Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center recognizes November 30 asa day to remember the more than 850,000 Jewish refugees who were forced to fleefrom their homes in Arab countries and Iran after the declaration ofthe State of Israel in 1948.

Countries that forced Jewish families to leave includedMorocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, Lebanon, Syriaand Iran. Prior to expulsion, many Jews experienced violence and systematicinjustices, and in some countries anti-Jewish pogroms took place. To this day,Jewish communities in these countries are virtually non-existent. 

“As we are seeing the ethnic cleansing of minority groups incountries around the world, this day serves as a reminder of the hundreds ofthousands of families who were similarly banished from their homes simplybecause they were Jewish,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “Therefugees were welcomed in Israel, as well as Europe and North America, where theywere given the opportunity to begin new lives for themselves and theirfamilies.”