Shalom and good evening.
Thank you for coming and participating in this important evening.
Today, we commemorate the Exit and Deportation of Jews from Arab lands and Iran. We honor the more than 800,000 Jewish refugees who were forced to flee from their homes, and who were displaced from their communities simply because of hatred.
The story of these Jews is a modern refugee crisis, and one that is not often told. But we must tell their story, not only because it is part of the fabric of our history, but because in the telling of the story is:
• How we recognize the plight of Jewish people all around the world;
• Where we draw our collective strength for the preservation and protection of the State of Israel;and
• Most importantly, how we reflect the ways in which history shapes our current existence.
The Jewish communities of the Middle East, many of which preceded Muslims in those countries, survived thousands of years, and were some of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.
In the beginning of the 20th century, there were:
| Aden |
8,000 |
0 |
|---|
| Algeria |
140,000 |
0 |
|---|
| Egypt |
75,000 |
75 |
|---|
| Iraq |
135,000 |
50 |
|---|
| Iran |
100,000 |
8,756 |
|---|
| Lebanon |
5,000 |
40 |
|---|
| Libya |
38,000 |
0 |
|---|
| Morocco |
265,000 |
3,000 |
|---|
| Syria |
30,000 |
50 |
|---|
| Tunisia |
105,000 |
1,000 |
|---|
| Yemen |
55,000 |
100 |
|---|
And there were many, many more throughout the region. Now, these communities have been diminished to virtually nothing.
Jewish people from Arab countries were a vital part of their communities, serving as carpenters, musicians, scholars, academics… and they were driven out with no regard for their contributions to society or accomplishments.
But Israel cared about their contributions and accomplishments. Israel embraced and repatriated these refugees, and today Jews from Arab countries make up more than half of the total population of Israel. The State of Israel has always been a safe haven for all Jews, and it will continue to be a home for all of those who face persecution solely because they are Jewish.
Jewish people were not just expelled from Arab countries, they were victimized by terror. The terrorism that forced almost a million innocent Jews from their ancient homes has the same origin of the terrorism that exists today – pure hatred.
On this day when we commemorate a refugee crisis created by hate, we also see how closely this parallels with terrorism attacks happening all over the world. The horrendous attacks in Paris by The Islamic State, a refugee crisis in Syria, and the wave of terrorist attacks in Israel since September reveal that hatred is not a distant memory, but is a current threat.
As we remember these more than 800,000 Jewish refugees and we remember their struggle, we uplift Israel and we declare that we will not succumb to attacks of terrorism and hatred by those who seek to destroy us. We extol our values and affirm that we will strive and remain strong.