For all the attention the Middle East conflict attracts, the expulsion of nearly a million Jews from Arab countries is rarely acknowledged. This is why Lyn Julius has written ‘Cast Out’, a long-form essay published by the Jewish Quarterly.
For thousands of years, Jewish communities lived across the Middle East and North Africa, forming significant parts of the populations of cities such as Baghdad, Tunis, Cairo and Casablanca. Today, those communities have almost entirely disappeared.
In this podcast, Lyn Julius, Harif founder, the daughter of Jewish refugees from Iraq, discusses her groundbreaking essay with Aurèle Tobelem of Young Harif, a historian, researcher and writer with Moroccan-Jewish roots. They will explore what happened to this vast diaspora, examine the historical status of Jews under Islamic rule, and how rising nationalism and antisemitism contributed to their displacement.
ABOUT HARIF: Harif is a UK charity representing Jews from North Africa and the Middle East (UK no.1186454) that is dedicated to promoting their history, culture and heritage.
Few in the West know that ancient Jewish communities, predating Islam by a millennium, produced the Babylonian Talmud, great rabbis, doctors, thinkers and poets.
Few in the West are aware that modern Jews were an integral part of the Middle East before they were driven out of their homes in the second half of the 20th century.
Over 2,000 years of history in the MENA came to an abrupt and tragic end just 50 years ago. Jews departed for Israel and the West, leaving an enormous cultural and economic void behind.
In another 20 years, few Jews who were born in these countries will still be alive. A vital chapter of Jewish identity, history and culture – an entire civilisation – will be lost. HARIF is here to make sure it is not forgotten.
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