The Middle East's
Jewish refugees
- Update 121 - February
2013 
Top:
Desecrated graves in Sousse, Tunisia. Bottom: Some of the last Jews of
Yemen
1. Graves were desecrated for the second time in a month in
Tunisia, amid rising antisemitism and tension incited by Islamists. The
assassination of the secular opposition leader has heightened anxiety for the
2,000 Jews still living in the country.
2. A Jew is in serious condition
after being beaten up in the Yemen town of Raida, where 100 Jews still remain.
Following the Yemen government's announcement that it is withdrawing stipends
from the 50 remaining Jews living in Tourist City, in Sana'a, the capital, it is
expected they will leave for Israel.
3. A poll has found that 79 percent
of Egyptians don't want Jews to return. The issue has been simmering since an
ex-aide to President Morsi said he wished to see Egyptian Jews in Israel and
Palestinians exchange places.
4. The Libyan-born Jew, David Gerbi, who
aided the anti-Gaddhafi rebels during the Libyan war, was warned not to attend a
Berber (Amazigh) conference at which he was due to speak.
For links
to all these stories, scroll down to Press Review below.
DATES FOR YOUR
DIARY
LONDON
Harif and Spiro Ark's panel memorable discussion on 6
February 'Interfaith Dialogue: Does it work?' attracted
70. Report here.
Sephardim of England: a 50-year
retrospective. Emeritus Rabbi
Abraham Levy of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation in conversation
with Alan Bekhor. Tues 19 February. The Sephardi Centre, 2
Ashworth Road, London W9 1 JY. In association with
Standpoint. £10. 7.30pm. www.lauderdaleroadsynagogue.org (click on events) or
ring 0207 432 1316 Suitcase
or coffin? 50 years since the exodus of the Jews of Algeria. Wednesday 20 February.
8pm. Illustrated talk by Lyn Julius. Harif/Spiro Ark.
Of
the 850,000 Jews who left Arab countries, the Jews of Algeria were unusual –
most resettled in France.
Hampstead Garden Suburb
synagogue, Norrice Lea, N2. £10. Book through Spiro Ark on 0207289 6321
(education@spiroark.org <mailto:education@spiroark.org> ) or Harif on 07506033848
(info@harif.org
).
*The Aleppo
Codex with Matti Friedman, author of a new book.
Sunday 24 February. 3.30pm. Jewish Book Week.
Www.jewishbookweek.com. Chair: Deborah Kahn-Harris. How did this unique document
move from a dark grotto in Aleppo to Jerusalem in the 1950s? £9.50.
King’s
Place, London N1 9AG.
*On the trail of
Turkey’s Donmeh. Wednesday 27 February.
8pm. A second chance to hear Harif’s intrepid and entertaining emissary, Dr Saul
Zadka, give an illustrated talk on the ‘false messiah’ Shabbetai Zvi and his
followers, the Donmeh. Hampstead Garden Suburb synagogue, Norrice Lea, N2. Book
through Spiro Ark on 0207289 6321 (education@spiroark.org <mailto:education@spiroark.org> ) or Harif on 07506033848
(info@harif.org
<mailto:info@harif.org> ).
*Evening of Iraqi-Jewish
Food, Music and Culture. Thursday 7
March. at 6.30pm: Sara Manasseh: ethnomusicologist, performer and
author with her ensemble Rivers of Babylon. Linda Dangoor: designer, painter,
potter and author of the cookbook Flavours of Babylon
Tickets, to include
food, £25/person and £12/student. Proceeds to the synagogue.
Tickets/Information: golda@chelseasynagogue.co.uk 020 8203 9061; 07980 965171.
Chelsea Synagogue, Smith Terrace, Smith Street, Chelsea, London SW3
4DL
*The Forgotten
Refugees. 7.30pm. Must-see film by Michael
Grynszpan (courtesy of JIMENA). Tuesday 12 March 2013 ,Followed
by Q&A with Lyn Julius of Harif.The Pointer’s School, 19 Stratheden Rd,
London SE 3 7TH. Harif/Maoz.
Admission free. Refreshments. To book contact
Helen@maozisrael.org 0208 692 2831, 07735 018 919.
*My ordeal in a Libyan jail:Rafram Chaddad tells his
story. Wednesday 13 March.
Tikun, Finchley Road,London NW11.
On a rare visit to London, Rafram Chaddad,
an Israeli artist and cook with dual Tunisian-Israeli citizenship, will tell the
story of his imprisonment by the Ghaddafi regime in 2010 and how he was finally
released.
Rafram has now written a book about his ordeal. Spiro Ark/Harif.To
book ring Spiro Ark on 0207 289 6321 or Harif on 0750603848
* ‘Baghdad Mon Amour. Launch of
book by Shmuel Moreh, Emeritus Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at
the Hebrew University. Tuesday 19 March.
Professor Moreh
will discuss his memories of Baghdad, positive and negative, with two non-Jewish
Iraqi writers, scholar Mazin Latif and poet Jabbar al-Din, who we hope will be
able to join us from Iraq for the occasion.
The Sephardi Centre, Maida Vale,
W9. Harif/The Sephardi Centre. More details to come. Harif
0750603848.
*Mizrahi star Alabina Ishta at Israel's 65th
Yom Ha'atzmaut Concert 16
April. - Wembley Arena. www.zionist.org.uk . 0208 202
0202.
OXFORD
Silent Exodus: Pierre Rehov's
acclaimed film at Mosaic, Oxford Jewish Centre. Q & A with Lyn Julius.
17 April. TBC
Harif events are listed at the
Harif website http://www.harif.org/
ISRAEL
Second Exodus Conference . 9.30
- 19.30, 11 March. Feldman Hall, Bar Ilan University. Details:
dahan.center@mail.biu.ac.il or 03 -
5317959
***************************************
CALIFORNIA
JIMENA
EVENTS: Details from www.JIMENA.org:
Middle East Expert Joseph Braude -
Scholar in Residence - February 15, 2013
Yehuda Tassa at Limmud - Bay Area -
February 17, 2013
Middle East Expert Joseph Braude Speaks at Stanford Hillel
- February 19, 2013
***************************************
RESOURCES
*UK SPEAKERS’ BUREAU: Harif will be embarking
on a systematic campaign to educate schools and universities about the plight of
Jews from Arab countries.
If you are a Jew from an Arab country or Iran and
would like to join our Speakers’ Bureau, please contact info@harif.org <mailto:info@harif.org> .
*SEPHARDI VOICES: Sephardi oral
history project. To assist the project, or to have yours or a relative’s story
recorded,
visit www.sephardivoices.org.uk <http://www.sephardivoices.org.uk <http://www.sephardivoices.org.uk/> >
* 'I am a Refugee'
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/imarefugee <http://www.facebook.com/imarefugee>
*HARIF
Website: http://harif.org/
*JIMENA Website:
http://jimena.org/
***************************************************
PRESS REVIEW
Most of the following articles, and much more - at the
frequently-updated weblog, Point of No Return. http://www.jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/
Follow on Facebook and
Twitter.
JEWS FROM ARAB COUNTRIES AND
IRAN
YEMEN
TUNISIA
More
graves desecrated in
Tunisia
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/more-jewish-graves-desecrated-in-tunisia.html
Sousse
cemetery
vandalised
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/sousse-jewish-cemetery-vandalised.html
EGYPT
79 percent
of Egyptians would not allow Jews to
return
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/79-of-egyptians-would-not-allow-jews-to.html
LIBYA
David
Gerbi snubbed by Libyan
Amazighen
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/david-gerbi-snubbed-by-libyan-amazighen.html
YEMEN
A Jew is
beaten up in
Yemen
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/jew-is-beaten-up-in-yemen.html
Israel
is safe haven for Jews fleeing
Yemen
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/israel-is-safe-haven-for-jews-fleeing.html
Yemen
halts funding for Jews in
Sana'a
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/yemen-halts-funding-for-jews-in-sanaa.html
NON-MUSLIM / NON ARAB
MINORITIES
Of Kurdish barbers and Jewish
converts
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/of-kurdish-barbers-and-jewish-converts.html
Two
Copts killed in
Libya
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/01/01/head-of-libyas-copts-speaks-out-on-misrata-killing/
Warning
signs of
genocide
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/in-egypt-the-warning-signs-of-genocide/#.UQTa3rvfKXo.facebook
The
Iranian regime’s war against a peaceful
minority
http://www.propagandistmag.com/2013/01/24/iranian-governments-war-against-peaceful-religious-minority?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+propagandistmag+%28The+Propagandist%29
US
pastor sentenced to eight years in
Iran
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/27/american-pastor-iran/1868841/
Yemen’s
forgotten
Christians
http://www.meforum.org/3437/yemen-christians
PALESTINIAN
REFUGEES
Israel
wants Palestinians fleeing Syria to renounce ‘right of
return’
http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/01/26/israel-wants-fleeing-palestinians-to-renounce-right-of-return/
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