A one-day conference aimed at raising public awareness about the plight of Jews from Arab lands was held on Sunday in Montreal, International Affairs Correspondent Michael Freund reports. The gathering, entitled “Jews from Arab Lands: A Forgotten Exodus”, was convened by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and included presentations from internationally-renowned experts on the subject of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
According to CJC President Keith Landy, the conference’s goal was to educate people and make them aware that Israel is home to 620,000 Jews who fled Arab lands. "The average Canadian may not have heard of this story before - the fact that Jews have taken care of their own and have not let them suffer in refugee camps," Landy said.
Irwin Cotler, a well-known human rights activist and member of the Canadian Parliament, also took part in the event. "We are speaking about returning the Jews to the narrative of Middle East history from which they have been expunged”, he said. "The appreciation that there were Jewish refugees, as well as Arab refugees, and indeed that the Jewish refugees were a result of state-sanctioned discrimination against Jews in Arab lands is important ... for justice and for peace and for reconciliation," Cotler added. Other organizations taking part in the conference included the American Sephardi Federation and the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries.
According to CJC President Keith Landy, the conference’s goal was to educate people and make them aware that Israel is home to 620,000 Jews who fled Arab lands. "The average Canadian may not have heard of this story before - the fact that Jews have taken care of their own and have not let them suffer in refugee camps," Landy said.
Irwin Cotler, a well-known human rights activist and member of the Canadian Parliament, also took part in the event. "We are speaking about returning the Jews to the narrative of Middle East history from which they have been expunged”, he said. "The appreciation that there were Jewish refugees, as well as Arab refugees, and indeed that the Jewish refugees were a result of state-sanctioned discrimination against Jews in Arab lands is important ... for justice and for peace and for reconciliation," Cotler added. Other organizations taking part in the conference included the American Sephardi Federation and the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries.