Скачать или смотреть WJC & ASF's Remembering The Forgotten Jewish Refugees: 92-year-old survivor of the Farhud massacre

What a powerful night of remembrance and reflection! The American Sephardi Federation and World Jewish Congress - North America's sold-out program on 28 November at the Moise Safra Center— “Remembering the Forgotten Jewish Refugees”—commemorated the mass exodus and expulsion of Jews from the Middle East & North Africa in the 20th century, and the connection between past and present antisemitism. This evening was the only major event of its kind this year in NYC.

The same Islamist hatred that was a driving force in destroying Jewish communities throughout the region in the last century is once again threatening peace, prosperity, and progress in the 21st. Our event featured the testimonies of Jewish refugees from the MENA region, young Greater Sephardic and Mizrahi leaders, and the head of a Muslim American organization that stands with us against the antisemitism of the Iranian regime and its proxies: Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

The evening included:
92-year-old survivor of the Farhud massacre in Baghdad, Joseph Samuels
Justice of NYS Supreme Court and Iranian Jewish refugee, Hon. Mojgan Cohanim Lancman
Author, lecturer, and Iranian Jewish refugee, Roya Hakakian
Founder & Chair of the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, Zainab Khan
CEO of Jewish on Campus and ASF Broome & Allen Scholar, Julia Jassey
Musical performance by ASF Sephardi House Fellow, Dvir Avnon-Klein, and his family ensemble
ASF's National Director of Sephardi House & Young Leadership, Ruben Shimonov, moderating a panel of ASF Sephardi House Fellows who shared stories of their family's escape from Yemen, Syria, Iran, and Egypt: Yael Canaan (Carnegie Mellon), Julie Saadia (Baruch), Tehila Soleimani (FIT), Rochelle Dweck (Syracuse)

As we move forward, let us carry the spirit and resilience of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa with us. We will not allow the rich histories, cultures, and experiences of Greater Sephardic to be erased. The ASF will continue to amplify the voices of the forgotten Jewish refugees of Africa and Asia, and ensure that their stories are recognized as an integral part of the Jewish experience.