UN Jewish refugees conference tomorrow

For the second year running, a coalition of Jewish organisations will air the issue of the Jewish Refugees at the UN in New York tomorrow.   The “forgotten refugees” of the Arab-Israel conflict – Jews forced from their homes in Arab countries - will be addressed at the United Nations tomorrow (21 November 2013) at a conference convened by Israel's Mission to the United Nations, the World Jewish Congress and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Justice for Jews from Arab Countries. (With thanks to all who emailed me)

Jewish refugees from Yemen

NEW YORK: The Untold Story of the Middle East: Justice for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries will urge that American and international diplomacy recognize the rights of the Middle East’s Jewish refugees on an equal footing with those of other refugees in the region, including Palestinian Arabs – an especially salient topic given ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

 “The world has long recognized the Palestinian refugee problem, but without recognizing the other side of the story – the 850,000 Jewish refugees of Arab countries,” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder. “Yet for any Middle East peace process to be credible and enduring, it must ensure that all bona fide refugees receive equal rights and treatment under international law.”

The conference will hear presentations from Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure Silvan Shalom, Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN Ron Prosor, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder,   Conference of Presidents Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein, and Co-President of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries Sylvain Abitbol.

The film 'The Forgotten Refugees', a documentary distributed by Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA), will be screened. Other speakers will include Lucette Lagnado, the author of two memoirs about her Egyptian Jewish family; Linda Menuhin, a Middle  East commentator and an Iraqi-Jewish refugee; and Levana Zamir, president of the International Association of Jews from Egypt.

WJC announcement

Last year's UN conference on Jewish refugees