On 30 November, Israel and the Jewish world remember the fate of more than 850,000 Jews who were forced out of Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century.
This memorial day commemorates the tragedy of people 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. Many were deprived of their belongings and many suffered from violence and persecution.
Ambassador Mark Regev, Iraqi refugee Edwin Shuker and many UK MPs attended the commemoration hosted in Parliament, to listen and share experiences of the horrific events which took place.
The story of the expulsion of entire Jewish communities from Arab lands is an important part of modern Jewish history that profoundly affected the Jewish nation as a whole as well as the demographic composition of the Middle East and North Africa. This is a story that has to be told.
Current research estimates that the number of Jews living in Arab countries 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. In the North African region, 259,000 Jews fled from Morocco, 140,000 from Algeria, 100,000 from Tunisia, 75,000 from Egypt, and another 38,000 from Libya. In the Middle East, 135,000 Jews were exiled from Iraq, 55,000 from Yemen, 34,000 from Turkey, 20,000 from Lebanon and 18,000 from Syria. Iran forced out 25,000 Jews.
Official Figures of Jews Who Migrated :
259,000 from Morocco
140,000 from Algeria
100,000 from Tunisia
75,000 from Egypt
38,000 from Libya
135,000 from Iraq
55,000 from Yemen
34,000 from Turkey
20,000 from Lebanon
18,000 from Syria
25,000 from Iran