[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 120 (Thursday, September 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING THE JEWS OF ARAB NATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 2003

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to an article 
entitled, ``Justice for Jews from Arab Nations,'' which was printed in 
the International Herald tribune on July 1, 2003. I respectfully 
request that this article be entered into the Congressional Record.
  The article was written by Ms. Giulia Boukhobza, a Jew who was born 
in Libya in 1951. The story she tells is one of anti-Jewish 
legislation, seizure of assets, and, ultimately, ethnic cleansing. 
Beginning in 1948, over 800,000 Jews were expelled from their homes in 
Arab countries, as those countries sought revenge for the creation of a 
Jewish state. Ms. Boukhobza was forced to flee from Libya in 1967.
  This article is her testimonial, bringing to light an important part 
of the history of Israel and the Middle East. Thank you.

           [From International Herald Tribune, July 1, 2003]

                   Justice for Jews From Arab Nations

                      (By Giulia Boukhobza (IHT))

       New York: This is the first time I have ever written about 
     my experience as a Jew from Libya, It's not easy for me. The 
     memories are still painful.
       Jews had a continual presence in Libya for over two 
     thousand years, predating the Arab conquest and occupation by 
     centuries, My own family had lived on Libyan soil for 
     hundreds of years, if not longer.
       I was born in Libya in 1951, the year of the country's 
     independence.
       Most of the nearly 40,000 Jews left Libya between 1948 and 
     1951 because of a wave of anti-Jewish rioting, beginning in 
     1945, that left hundreds dead and injured and thousands 
     homeless. My family, however, decided to stay and see if 
     things would improve. After all, it was our home, it was our 
     language, and it was the land of our ancestors. And the new 
     Libyan constitution offered guarantees that gave us hope.
       We were wrong, The hope was misplaced. The guarantees were 
     absolutely worthless. By 1961, Jews could not vote, hold 
     public office, obtain Libyan passports, buy new property, or 
     supervise our own communal affairs. In other words, at best 
     we were second-class residents--I can't even say citizens--
     though this was our birthplace and home.
       Our fate was sealed six years later. In June 1967, the 
     anti-Jewish atmosphere in the streets became terrifying, so 
     much so that my family could not leave our house in Tripoli, 
     My parents and I, along with my seven brothers and sisters, 
     sat frightened at home for days,
       And then the mob came for us.
       I can't even begin to describe the scene. It seemed there 
     were a thousand men chanting ``Death to the Jews.'' Some had 
     jars of gasoline which they began to empty on our house. They 
     were about to strike a match. We were near hysteria. But then 
     one man from the mob courageously spoke up. He said he knew 
     us and we should be left alone. Amazingly, the mob complied 
     and moved elsewhere.
       Other Jews, however, were not as lucky. Some, including 
     close friends of ours, were killed, and property damage was 
     estimated in the millions of dollars.
       Our family went into hiding for several weeks before we 
     were finally able to leave the country and reach Italy. We 
     arrived with barely a suitcase each.
       Today, to the best of my knowledge, there is not a single 
     Jew left in Libya, not one. An ancient community has come to 
     a complete end.
       My family had to start from scratch in Italy. We bad 
     nothing and no one. But we persevered. We knew that we 
     weren't the world's first Jewish refugees, or the last, and 
     that we would just have to make the best of a difficult 
     situation. And that's exactly what we did.
       We did not wallow in self-pity. We did not seek to make 
     ourselves wards of the international community. And we didn't 
     plot revenge against Libya. We simply picked up the pieces of 
     our lives and moved on.
       The more I think about what befell us, though, the angrier 
     I become. In effect, we were triple victims.
       First, we were uprooted and compelled to leave our home 
     forever solely because we were Jews.
       Second, our plight was largely ignored by the international 
     community, the UN and the media. Do a search and you'll be 
     shocked at how little was written or said about this tragedy.
       And third, Libya erased any trace of our existence in the 
     country. Even the Jewish cemeteries were destroyed and the 
     headstones used in the building of roads.
       In other words, first our homeland was taken away from us, 
     then our history as well.
       I can no longer be a Jew of silence, nor can I allow myself 
     to become a forgotten Jew. It is time to reclaim my history. 
     It is time to demand accountability for the massive human 
     rights violations that occurred to us in Libya.
       That's why, after 36 years, I've chosen to speak out today.

                          ____________________