Honouring Jews from Arab lands and Iran

The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) will host an event on Monday, November 30, to honour the lives and traditions of Jews from Arab lands and Iran, following its inaugural event in 2025.

The event will feature stories from local community members with family roots in the Middle East, as well as Mizrahi music from Yuval Ashkar who will be returning this year. It will also draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees who were forced to flee Arab lands and Iran, and commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Farhud, a deadly pogrom that marked the turning point for Jewish life in Iraq.

November 30 was designated by Israel’s Knesset in 2014 to commemorate the estimated 850,000 Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries and Iran during the 20th century.

“Storytelling is the way we keep our traditions alive, and the generations of Jewish families that spread from Morocco in the west, to Iran in the east have rich, colourful and dynamic backgrounds and practices to share … It is really important for the JCCV that we ensure these traditions are woven into the rich tapestry of Jewish life here in Melbourne. Similarly, we also must remember the hundreds of Jews killed and injured in the Farhud,” JCCV CEO Naomi Levin said.

“Our local Jewish community is remarkably diverse, with Victorian Jewish families counting Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Iran as their ancestral homes – as well as European centres of Jewish life.”

The event will also include an interview with Lyn Julius, a researcher and founder of Harif, the UK Association of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa.

“Lyn’s parents were refugees from Iraq and she speaks passionately about the Jewish life that had to be abandoned when families were forced to leave,” Levin said.

“From the Jewish musicians, who were among the biggest stars of their time, to the Jewish life that once thrived in Syria – Lyn provides unparallelled insight into this past world.”

Jewish families lived in Arab lands and Iran for thousands of years, with some cities, such as Baghdad, serving as centres of Diaspora Jewish life. However, in the first half of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of Jews left their homes, many due to forcible expulsion. A large number settled in Israel, while some have made Australia their home.

“We invite all of the community, regardless of where your roots are, to join us to learn more about the Jewish communities of the Middle East and to commemorate Jewish lives cut short,” Levin said.

Purchase tickets at events.humanitix.com/honouring-jews-from-arab-lands-and-iran