Project Statement

The American Sephardi Federation (ASF), in cooperation with Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC), the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC), and other organizations, is participating in an effort to document the human rights violations against Jews from Arab countries who were forced to flee their homes, and to chronicle their experience in order to create an enduring record of this historic injustice. An international rights and redress campaign is now in progress.
To learn more please go to http://www.justiceforjews.com.

Who Are the Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries

The expulsion and exodus of over 850,000 Jews from Arab countries is among the most significant yet little known injustices against humanity of the past century. For hundreds of years, and in many cases for millennia, Jews lived in countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq and Yemen. In fact in several of these countries the Jewish population was established long before what has become today’s local population or over 1,000 years before the advent of Islam. From the seventh century on, special laws of the Dhimmi (the “protected”), later known as the Covenant of Omar, subjected the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa to prohibitions, restrictions and discrimination and the harsh conditions of inferiority. Many Jews did manage to prosper despite these circumstances including occupying high government positions.

Discrimination against Jews in Arab countries took a dramatic turn for the worse in 1948 after the birth of the State of Israel. Between the 1940s and 1980s, the Jews of Arab countries endured humiliation, discrimination, human rights abuses, organized persecution and expulsion by the governments of the countries of their origin.

Mass Violation of Human Rights

During this time, Jewish property was seized without compensation, Jewish quarters were sacked and looted, and cemeteries were desecrated. Synagogues, Jewish shops, schools and houses were ransacked, burned and destroyed, and hundreds of Jews were murdered in anti-Semitic riots and pogroms. Of the over 850,000 Jewish refugees who left Arab countries, approximately 600,000 sought refuge in the State of Israel and were resettled there at great expense. Arab states have refused to acknowledge these human rights violations and provide relief to the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were forced to abandon their homes, businesses and possessions as they fled those countries.

In fact, as a result of the creation of the State of Israel, official records indicate that approximately 700,000 Palestinian Arab residents fled in order to escape the attacking Arab armies that promised to wipe Israel off the map.

Project Background and Context

The American Sephardi Federation is participating in the worldwide effort to create a comprehensive database of claims for the over 850,000 Jews who were displaced, lost property and other assets. Claims are estimated to run into the tens of billions of dollars. Several thousand affidavits were successfully compiled in 1969, and today these original documents are in desperate need of preservation. Other organizations actively involved in this effort are the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC), Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC), The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the World Jewish Congress

Considerable attention was placed on claims of Arabs displaced during Israel’s 1948 war of Independence, however little was conveyed about the displacement and suffering of Jews from Arab countries. The issue of restitution finally gained some formal support after former President Bill Clinton spoke in July 2000 of establishing a compensation fund. In an interview with Israeli television immediately after the issue of the rights of Jews displaced from Arab lands was discussed at Camp David II in July 2000, President Clinton stated clearly that ‘‘[t]here will have to be some sort of international fund set up for the refugees. There is, I think, some interest, interestingly enough, on both sides, in also having a fund which compensates the Israelis who were made refugees by the war, which occurred after the birth of the State of Israel. Israel is full of people, Jewish people, who lived in predominantly Arab countries who came to Israel because they were made refugees in their own land.’’.

Looking Forward

In the near future, legislation will be reintroduced in the U.S. Congress to make it US policy to mention “Jewish refugees” whenever there is a mention of Palestinian refugees in any official documents or resolution including at the UN.

“The Senate urges the President to…

(1)to the United Nations and all United States representatives in bilateral and multilateral fora that, when

• the United States considers or addresses resolutions that allude to the issue of Middle East refugees, the United States delegation should ensure that—
• the relevant text refers to the fact that multiple refugee populations have been caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict; and
• any explicit reference to the required resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue is matched by a similar explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries; and

(2) make clear that the United States Government supports the position that, as an integral part of any comprehensive peace, the issue of refugees and the mass violations of human rights of minorities in Arab countries must be resolved in a manner that includes—

• redress for the legitimate rights of all refugees displaced from Arab countries; and
• recognition of the fact that Jewish and Christian property, schools, and community property was lost as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict.”

The Joint Project

The aging generation of Jewish refugees who can tell the world what they endured during their flight from Arab lands and can produce documentary or testimonial evidence in support of their claims is dwindling. When they are gone, crucial evidence and eyewitness testimony will be lost forever. Time is of the essence. Hence, the American Sephardi Federation, in collaboration with Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, participates in a program to:

1) Reach out to Jewish refugees from Arab lands through synagogues, associations, and community groups, to facilitate the completion of claims for human rights violations and lost property. Complete the claims questionnaire and mail it to the American Sephardi Federation.

2) Make available a traveling exhibit that tells the story of the Jews from Arab lands and what they lost.

3) Collect as many new claims as possible and preserve the thousands of deteriorating claims that document and chronicle the extent of the human rights violations, losses, dislocation, abuse and anguish of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries. (The names of individuals filing claims will be held in confidence if so desired.)

4) Develop an information database structure for the storage and organization of claims records and supporting material.

To document and address this historic injustice, the ASF will need far-reaching support, financial and otherwise, from the Jewish community at large and from individuals who can chronicle the extent of the tragedy of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries Exhibition is available for rental to communities and organizations. For information about creating a program or renting the traveling exhibit for your community, or to register claims, please contact us.

Click on Image to View Exhibit

Jewish Refuges from Arab Countries Claims Form and Guidelines [PDF]

Jews from Arab Countries Bibliography [PDF]

© 2004- 2005 American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House
Reproduction of material without written permission is strictly prohibited.

The following national organizations have been approached to participate in the campaign to collect testimonials and educate the public on the plight of former
Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries:

Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies

B’nai B’rith International

Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York

Hadassah

Hillel

Jewish Community Centers Association

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Jews in America

MERCAZ USA

National Council of Young Israel

Orthodox Union

Rabbinical Assembly

Rabbinical Council of America

Union of American Hebrew Congregations

United Jewish Communities

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism