November 30 is the official memorial day based on a law
passed by the Knesset in Israel in 2014 to mark the departure and expulsion of
more than 850,000 Jews from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century.
For the first time in Hong Kong, the Consulate General of
Israel in Hong Kong marks this special day with an event at Elsa High School
and an exhibition at the Jewish Community Centre.
At Elsa High School on November 22, Consul of Israel in
Hong Kong, Mrs Yael Lenga Ben-Hur, and the schoolteachers presented the background
and personal accounts of these “forgotten refugees” who were forced to flee
from their homes and to leave the countries where they had lived for millennia,
solely because of their Jewish identity.
Jews had lived in the Arab lands for thousands of years,
and many of their communities preceded the advent of Islam. But in the 20th
century, with the rise of Arab nationalism and the conflict in Palestine, the
new Arab regimes began a campaign of massive violations of the rights of their
Jewish citizens. Arab states expropriated property of their native Jews, and
denaturalized, expelled, arrested, tortured and murdered many of them.
Current research estimates that the number of Jews living
in Arab countries, in the North African region from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
Egypt, Libya, in the Middle East from Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and
Iran, totaled more than 850,000 at the time of Israel’s independence. Some
scholars even think the number is closer to one million.
Their stories were not well known and they were never
received recognition or help from the international community or compensation
for their great losses.
While planning for the event, the schoolteachers
discovered a personal story of Ada Moran, who has lost her father before
escaping from Syria. This testimony is especially
added to the exhibition “The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries”, to be displayed
in Hong Kong between November 25-December 2 at the Jewish Community
Centre.
This exhibition explains the various aspects of Jewish
life, the discrimination and expulsion from the Arab world, and the integration
into Israel.
The descendants of these immigrants from Arab countries
and Iran now account for a majority of Israel’s Jewish population. They have
made an invaluable contribution to the fabric of Israeli society, and their
vibrant cultures are an integral part of the colorful mosaic of the Jewish
people in the Land of Israel.
It is time for the world to hear their story.
You may view the exhibit
online: The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries
