ARBIB

ARBIB, family of North African origin, subsequently spreading to Italy. ISAAC BEN ARROYO (16th century), born in Salonika, author of books of sermons Tanḥumot El (1573) and Makhil Kohelet (1597), was also called Arbib, but little is known of his life. ESTHER (end of 18th century) played a prominent part in Jewish life in Tripoli and had great influence on the Turkish governor. When the city was in the throes of civil war in 1793, she was tortured in order to extract an enormous ransom. MOSES and VITTORIO were among the leaders of the community in the 19th century. GUSTAVO first introduced printing in Latin characters into Tripoli. ISAIAH, head of the Tripoli community (1774–78), established himself subsequently in Leghorn, and thereafter the family was prominent in Italy. EDOARDO (1840–1906) fought in the Italian-Austrian war of 1859. He was severely wounded a year later in the "Expedition of the Thousand" led by Garibaldi against the kingdom of Naples and was promoted on the field. He then joined the regular army and took part in the war of 1866 against Austria. Later he became editor of the Gazetta del Popolo of Florence and founded the daily newspaper La Libertà after the liberation of Rome in 1870. He entered political life and was appointed senator. He was also a writer of fiction and a historian of the Italian parliament. ANGELO (1865–1922) entered the Italian army as a professional soldier, commanded an infantry regiment in World War I, and became major general in 1917. Another member of the family, EMILIO (d. 1933), rose to the rank of general in World War I. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: G.V. Raccah, Appunti per un archivio delle famiglie ebraiche della Libia (n.d.), S.V.; G. Bedarida, Ebrei d'Italia (1950); N. Slouschz, Travels in North Africa (1927), 19–20; Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, 3 (1961), 732–4 (includes bibliography); Hirschberg, Afrikah, 2 (1965), 199. ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: B. Di Porto, "Eduardo Arbib deputato di Viterbo," in: Rassegna Mensile di Israel, 40 (1973), 429–43. (Cecil Roth)