David Gerbi left with the rest of his native country's Jews many years ago. Horrified to see the community cemeteries desecrated on a return visit, he's created a virtual memorial
Despairing of physical preservation, a Jewish exile from Libya sets up virtual cemeteries jta.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jta.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A picture shows the abandoned Dar Bishi synagogue in the Libyan capital Tripoli on September 28, 2011. (Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images via JTA)
JTA An abandoned and ancient synagogue in Libya is being turned into an Islamic religious center without permission, the World Organization of the Jews of Libya said.
David Gerbi, a Libya-born Italian Jew, and member of the organization, which promotes the interests of people belonging to the Libyan Jewish Diaspora, wrote about the Sla Dar Bishi in Tripoli last week in a report published by Moked, a Jewish publication in Italy.
“Since there is now no Jew living in Tripoli and since the power is in the hands of the local authorities (read: militias) it was decided to violate our property and our history,” he wrote. “The plan clearly is to take advantage of the chaos and our absence.”