Renewal and Reintegration of Jewish Communities in the MENA Region

This webinar by ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities explores the renewal and reintegration of Jewish communities across the MENA region, examining how historic memory and contemporary developments are shaping a future of coexistence and interfaith understanding in the Middle East and North Africa.

In the mid-20th century, nearly 1 million Jews were forced to leave their ancestral homes in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. Facing violence and persecution, communities whose roots stretched back millennia had to abandon everything. Many found refuge in Israel, France, the United States, and elsewhere, forever changing the demographic landscape of the Jewish world and the Middle East as a whole.
Yet today, we witness remarkable signs of renewal. Morocco's sustained efforts to preserve and celebrate Jewish heritage demonstrate a powerful model of coexistence, while the UAE's vibrant new Jewish community, fostered by the Abraham Accords, shows what interfaith cooperation can achieve. These developments illuminate the path toward a region where diverse communities thrive together.

Introduction: Marina Rosenberg, ADL's Senior Vice President for International Affairs

Moderator: Carole Nuriel, ADL's Managing Director in Israel and Senior Regional Director for The Middle East and North Africa

Panelists: Chiara Lutteri, doctoral researcher specializing in Moroccan Jewish heritage
Sarah Benchimol, Jewish Agency for Israel representative in the UAE

Q&A Participant: Nadine Maenza, incoming co-chair of ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities and co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable

Learn more at https://x.com/ADL/status/186299056732...

copyright © 2025 ADL