Berber) villages and became acquainted with their Jewish inhabitants,
3332-399: The mid 20th century. Owing to the expulsion of nearly all of Egypt's Jews to Israel , the building is no longer used as a synagogue, but instead has been renovated and preserved as a museum. The oldest of India's synagogue buildings can be found in the state of Kerala, where synagogue construction began during the medieval period. Whereas Kerala's first Jewish houses of prayer said to be from
3400-793: The mid-1960s, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee was an important foreign organization driving change and modernization in the North African Jewish community. It had initially become involved in the region whilst carrying out relief work during World War II. The migration of Moroccan Jews to Israel was sponsored, facilitated and administered by Zionist organizations, notably through Cadima (1949–1956) and Operation Yachin (1961–1964). As in Tunisia and Algeria, Moroccan Jews did not face large scale expulsion or outright asset confiscation or any similar government persecution during
3468-580: The more I was convinced that these Jews constitute the best and most suitable human element for settlement in Israel's absorption centers. There were many positive aspects which I found among them: first and foremost, they all know (their agricultural) tasks, and their transfer to agricultural work in Israel will not involve physical and mental difficulties. They are satisfied with few (material needs), which will enable them to confront their early economic problems. Incidents of anti-Jewish violence continued through
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#17327762913193536-539: The northern coast of Morocco. According to Tad Szulc , the Misgeret commander in Morocco, Alex Gattmon, decided to precipitate a crisis on the back of the tragedy, consistent with Mossad Director Isser Harel 's scenario that "a wedge had to be forced between the royal government and the Moroccan Jewish community and that anti-Hassan nationalists had to be used as leverage as well if a compromise over emigration
3604-657: The period of exile, and Zionist agents were relatively allowed freedom of action to encourage emigration. In Morocco, the Vichy regime during World War II passed discriminatory laws against Jews; for example, Jews were no longer able to get any form of credit, Jews who had homes or businesses in European neighborhoods were expelled, and quotas were imposed limiting the percentage of Jews allowed to practice professions such as law and medicine to no more than two percent. King Mohammed V expressed his personal distaste for these laws, assuring Moroccan Jewish leaders that he would never lay
3672-575: The pogrom in Libya was, it was still a relatively isolated occurrence compared to the mass murders of Jews by locals in Eastern Europe." The same year, violent anti-Jewish violence also occurred in Cairo , which resulted in 10 Jewish victims. In 1948, about 38 000 Jews lived in Libya. The pogroms continued in June 1948 , when 15 Jews were killed and 280 Jewish homes destroyed. In November 1948,
3740-412: The related social, economic and cultural changes. The Israeli government had been successful in encouraging Morocco and Tunisian Jews to emigrate to Israel, but were less so in Algeria. Despite offers of visa and economic subsidies, only 580 Jews moved from Algeria to Israel in 1954–55. Emigration peaked during the Algerian War of 1954–1962, during which thousands of Muslims, Christians and Jews left
3808-442: The result of instructions or a progressive aggressiveness is hard to determine. Even with the aggressiveness or perhaps because of it, both Jewish and Arab leaders inform me that the inter-racial relations are better now than they have been for several years and that understanding, tolerance and cooperation are present at any top level meeting between the leaders of the two communities." Immigration to Israel began in 1949, following
3876-403: The same site. Others were converted into churches and mosques or used for other purposes. Evidence of synagogues from the 3rd century BC was discovered on Elephantine island . The findings consist of two synagogue dedication inscription stones and a reference to a synagogue in a papyrus letter dated to 218 BC. The oldest synagogue building uncovered by archaeologists is the Delos Synagogue ,
3944-672: The spread of Zionism throughout the local Jewish population Following the liberation of North Africa by Allied forces, antisemitic incitements were still widespread. The most severe racial violence between the start of World War II and the establishment of Israel erupted in Tripoli in November 1945 . Over a period of several days more than 140 Jews (including 36 children) were killed, hundreds were injured, 4000 were displaced and 2,400 were reduced to poverty. Five synagogues in Tripoli and four in provincial towns were destroyed, and over 1000 Jewish residences and commercial buildings were plundered in Tripoli alone. Gil Shefler writes that "As awful as
4012-481: The term "Jew," and the first two articles underscored Morocco as an Arab and Muslim country with Islam as the official state religion. Operation Yachin was fronted by the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), who financed approximately $ 50 million of costs. HIAS provided an American cover for underground Israeli agents in Morocco, whose functions included organizing emigration, arming of Jewish Moroccan communities for self-defense and negotiations with
4080-597: The time of the Muslim conquests of the 7th century, ancient Jewish communities had existed in many parts of the Middle East and North Africa since Antiquity. Jews under Islamic rule were given the status of dhimmi , along with Christians and certain other pre-Islamic religious groups . As such, these groups were accorded certain rights as " People of the Book ". During waves of persecution in Medieval Europe , many Jews found refuge in Muslim lands, though in other times and places, Jews fled persecution in Muslim lands and found refuge in Christian lands. Jews expelled from
4148-475: The time, most Libyan Jews lived in the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi; there were smaller numbers in Bayda and Misrata . Following the Allied victory at the Battle of El Agheila in December 1942, German and Italian troops were driven out of Libya. The British assigned as garrison in Cyrenaica the Palestine Regiment . This unit later became the core of the Jewish Brigade , which was later also stationed in Tripolitania . The pro-Zionist soldiers encouraged
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#17327762913194216-402: The total Israeli population. In 2009, only 26 000 Jews remained in Arab countries and Iran, as well as another 26 000 in Turkey. By 2019, the total number of Jews in Arab countries and Iran had declined to 12,700, and in Turkey to 14,800. The reasons for the exoduses are manifold, including: pull factors , such as the desire to fulfill Zionism , find a better economic status and
4284-1005: The total population; this included 130 000 Algerian Jews . After Algeria became independent in 1962, about 800 000 Pieds-Noirs (including Jews) were evacuated to mainland France while about 200 000 chose to remain in Algeria. Of the latter, there were still about 100 000 in 1965 and about 50 000 by the end of the 1960s. As the Algerian Revolution intensified from the late 1950s onward, most of Algeria's 140 000 Jews began to leave. The community had lived mainly in Algiers and Blida , Constantine, and Oran. Almost all Jews of Algeria left upon independence in 1962, particularly as "the Algerian Nationality Code of 1963 excluded non-Muslims from acquiring citizenship", allowing citizenship only to those Algerians who had Muslim fathers and paternal grandfathers. Algeria's 140 000 Jews, who had French citizenship since 1870 (briefly revoked by Vichy France in 1940) left mostly for France, although some went to Israel. The Great Synagogue of Algiers
4352-402: The wake of Operation Torch, where a local mob attacked the Jewish mellah . ( Mellah is the Moroccan name for a Jewish ghetto .) However, according to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 's Dr. Haim Saadon, "Relatively good ties between Jews and Muslims in North Africa during World War II stand in stark contrast to the treatment of their co-religionists by gentiles in Europe." From 1943 until
4420-442: Was built c. 1100 and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca in Toledo, Spain , which was built in 1190. However, neither has been used as a synagogue for centuries. The oldest active synagogue in Europe is the Old New Synagogue of Prague in the Czech Republic , built in the 1270s. The Ben Ezra Synagogue of Cairo is the longest-serving synagogue in the world, having continuously served as one from 1025 AD until
4488-663: Was consequently abandoned after 1994. Jewish migration from North Africa to France led to the rejuvenation of the French Jewish community, which is now the third largest in the world. As in Morocco and Algeria, Tunisian Jews did not face large scale expulsion or outright asset confiscation or any similar government persecution during the period of exile, and Jewish emigration societes were relatively allowed freedom of action to encourage emigration. In 1948, approximately 105 000 Jews lived in Tunisia. About 1500 remain today , mostly in Djerba , Tunis , and Zarzis . Following Tunisia's independence from France in 1956 emigration of
4556-465: Was ever to be attained". A pamphlet agitating for illegal emigration, supposedly by an underground Zionist organization, was printed by Mossad and distributed throughout Morocco, causing the government to "hit the roof". These events prompted King Mohammed V to allow Jewish emigration, and over the three following years, more than 70,000 Moroccan Jews left the country, primarily as a result of Operation Yachin . In June 1961, reports surfaced regarding
4624-405: Was temporary—by the mid-1970s, the Jewish community of Lebanon had also dwindled. 600,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim countries had relocated to Israel by 1972, while another 300,000 migrated to France , the United States and Canada . Today, the descendants of Jews who immigrated to Israel from other Middle Eastern lands (known as Mizrahi Jews and Sephardic Jews ) constitute more than half of
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