Escape from Benghazi Diary of an Impostor

Elia Meghnagi last saw his childhood home in Benghazi when he was only seventeen. A member of the endangered and fast-shrinking millennia-old Jewish community of Libya, in 1958 Elia was forced to flee, finding refuge in Cambridge as a foreign student. Elia built a new life for himself in England, finding friends, community, love, and a career in telecomms engineering that would take him across the globe until he swapped his high-flying career for one, no less challenging, in the kosher food business. Full of nostalgia for his native land and pride in his Sephardi roots, he carries us to the sun-drenched streets of Benghazi and introduces us to its vibrant culture and history, before sharing with us the ups and downs of life as a refugee and, eventually, a citizen, in England. Clear-sighted, compassionate, and often humorous, Elia introduces us to a wide array of the fascinating characters he has met, and the challenging situations he has faced. Perhaps most profoundly, in a narrative suffused with wonder and optimism, Elia shares his experience of fitting smoothly into other cultures while never compromising on his own religious principles or practice.

Elia Meghnagi has devoted much of his time to Jewish education, and is also a director of the Simon Weisenthal Centre, UK. Now semi-retired, he and his wife enjoy spending time with their five children and a generous number of grandchildren (most of whom live in Israel). He also writes and gives talks about outstanding Jewish personalities, Jewish practice, and the Libyan Jewish community. He is a director of Snowcrest, a kosher manufacturing company.

Foreword PART ONE - Benghazi 1. Tracing an ancient community The beginnings Shiver me timbers Evviva Italia Fascism’s true face Casa Nostra Internment 2. Rebuilding Attack and counterattack Istituto De La Salle Ordeal in the desert 3. The aliyah years The shul of my youth The Nazi butcher 4. The gathering storm Death to the Jews Arabs of courage 5. Kidnapped Community in shock Esther to the rescue 6. Life changes Our neighbour’s tragedy A fateful decision PART TWO - England 7. Cambridge, here I come On a wing and a prayer Where are your horns? Student life Family ties Hilton Hotel calling The German beauty 8. What are you still doing here? Gateshead Talmudical College The midnight strangler A worrying letter Reunited Extraordinary people At Her Majesty’s pleasure Reunion at last 9. Goodbye, Gateshead, I must leave you The deep freeze The Northern Polytechnic J’Accuse 10. Dark clouds Bombshell Trouble on the home front Jolly Holidays 11. The love of my life Independence Enter British Rail Israel imperilled 12. Into the lion’s den Cleared to fly A long engagement Arrivederci Roma Training travels Encyclopaedic knowledge 13. The wedding that wasn’t and the wedding that was Reading Close encounter of the worst kind A new life Crisis at Paddington 14. Ice cold in Welwyn Garden City Licences, provisional and otherwise Family expansion Another move A devastating loss 15. General Electric Company Caracas Metro Medellin Metro Medellin = Modi’in? Mexico City 16. Korean interludes The DIY convert Talks, talks and more talks Enter Mr Moon The thief of Baghdad Faux Pas 17. I scream, you scream Snowcrest Beware the wives of March My Muslim brother Mr Hasham, the Hashemite PART THREE - Extra-curricular 18. This and that Frog’s legs Chaplain Weisman’s Libyan adventure The Simon Wiesenthal Centre UK 19. Nostalgia and communal life The responsibility of office Child of survivors Coming up to date 20. Reflections Acknowledgements Portrait Gallery

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Escape from Benghazi Diary of an Impostor

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