Jewish Feminism has been an integral part of Jewish history. We Jews have always been ahead of our times, while the rest of the world ignored and neglected humankind's greatest resource. My aunt was also from Tripoli, Libya. Her family lived there for over 300 years. They were just as indigenous as any Libyan Arabs, yet they were forced out and lost all their property. They also moved to Israel, and struggled to rebuild their lives, as did all of my family. This story has yet to be taught in the American Jewish educational system, such as it is. Everyone is taught about the Palestinian "nakba" narrative, but how many American Jews know that over half of Israelis are immigrants from Arab countries, and are therefore indigenous to the Middle East? Sadly, very few, and they are not talking. Why is there no parallel Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish "nakba" narrative? The Palestinians have a dedicated UN agency to support the ancestors of those Palestinians that were displaced in 1948. UNWRA has a yearly budget of $1 billion. Where is the agency for the Jewish refugees displaced from their homes in Arab countries? Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are not recognized by the UN. I have tried to educate the American congregation at my synogogue, twenty-five years ago, and most of the attendees at my lectures were supportive and interested. But I was prevented from continuing my lecture series by a handful of congregation members. The education director who helped organize the lectures was fired, as was the congregation's rabbi. The new education director would not return my calls. I taught about The David Project's documentary "Forgotten Refugees." I introduced American Jews to a whole new Jewish world that they had never heard about previously. Sadly, The David Project organization fell apart. Their documentary has disappeared, and no one has even heard of it's existence. The stories of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are not only being neglected, they are being actively suppressed. Why does this continue? I would be interested to hear about your experiences.
להצלחה שלך
Jewish Feminism has been an integral part of Jewish history. We Jews have always been ahead of our times, while the rest of the world ignored and neglected humankind's greatest resource. My aunt was also from Tripoli, Libya. Her family lived there for over 300 years. They were just as indigenous as any Libyan Arabs, yet they were forced out and lost all their property. They also moved to Israel, and struggled to rebuild their lives, as did all of my family. This story has yet to be taught in the American Jewish educational system, such as it is. Everyone is taught about the Palestinian "nakba" narrative, but how many American Jews know that over half of Israelis are immigrants from Arab countries, and are therefore indigenous to the Middle East? Sadly, very few, and they are not talking. Why is there no parallel Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish "nakba" narrative? The Palestinians have a dedicated UN agency to support the ancestors of those Palestinians that were displaced in 1948. UNWRA has a yearly budget of $1 billion. Where is the agency for the Jewish refugees displaced from their homes in Arab countries? Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are not recognized by the UN. I have tried to educate the American congregation at my synogogue, twenty-five years ago, and most of the attendees at my lectures were supportive and interested. But I was prevented from continuing my lecture series by a handful of congregation members. The education director who helped organize the lectures was fired, as was the congregation's rabbi. The new education director would not return my calls. I taught about The David Project's documentary "Forgotten Refugees." I introduced American Jews to a whole new Jewish world that they had never heard about previously. Sadly, The David Project organization fell apart. Their documentary has disappeared, and no one has even heard of it's existence. The stories of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are not only being neglected, they are being actively suppressed. Why does this continue? I would be interested to hear about your experiences.
להצלחה שלך
Roddy Frankel