Commemoration for forgotten Jews from Muslim countries
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) will host Victoria’s first community-wide commemoration of the Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran on Sunday, 30 November.
President of the JCCV Philip Zajac
It was about a decade ago that the JCCV initiated commemorations for the Babi Yar massacre of World War 2, which was well received by the Russian-speaking Jewish community. And the JCCV has long led the Yom Hashoah commemoration, which is attended by around 1000 community members annually.
In 2014, Israel designated November 30 as the day to honour Jews from Arab Lands and Iran. While the NSW Jewish community has marked the day with commemorations for more than a decade, this will be a first for Melbourne. The JCCV said that it expects this commemoration to become a significant annual moment for the Victorian Jewish community.
Jews have lived across the Middle East and North Africa since the first expulsion of Jews from Israel by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. During the 20th century, close to one million Jewish people were expelled from their lands, or displaced from places which had been their homes for generations – from Algeria to Iran. Thousands were killed, particularly during the Farhud in Iraq and in brutal synagogue attacks and murders during the Algerian War of Independence.
JCCV President Philip Zajac said this event fills an important gap in our collective Jewish memory, and went on to say, “For many years, the experiences of Jews from Arab lands and Iran were spoken about quietly, often within families, but rarely in the wider community. This commemoration will bring those voices to the forefront, honour our history in this part of the world, and recognise a trauma that deserves broader understanding.”
“We look forward to this annual event as an opportunity to highlight untold stories, shine light on the diversity of our community and keep alive traditions that Jewish people hold dear.”
“We thank our counterparts at the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies for encouraging and supporting us in putting this new event together for the Victorian Jewish community.”
The program will include personal testimonies, cultural expressions and reflections on the rich Jewish life that once flourished in Arab countries and Iran, much of which no longer exists.
The Victorian Jewish community includes many Jews with backgrounds in countries from across the Middle East and North Africa, including Yemen, Morocco and Egypt. Many of them, their parents, or other ancestors had been forced out of their countries. This new commemoration should be well-received by these varied diaspora communities.
The real refugees that never waited for pity or handouts.. the ones the world and fake palestinian narrative ignores
Very important. Very worthwhile. I am glad to hear of this event being organised and it could be a good idea to make the wider public aware of it and of the history attached to it. All they ever hear of is the ‘Naqba’.