16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The plight of the Mizrachi Jews, June 29, 2006
This review is from: The Forgotten Refugees (DVD)
The Forgotten Refugees is a very good documentary on the plight of the Mizrachi Jews living in Arab countries and also Iran. Here are the testimonies of the many who fled. In their own words they vividly describe what happened, the horrors they went through. There is also very good footage and photos of the Mizrachi Jews living in Arab lands, and refugee camps. Imagine this, the Jewish people had just gone through the holocaust, the mass murder of 6 million Jews, now another 900,000 had to flee their homes during the 1940 and 1950s. They left everything behind, their homes, vineyards, business, and friends. Up to the 1940s 40 per cent of the population in Baghdad, Iraq was Jewish, they had been living there for 2,600 years, long before the rise of Islam and Christianity, and now they were force to leave. It was that, or get killed. Colonial rule in Arab countries fomented the rise of Arab nationalism during the 1920s, 30, and 40s which in turn lead to discriminatory laws, and hatred towards the Jewish populations, Jews again became the scapegoats. Mobs gathered to kill Jews, synagogues were burt to the ground, Jewish property was confiscated, and their citizenship taken away.
Grand Mufti Hai Amin al-Husseni of Palestine met with Hitler and they developed a plan to set up concentration camps in Arab countries. With the help of Hitler Husseni went on national Nazi radio and broadcast in Arab countries crying "rise as one man and fight for your sacread right, kill Jews where ever you see them". Their only outlet was to flee. Hundreds of thousands lived in refugee camps until Israel was able to take them in. During their testimonies they also point out that there were many wonderful Arab neighbors that treated them justly and help them escape. This documentary sheds light on the forgotten refugees.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important story that needs to be told, February 19, 2007
This review is from: The Forgotten Refugees (DVD)
The Forgotten Refugees tells an important story about the now virtually vanished Jews of Arab countries. Most people don't seem to realize that there are both Arab and Jewish refugees in the Middle East and the plight of the Jewish refugees has been forgotten. This video tells the story in a way that makes you understand what a vibrant Jewish community had existed, the persecution to which this community was subjected, and how this community is now gone, due to hatred of the Arab communities for their Jewish neighbors and for no other reason. The only things that I can criticize about the video is that it was supposed to discuss the Jews of Arab lands and of Iran and there was little or nothing about Iran. Also, the video does not illustrate the conditions in Morocco for the Jews where conditions were better for the Jews than in other Arab lands.
I highly recommend this video to anyone who is interested in obtaining a clear and objective view of the long-standing troubles between Arab and Jew in the Middle East.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important insight into the Middle East, January 9, 2007
This review is from: The Forgotten Refugees (DVD)
This movie offers a different perspective on the Middle East. By showing how the Jews were treated by their Arab neighbours, it makes a strong case for Zionism and Israel, which is now home to almost 80% of Mizrahi Jews who previously lived in Arab countries and Iran. It also shows the diversity and beauty of Sephardi culture, which has been destroyed by an extreme form of pan-Arab nationalism and antisemitism.
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