Tunisia's Jews shun "migrate to Israel" idea - BBC News, UK 01 Feb 2012
In the wake of the Arab Spring, an Israeli government minister said that for their own safety all of Tunisia's remaining Jews should move to Israel. read more »
Jews from Arab Lands
Focus
Question of Jewish refugees from Arab countries discussed in Knesset
A forum on the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab countries was held at the Knesset in Jerusalem as Israel’s parliament is set to debate a bill that would make the issue an integral part of Middle East peace negotiations. read more »
» Knesset approves bill calling for recognition of Jewish refugees from Arab lands
» Mr. Stanley Urman at the WJC Strategic Forum, Jerusalem, 19 October 2009 
Israel calls for end to special status of UN Palestinian refugee agency
At a United Nations conference on refugees in Geneva, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon has questioned the use of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which exclusively deals with Palestinian refugees. read more »
» Irwin Cotler: Revisionism, rejectionism and Arab-Israeli peace - Jerusalem Post, Israel
Israel's UN envoy raises Jewish refugee issue at UN 'Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People'
At an event at the United Nations on the 64th anniversary of the vote to partition Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor told the UN General Assembly that it exacerbated rather than resolved the Middle East conflict with such commemorations. read more »
Overwhelmingly negative attitudes toward Jews in Islamic countries
A survey conducted by Pew Research in 25 countries has found that the populations of nearly all Muslim countries hold very negative attitudes toward Jews. read more »
» French 'Nazi hunter' talks about Holocaust in Middle Eastern countries
» How concerned are you that or your family could be a victim of a terrorist attack? 
» Rabbi Michael Melchior at the WJC Strategic Forum, Jerusalem, 19 October 2009
Egyptian police foiled Islamist terror plot against Jewish pilgrims
Police in Egypt said they had arrested 25 Muslim extremists suspected of having planned a terrorist attack against Jewish pilgrims who visited the grave of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira near Alexandria. read more »
» Islamists in Paris issue death threats against "imam of the Jews"
» How concerned are you that or your family could be a victim of a terrorist attack?
» Mr. Mike Whine at the WJC Strategic Forum, Jerusalem, 19 October 2009
Latest News
Israel calls for end to special status of UN Palestinian refugee agency 09 Dec 2011
At a United Nations conference on refugees in Geneva, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon has questioned the use of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which exclusively deals with Palestinian refugees. read more »
Irwin Cotler: Revisionism, rejectionism and Arab-Israeli peace - Jerusalem Post, Israel 09 Dec 2011
Once again, the United Nations commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29 – the 64th anniversary of the UN Partition Resolution – by continuing to ignore the plight of Jewish refugees. read more »
Anshell Pfeffer: The Jews of Djerba are waiting to see what the new Tunisia has in store - Haaretz, Israel 09 Dec 2011
The first drasha I have ever heard in Arabic was here at El Ghriba synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of prayer in continuous use in the world. Walking in, I discovered that it’s also a contender for the most heavily protected synagogue in the world. read more »
Israel's UN envoy raises Jewish refugee issue at UN 'Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People' 02 Dec 2011
At an event at the United Nations on the 64th anniversary of the vote to partition Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor told the UN General Assembly that it exacerbated rather than resolved the Middle East conflict with such commemorations. read more »
One man proving Jews can be part of Tunisian politics - Jerusalem Post, Israel 24 Oct 2011
Jewish parliamentary candidate Jacob Lellouche promises to represent all minorities in the Arab Spring's first-born democracy. read more »
Iraqi Jews yearn for lost homeland - Agence France Presse, France 21 Oct 2011
Amer Musa Nasim, once one of the last seven remaining Jews in Baghdad, says he finally had to leave violence-stricken Iraq to live a peaceful life even though he loves his country. read more »
Libyan Jews recall a tyrant who forced them into exile - Jerusalem Post, Israel 21 Oct 2011
David Gerbi recalled on Thursday his first and last face-to-face encounter with Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator killed earlier in the day by rebel forces in his hometown of Sirte. read more »
Rally for 'forgotten' Jewish refugees from Arab lands - Jewish Chronicle, UK 26 Sep 2011
Protesters gathered in London's Trafalgar Square to highlight the plight of Jewish and other persecuted minorities driven out of the Middle East and North Africa. read more »
Libya and the Jews - Jewish Ideas Daily, USA 31 Aug 2011
There are reasons for Jews to view the fall of Muammar Gaddafi with satisfaction. And yet the Libyan Spring looks like a mixed blessing. read more »
Farhud memories: Baghdad's 1941 slaughter of the Jews - BBC News, UK 01 Jun 2011
On 1 June 1941, a Nazi-inspired pogrom erupted in Baghdad, bringing to an end more than two millennia of peaceful existence for the city's Jewish minority. Some Jewish children witnessed the bloodshed, and retain vivid memories 70 years later. read more »
Symposium in New York celebrates 2,000 years of Jewish life in Morocco 18 May 2011
Held under the patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, a symposium organized by the American Sephardi Federation in New York featured international scholars and dignitaries from Morocco, France, Canada, Israel and the US. read more »
How Arabs stole Jewish property - YNet News, Israel 15 May 2011
As Palestinians mark 'Nakba Day,' history shows Jews were dispossessed of all their assets too after escaping Arab countries between 1944 and 1964. read more »
The Jewish Palate: The Jews of Libya - Jerusalem Post, Israel 28 Feb 2011
Chef Dennis Wasko explores how the long history of Libya's Jews influenced the cuisine of this North African country. read more »
Tunisian Jews fear attacks by Islamists 16 Feb 2011
There are heightened fears among Tunisia’s Jews over their safety after Islamists held anti-Jewish protests outside the main synagogue in central Tunis last week. read more »
In Casablanca, only Jewish museum in Arab world - Agence France Presse 10 Feb 2011
Founded in 1997, the Museum of Moroccan Judaism of Casablanca assembles a hodgepodge of objects that attest to the rich history of the country's 2,000-year-old Jewish community. read more »
Jerusalem tries to put issue of Jewish refugees from Muslim countries onto international agenda 16 Dec 2010
Israel’s Foreign Ministry wants to ensure that Jews who were forced to flee Arab countries after 1948 are included in international discussions about the refugee issue. read more »
Tunisian musical show canceled after actors are accused of pro-Israel stance 10 Aug 2010
A musical show scheduled for the Carthage International Festival has been called off after two of its actors sparked outrage on the internet for performing for Israelis. read more »
Libya frees Israeli citizen after secret negotiations with Jerusalem 09 Aug 2010
Rafael Haddad, an Israeli citizen arrested and imprisoned in Libya in March while photographing Jewish sites, has returned to Israel after being freed in a deal reportedly engineered by Israel's Foreign Minister Lieberman. read more »
Cairo court wants Egyptian men married to Israelis stripped of their citizenship 08 Jun 2010
The Supreme Administrative Court in Cairo has upheld a ruling urging the government to consider stripping Egyptian men who are married to Israeli women of their citizenship. read more »
Egypt cancels ceremony at Cairo synagogue, blaming Jews and Israel 15 Mar 2010
The Egyptian government canceled an inauguration ceremony for the restored Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo in response to “provocative actions” by Jews in Cairo last week and restrictions placed on Muslim worshipers in Jerusalem by the Israeli government. read more »
Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo re-dedicated in presence of foreign dignitaries 08 Mar 2010
A historic synagogue in Cairo was re-dedicated in the presence of international Jewish leaders and foreign diplomats, following a two-year restoration effort funded by Egyptian authorities. read more »
Knesset approves bill calling for recognition of Jewish refugees from Arab lands 23 Feb 2010
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has passed a bill aimed at securing compensation for Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran as part of future peace negotiations in the Middle East. read more »
Makeshift firebomb thrown at Cairo synagogue 22 Feb 2010
A makeshift explosive device stored in a suitcase was thrown at the main synagogue in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday morning, causing no injuries or damage. read more »
Question of Jewish refugees from Arab countries discussed in Knesset 19 Feb 2010
A forum on the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab countries was held at the Knesset in Jerusalem as Israel’s parliament is set to debate a bill that would make the issue an integral part of Middle East peace negotiations. read more »
Israel vies to bring Mideast Jewish refugees into talks - Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2010
New bill to seek compensation for eastern Jews and cement their narrative as an integral part of any future peace negotiations. read more »
Overwhelmingly negative attitudes toward Jews in Islamic countries 09 Feb 2010
A survey conducted by Pew Research in 25 countries has found that the populations of nearly all Muslim countries hold very negative attitudes toward Jews. read more »
Who will pray at Lebanon's rebuilt synagogue? - BBC News, UK 04 Feb 2010
Rumours of the reconstruction of the city's historic Magen-Abraham Synagogue have been around for years but no one, it seems, could quite believe their eyes when the work actually began. read more »
Egyptian police foiled Islamist terror plot against Jewish pilgrims 01 Feb 2010
Police in Egypt said they had arrested 25 Muslim extremists suspected of having planned a terrorist attack against Jewish pilgrims who visited the grave of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira near Alexandria. read more »
Materials
"Jewish refugees must not be neglected in peace talks" By Danny Ayalon, Guardian.co.uk 22 Dec 2010
There are two sides to the refugee story, and the Israeli side is one of the best-kept secrets of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. read more »
'Include Jewish refugees from Arab lands in talks' by Herb Keinon - Jerusalem Post 14 Dec 2010
Foreign Ministry pushing to include Jews who fled from Arab countries in core issue discussion with the US about refugees. read more »
'The Expulsion of the Jews from Muslim Countries, 1920-1970' by Shmuel Trigano 09 Nov 2010
The Expulsion of the Jews from Muslim Countries, 1920-1970: A History of Ongoing Cruelty and Discrimination read more »
'Jews Displaced From Arab Lands Finally Recognized' By Nathan Jeffay - Foreward 10 Mar 2010
For the first time since they came to Israel, all 10 Jewish communities displaced from Arab countries have agreed on a course of action to address their grievances — and triumphed in the political arena. read more »
WJC & Jews from Arab Lands
The story of the Jews in Arab lands forms a major gap in most of the world's knowledge of the history of the Middle East. Jewish presence in what are now Arab lands long predates Islam and the Arab conquest of the Middle East and goes back to Biblical times. In 1945, there were approximately 866,000 Jews living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 7,000. In many Arab states, once thriving Jewish communities have all but disappeared. According to official statistics, 856,000 Jews left their homes in Arab countries between 1948 and the early 1970s leaving behind substantial property and other assets.
In April 2008, the US House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the recognition of Jewish, Christian, and other refugees from Arab lands. The resolution states that any agreement between Israelis and Palestinians must include recognition of Jewish refugees as well. The resolution makes it clear that the subject should be brought before the UN General Assembly again, to have it recognize the plight of the Arabic Jews.
The plight of Jews who fled from, or still live in, Arab lands and their specific concerns are not well-known and need to be raised with governments and international organisations.
Actions taken on behalf of those communities still residing in Arab lands must be done in consort with the communal leadership lest such interventions create further problems and dangers for the resident Jewish community.
Illegal seizure of assets that took place should remain on record, to preserve the right of restitution claims by former owners and their heirs.
Jewish communal sites in Arab countries must be preserved and respected and must receive the same care and attention presently shown to similar sites by Jewish communities in the rest of the world.
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Priority Issues
WJC & The Iranian Threat
Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a threat to its neighbors and the world. Iran is a leading sponsor of terrorism. Iranian leaders, above all President Ahmadinejad, repeatedly question or deny the Holocaust and threaten Israel. read more »
WJC & Combating anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is still a deeply-rooted phenomenon in many democracies, despite efforts by governments and NGOs to tackle it. In addition to 'traditional' anti-Semitism, new forms and expressions of anti-Semitism are being manifested around the world. read more »
WJC & Fighting terrorism
Jews, and Jewish sites, are often the main targets of terrorists. The WJC works to fight terrorism by advocating a halt in arms proliferation to terrorist groups, better international cooperation, and the protection of Jewish institutions. read more »
WJC & Supporting Israel
Around the world, Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is constantly questioned. The WJC and its affiliates actively defend the legitimacy of Israel on all levels and support the state against unfair and biased attacks. read more »
WJC & the Legacy of the Holocaust
Seven decades after the Shoah, some countries still have not returned stolen Jewish property. The WJC defends the rights of the victims and their heirs. It also strives to ensure that the greatest crime in the history of mankind is not denied or trivialized. read more »
WJC & Jews from Arab Lands
The plight and concerns of Jews who fled from,or still live in, Arab lands after 1948 are not well-known. The WJC is committed to raising this issue with governments and international organizations. read more »
WJC & Promoting Inter-Faith Dialogue
The WJC has always spearheaded dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Inter-faith cooperation can make an important contribution to peace around the world and to better understanding between communities in our societies. read more »
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