. . . Arthur Stark, Chairman, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“Today we honor the Jews who lived throughout the Middle East and North Africa for centuries and the 850,000 who were forced from their homes and countries after the reestablishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
With many in Arab and Muslim countries seething at the existence of a Jewish State, these innocent people were targeted by their neighbors and fellow citizens simply because they were Jewish. They suffered pogroms, confiscation of property, and other abuses, leaving them no choice but to uproot their lives, leave everything, and flee. They were victims of a cross-national deliberate policy that spread across the region. They emigrated to the fledgling State of Israel, among other countries, and built new lives for themselves and their descendants. This progression serves as an inspiration to other populations around the world mired in multigenerational refugee status.
These once vibrant Jewish communities that thrived for millennia were virtually destroyed. It is our responsibility to remember them and tell their stories to keep their legacy alive.”
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