On July 24-25, 2006, a series of meetings were held with the senior staff of 19 Senators and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. These representations were strengthened by the presence of professionals from the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Bnai Brith International, the JCPA, as well as from Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC).

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East was first and foremost on everyone's minds. Therefore, the agenda for those meetings was twofold. First, to express appreciation to the Senators for their support of Israel and briefing their staff on upcoming pro-Israel initiatives on the Hill; and, to encourage support for the Senate resolution on the rights of Jews from Arab countries and determining feasibility as to its potential adoption, in light of events then evolving in the Middle East.

Meetings were held on the implementation of the International Rights and Redress Campaign (IRRC) with the Orthodox Union (OU), the Conservative Movement and the Reform Movement. Rabbi Waxman and the OU agreed to help conduct activities related to the IRRC in over 1,000 synagogues across the USA; Rabbi Joel Meyers of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism agreed to promote the IRRC through all of their Conservative synagogues, as did ________ and the Conservative movement in Canada. Marla J. Federman, Director of the Commission on Social Action for the Union for Reform Judaism, agreed to promote the IRRC among her peers and evaluate how best the Reform movement can participate.

Program materials on the 2,500 year history of Mizrahi Jewry and their subsequent displacement from Arab countries is being prepared that would be targeting governments, the media, Jewish organizations, synagogues and Jewish day schools in all Diaspora Jewish communities. The materials will be generic in nature, thereby allowing each Jewish community entity (e.g. Synagogues, Schools, JCCs, Jewish organizational chapters – Hadassah, B’nai B'rith, etc.) to run their own programs for their constituent members.

For more information on these materials and to obtain copies, please be in touch with Shelomo Alfassa at alfassa (at) justiceforjews.com.

A series of meetings also took place in Israel for the purpose of strengthening both JJAC and the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC). In attendance were Dr. Heskel Haddad, Stanley Urman, Ben Ozer, and Mordechai ben Porat. The two resolutions that JJAC helped to get introduced into the U.S. Congress were discussed in a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Discussions also took place on initiatives in Canada, Russia, Europe and the United Nations.

Several subsequent meetings were held to discuss the ongoing worldwide activities of JJAC. In attendance were Reuben Shalom, Director General of the Jewish Agency and Jeff Kaye (look up). Also participating were Dr. Heskel Haddad, Stanley Urman and Edwin Shuker from London, member of the Jewish Board of Deputies and representative of the World Sephardic Congress.

Further meetings were held with Jean Claude Niddam and other senior officials of the Israeli Ministry of Justice to discuss implementation of the International Rights and Redress Campaign, as well as the potential development of one central database for Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Other topics discussed was the Campaign activities in Israel and potential funding for the Campaign.

Extensive efforts are being made to educate public opinion on the rights of Jewish refugees in Arab countries. In addition to regular coverage in the media, public education efforts include providing briefings for communal leadership and public education programs.

JJAC held a meeting with Rabbi Sam Kassin, Dean of Midrash Sefaradi, the largest and most active Sephardic yeshiva in the world. Rabbi Kassin, was in New York in July, and before returning to Jerusalem, reaffirmed his support for the International Rights and Redress Campaign. Previously, Rabbi Kassin expressed his support and advised that his students-Sephardic rabbis around the world, should also support the activities of the IRRC.

Rabbi Sam Kassin

In coordination with Rabbi Ezra Labaton, JJAC presented an evening of education and testimony registration at Congregation Magen David of West Deal, NJ. That evening, hundreds of visitors saw the film The Forgotten Refugees, and heard a first hand account by Rabbi Isaac Farhi, a man who struggled as a refugee fleeing from Syria. Rabbi Elie Abadie of the Safra Synagogue in Manhattan was in attendance, and made a special call for all Jews from Arab countries to register as part of the International Rights and Redress Campaign. Mr. Moses Tawil of the Brooklyn/Deal community met Stan Urman at the event, and stated he supported the activities of the IRRC; he then asked for literature, enough for him to distribute to 150 persons.

Alissa Shams, Mindy Jerome, Charles Jacobs, Rabbi Elie Abadie,
Rabbi Isaac Farhi, Joey Mizrachi and Stanley Urman in Deal, NJ.

JJAC is working with The David Project to develop an educational curriculum suitable for both younger and older students. The material includes a Facilitators' Guide entitled: Justice for Jews from Arab Countries: From Understanding to Advocacy. Divided into two sessions with a total of four phases, the instructional material will cover, Life As it Was; Trauma: Things Get Worse, Flight and Displacement and Resettlement and Rebuilding. The guide also has an extensive set of appendices and additional supplementary resources. Persons wanting more information on the Facilitators' Guide should contact Shelomo Alfassa at 917-606-8262 or alfassa (at) justiceforjews.com.

JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) working in conjunction with JJAC and JCPA( Jewish Council for Public Affairs) has been organizing the CRC's (Community Relation Councils) through out the United States to initiate the registration campaign in major cities across America. So far, JIMENA has been working with Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, and are gearing up for Washington DC, Houston, Dallas and other communities. JIMENA has been working with the Hillels in the Bay Area to make them aware of the registration campaign. JIMENA is actively getting cards filled out in Silicon Valley where a large Mizrahi and Israeli population lives, through participation in festivals and presentations.

JIMENA members have also been actively lobbying their congressional representatives in the area to encourage their co-sponsorship of H. Res. 848 and S. Res. 494. They were able to secure Senator Feinstein's endorsement and are hopeful others will follow soon.