The Forgotten Refugees
Encyclopedia
The Forgotten Refugees is a 2005 documentary film
produced by The David Project and IsraTV that recounts the rich history of the ancient Jewish communities of the Middle East
and North Africa
and their rapid demise in the face of persecution in the decades following the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The film was directed by Michael Grynszpan with Ralph Avi Goldwasser serving as the executive producer.
In 2006, the film won "Best Featured Documentary" at the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
produced by The David Project and IsraTV that recounts the rich history of the ancient Jewish communities of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and their rapid demise in the face of persecution in the decades following the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The film was directed by Michael Grynszpan with Ralph Avi Goldwasser serving as the executive producer.
Summary
The documentary explores the history, culture, and forced exodus of Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities in the second half of the 20th century. Using extensive testimony of refugees from Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, and Morocco, the film weaves personal stories with dramatic archival footage of rescue missions, historic images of exodus and resettlement, and analyses by contemporary scholars to tell the story of how and why the Jewish population in the Middle East and North Africa declined from one million in 1945 to several thousand today.Awards
The Forgotten Refugees won the "Best Documentary Film" at the 2007 Marbella Film Festival.In 2006, the film won "Best Featured Documentary" at the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival.
Interviews
Personalities interviewed in the film include:- Irwin CotlerIrwin CotlerIrwin Cotler, PC, OC, MP was Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Mount Royal in a by-election...
, Canadian member of parliament and international human rights lawyer - Mordechai Ben-PoratMordechai Ben-PoratMordechai Ben-Porat is a former Israeli politician who served as Minister without Portfolio from July 1982 until January 1984. During his four terms in the Knesset, he represented five different parties.-Biography:...
, Iraqi Jew and organizer of the mass exodus of Iraqi Jews between 1949 and 1951 - Gina Waldman, Libyan Jew and current head of JIMENAJimenaJIMENA seeks to educate and advocate for Jewish refugees from the Middle East.Prior to 1948, approximately 950,000 Jews lived in Muslim countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf.-Historical background:The Jewish exodus from Arab lands in the 20th century was a result of the...
(Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) - Raphael IsraeliRaphael IsraeliRaphael Israeli is an Israeli academic, Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a member of the steering committee of the Ariel Center for Policy Research....
, Moroccan Jew and Israeli academic
See also
- The David Project Center for Jewish LeadershipThe David Project Center for Jewish LeadershipThe David Project, is a non-profit educational organization located in Boston, Massachusetts, with satellite offices in New York and Israel. The David Project's stated aim is "to educate and inspire strong voices for Israel through dynamic educational seminars, workshops, and curricula." It was...
- Jewish exodus from Arab landsJewish exodus from Arab landsThe Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries was a mass departure, flight and expulsion of Jews, primarily of Sephardi and Mizrahi background, from Arab and Muslim countries, from 1948 until the early 1970s...
- Jewish refugeesJewish refugeesIn the course of history, Jewish populations have been expelled or ostracised by various local authorities and have sought asylum from antisemitism numerous times...
- Islam and antisemitism
- Arabs and antisemitism