Nearly a century after Arab regimes forced out hundreds of thousands of Jews, Congress is moving to recognize the tragedy with a bipartisan resolution that would mark Nov. 30 as Jewish Refugee Day.
Jewish communities lived across North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran for thousands of years, many predating Islam and forming some of the oldest centers of Jewish life. In the mid-20th century, as Arab nationalism intensified and violence spread after the 1947 UN partition vote establishing Israel, Jews throughout the region faced state-backed persecution, denaturalization, property confiscation, and mass expulsions.
The combined result was the departure of roughly 850,000 Jews from countries including Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and others. Israel later codified this terrible chapter of history in 2014, when the Knesset established November 30 as the country’s Jewish Refugee Day.
“For the first time, we are marking the exit and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries and from Iran in the years following the establishment of the State of Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time. “We have acted – and will continue to act – so that they and their claims are not forgotten.”
Now two Jewish lawmakers, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), are seeking to bring U.S. recognition in line with Israel’s. Under the proposal, the day would be known both in English and by its Hebrew name, “Yom HaPlitim.” Wasserman Schultz previously introduced a similar resolution in 2024, but it expired before the new Congress convened.
Introduced Friday, the measure states that the United States supports the “security of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide” and calls for “educational efforts” to teach the history behind the mass departure and expulsion of Jews from the Arab world.
“Their resilience is inspiring and a testament to the improbable survival of Jewish people throughout history,” Wasserman Schultz told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Recognizing Jewish Refugee Day helps to ensure that Congress continues to bring awareness to the history of antisemitism and stand with the Jewish community around the world.”
As per congressional procedure, the resolution has been referred to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, and Foreign Affairs, which will review it before deciding whether to advance it to the full House for a vote.
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