Jewish refugees from Arab lands campaigners meet with EU

[Behind the Aegis]

Members of the International Rights and Redress Campaign (IRRC), a program to raise awareness of the plight of Jews who fled or were expelled from Arab countries, met with EU officials in Brussels at the end of last month.

A group of representatives from the Campaign met with members of the European Parliament to state their aims and discuss their plight. The Campaign is the brainchild of the International Sephardic Leadership Council (ISLC), in cooperation with Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC). The organization consists of Jews from over thirty countries.

Moral and legal imperative

The Campaign statement wishes to highlight that "there is a moral and legal imperative to ensure that justice for Jews from Arab countries assumes its rightful place on the international political and juridical agenda and that their rights be secured as a matter of law and equity."

In 1945, there were more than 870,000 Jews living in the various Arab states. Many of their communities dated back 2,500 years. In the years leading up to the creation of the State of Israel, these Jews were persecuted and in many instances their property and belongings were confiscated. Most of these Jews came to Israel but many settled all over the world in the Sephardic Diaspora.

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