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The Forgotten Refugees
Vibrancy Amid Israel's
Heightened Violence
F
or more than one year, Detroit
2014 Knesset resolution designates Nov.
Jewish News subscribers have had
30 as the annual date to remember the
the opportunity to read many
plight of the "forgotten refugees." In Israel
articles about a series of "Different
today, more than half of the Jewish popu-
lation is of Mizrahi/Sephardi ancestry.
Cultures, Different Foods" programs.
These programs resulted indirectly from
Generally, there appeared to be a lack
a long overdue Israeli Knesset resolution
of local interest in educating about the
acknowledging the plight of Jews forced
plight and heritage of these survivors. To
to flee Arab-Muslim lands.
expose the heritage of local Mizrahi and
Sephardi families, the first in
Unanimously approved on
June 23, 2014, the law intended
a series of "Different Cultures,
to make amends for world
Different Foods" programs was
Jewry's silence about the "ethnic
presented on Nov. 2, 2014, at
cleansing" of nearly 1 million
Keter Torah Synagogue. It fea-
Jews from Arab-Muslim lands in
tured the narrative of a family
the Middle East, Iran and North
from Iraq and its struggle to
Africa. Jewish families had lived
reach Israel, along with a tasting
there most often as second-class Barbara
of Jewish Iraqi foods. As com-
stateless residents, some with
munity interest in the education
Moretsky
ancestor connections dating to
series expanded, the synagogue's
expulsion during the Spanish
lobby couldn't accommodate the
Inquisition.
crowds and necessitated a move to its
In less than 30 years, following recog-
much larger lower level.
In December 2014, the first commemo-
nition of Israel's statehood on May 14,
1948, nearly three-fourths of Sephardi
ration ceremony drew a crowd. This year,
and Mizrahi refugees chose Israel as their more than twice the number of organiza-
destination. For some, the Detroit area
tions are partnering to present the second
eventually became their home, where a
annual remembrance event scheduled for
portion adopted West Bloomfield's Keter
Saturday, Nov. 14.
Torah Synagogue as their spiritual home.
Event co-sponsors include Keter Torah
The refugees' connection to Israel is
Synagogue, Ricky Behar, StandWithUs
Michigan, Anti-Defamation League,
explored in the StandWithUs publica-
tion "Jewish Refugees of the Middle
Detroit Jewish News, Greater Detroit
East: An Unresolved Human Rights
Chapter of Hadassah, Jewish Community
Issue" (wwwstandwithus.com/booklets/
Relations Council of Metro Detroit,
JewishRefugees). For Jews forced to flee
Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, Walk
Arab-Muslim lands, justice for their suffer- for Israel and Zionist Organization of
ing remains unresolved. These Jewish refu- America-Michigan Region.
gees have had "no right of return;' while
As community interest expanded,
we constantly hear it as an entitlement for
attendance grew to more than 100 people.
the 1948 transfer of Palestinian refugees.
Successive bi-monthly programs featured
Mizrahi and Sephardi refugees received food tastings following the family stories
no compensation for their confiscated
of Jews whose heritage or birth connected
homes, furnishings, businesses and bank
them directly to Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen
accounts altogether valued at many bil-
or Egypt.
lions of dollars. Arab nations claimed
Programs in 2016 will feature Jewish
these treasures as Jews abandoned every-
community members directly connected
thing to escape persecution.
to Lebanon/Syria (in February) and to
By remembering their plight, we can
Iran (in early April). *
undermine a prevalent anti-Israel lie: "If
Jews would just go back to post-Holocaust Barbara Moretsky is president of StandWithUs
Michigan.
Europe, there would be no need for a
Jewish state and Arab Palestinians could
return to their land!"
details
Our Arab-Muslim enemies conve-
niently ignore 3,000 years of Jewish his-
The second annual remembrance of the
tory in the Land of Israel. They ignore
"forgotten refugees" event is scheduled
for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:45 p.m. in
the Mizrahi Jews who never left the
promised land and others who were
Keter Torah's sanctuary at 5480 Orchard
Lake Road in West Bloomfield. RSVP by
reclaiming it when the U.N. General
Assembly approved the Palestine man-
Nov. 10 to (248) 681-3665 or to Barbara
date on Nov. 29, 1947.
at (248) 891-2563.
To mark this historic vote, the June
10 November 5 .2015
I
'm home from a 13-day journey
walking through the city of Jerusalem
through Israel. My suitcase is
alone and unafraid. This was my third
empty, but it will take weeks to
trip to Israel in 10 years, so I was
unpack the memories, experiences
familiar with sites scheduled for our
and relationships jammed into that
tour. I chose to venture off and spend
time.
time in the Jewish Quarter and at the
Our Temple Beth El (TBE) group of Kotel.
25 was led by Rabbi Mark and Rachel
With a map and elementary
Ann Miller, and TBE travel specialist
Hebrew, I walked from our hotel near
Phyllis Loewenstein. We landed in
the King David cautiously but confi-
Tel Aviv on Oct. 14, a date that Israeli
dently by myself. There was increased
and international headlines reported
police and military presence, but
terrorism near Jerusalem, some dub-
families, young children, couples and
bing it "The Third Intifada?" Sadly,
students were out and about doing
the week recorded lone stabbings,
ordinary things. I felt comfortable
shootings and incitement in eastern
approaching them to talk. They were
Jerusalem, Hebron and
very welcoming.
Beersheva.
Good news in Israel is the
Though we never saw any
bursting of life and innova-
violence and Israel is a safe
tion. We visited Stratasys in
place to travel, the headlines
Tel Aviv, a high-tech company
were frightening to those
specializing in 3-D printing.
making a first trip to Israel
We also visited a startup
and heartbreaking to all.
company, United Hatzalah
The Talmud teaches
(www.IsraelRescue.org), that
Vivian De Gain
that killing one person is
facilitates "medics on bikes" for
like killing countless. We
faster first-response through
mourned, yet were sheltered from any traffic and rough terrain.
conflict in our route. We saw nothing
As a feminist, a Reform Jew and
but beauty, yet violence personally
a woman who often wears a T-shirt
struck two Israelis we encountered in
that says "Straight Not Narrow:'
our circle.
I was particularly thrilled to visit
Our guide modified our itinerary
Progressive Judaism congregations in
to avoid tense areas, and we hired
Israel. Both Kehilat HaLev in Tel Aviv
an armed guard in Jerusalem. Our
and Congregation Kol HaNeshama in
bus driver, Yehuda Sison, a seventh-
Jerusalem welcome and support gay
generation Israeli who lives with
people. There may be few other places
his family on Moshav Sdei Hemed,
where LGBT people can celebrate
was devastated to learn that a young
Shabbat and their lives.
solider, a boy from his moshav who
For my three days at the Kotel, I
he has known since birth, was killed
prayed and watched women from
in Beersheva in a bus station attack.
all over the world pray, mourn, cry,
Yehuda, with sabra (native) determi-
dance, sing and feel at home at the
nation, drove for the remainder with a holiest Jewish site. On the women's
beautiful smile.
side, I saw Nigerian women weeping
And at Shabbat morning services at
and mourning the loss of children. I
Kol HaNeshema in Jerusalem, Israeli
saw 100 spirited American women
Rabbi Arik Ascherman, co-founder
from the Jewish Women's Renaissance
of Rabbis for Human Rights, came to
Project singing Debbie Friedman
the bimah to recite the Gomel bless-
songs out loud!
ing "for having survived a near-death
And while I recited Kaddish, a
ordeal."
haredi Orthodox woman who patrols
A masked extremist had attacked
the women's section scolding and
him with a knife, slashing at his head,
enforcing her "modesty judgments"
throat and arms while he assisted
was loudly harassing a visitor behind
Palestinians harvesting olives near
me with a camera. The scolding was
the settlement of Itamar Oct. 23 near
mean, and I raised my voice in prayer.
Nablus in the West Bank. Newspapers
The woman silenced herself and
said the attacker is presumed to be a
went away. I was polite, but the Kotel
Jewish settler.
does not belong only to the haredi; it
None of this prevented me from
belongs to all Jews. *