The implementation of a royal decree under which all Libyan Jews with relatives in Israel have to register with the anti-Israel boycott office in that country has caused great anxiety in the Libyan Jewish community, according to reports reaching here today. The application of the new measures may threaten the status of the community there, the sources said.
The decree is also aimed against Jews who are custodians of property left by persons who have gone to Israel. The custodians have been ordered to register this property with the boycott office.
Since the great majority of Libyan Jews have relatives in Israel, the decree will affect nearly every Jewish family in the country. Efforts by the Jewish community to have the measure rescinded have failed. Libyan authorities are conducting an intense anti-Israel campaign and the population has been inflamed against the Jewish State.
Although there are only about 3, 500 Jews left in Libya, religious life there is still very strong, but there has been a great decline in cultural activities since the emigration of over 30, 000 Jews to Israel. The community is comparatively prosperous but anxious about its future, informants state.
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