B"H

 

Purpose of “Forgotten Jewish Refugees” project:

On Monday, June 23, 2014, the Israel Knesset passed a bill into law that designates November 30th as the national day for commemorating the flight of Jews from Arab lands and Iran, including North Africa. 

 

Recently, a community steering committee formed at Keter Torah Synagogue to stimulate interest in sharing information about the diverse cultures and rich heritage of these “Forgotten Jewish Refugees”.

 

In addition, the purpose is to educate about the bill which passed by a vote of twenty-seven to zero, and how it will help to rectify a historic injustice for these people.

 

Background of importance:

 

After the State of Israel was recognized in 1948, between 850,000 – 1,000,000 Jews became refugees, most in a very short time.  They fled Arab lands in the Middle East, in North Africa and Iran, where families had lived for centuries, to escape acts of aggression from their governments and neighbors.  Others fled because they foresaw persecution in lands where their families had lived as second class citizens (dhimmis) for generations. 

 

In nearly all cases, they were not allowed to sell their possessions before fleeing.  Nearly overnight, many wealthy Jews left everything behind for fear that they and their families would be killed, and their governments profited by expropriating large tracts of land, valuable goods and prosperous businesses. 

 

The estimated value of what was confiscated is upwards of $100 billion dollars.  Yet, this tragic human rights injustice was essentially ignored by the international community until a relatively recent campaign to rectify this situation.  We too believe that with the passage of this new Israeli law designating an annual day of commemoration, the history and stories of the ‘forgotten Jewish refugees’ will finally be told.

 

 

Education sharing proposals:

• Sponsor a commemoration event at Keter Torah on November 30th

• Sponsor a ‘dinner a month’ at Keter Torah focused on one land at a time

• Encourage the incorporation of ancestral religious customs in holiday observances

• Provide resource lists for community programs with "Forgotten Jewish Refugees" themes

• Sponsor an ethnic festival at the JCC featuring displays for each land

• Promote a ‘writing contest’ based on “Forgotten Jewish Refugees”

• Draft a series of educational articles for the Detroit Jewish News

 

 

Please refer to resources and program links on the website for suggested ways you, your family and community can commemorate the plight of the “Forgotten Jewish Refugees”.

 

 

Sincerely,



The committee of the

"Forgotten Jewish Refugees", Michigan

 

Rabbi Sasson Natan

Barbara Moretsky

Shoshana Janer

Kadima Ben-Ezra

Rimona Lieberman