This video highlights an important moment for Arab Jews. In the past there have been reports brought to the UN but as Levana Zamir puts it they were only “filled with half- truths”. On September 8, 2025, Levana spoke about the Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) panel in Geneva. This was the first research report which detailed the truth of Arab Jews being exiled from many nations and the billions lost in assets. This was the first formal presentation. She again was allowed on September 10,2025 to present directly to the delegates from 140 nations at the UNHRC. She presented the facts from the research in her Arabic language and recounted her own life experience as well. You can hear some of this presentation in this video which captures a News Reporter interviewing and highlighting Levana.
We often think about Jews who live in many countries today and those who live in Israel. We don’t really think about Arab Jews happy living in Islamic countries of their birth. Only to be thrown out, exiled from a place they called home. The only home they would have known. Where could they go? These were Arab Jews being kicked out of Islamic countries like: Aden, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. They were deported to Israel according to the video. It was always thought that in 1948 that the Jews just flocked to the promise land, this was a half-truth. Many came from countries who did not want Jews. Not only were they asked to leave their homes, but they could only take a suitcase of clothes and very little money.
In Levana’s interview she recounts her uncle being arrested for suspicion of being a “Zionist”. A Zionist is a person who supports the right of the Jewish people to
self-determination and sovereignty in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel. In the late 19 th century there emerged as a political movement to maintain and protect the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland. Levana explains that he was of the older generation who were not Zionist, that it was the young adult generation of that time who were establishing the Zionist movement. After one and half years in prison her uncle was told to leave or stay in prison, he would have to go from prison straight to the ship.
The truth is they never wanted to leave they wanted to stay in Egypt; they liked living in Egypt. This was one story of thousands of persecuted, abused, and deported Arab Jews. What we didn’t know until her report was the amount of assets confiscated, taken by those countries who exiled their own people. She reported it was $263 billion. This was the amount that could be proven with documentation, but the truth is that it was probably more because who of us keeps all our receipts. This was a very interesting video. I think it is important to know the rest of the story. We need to have a true picture of what has happened and how it has affected today. Enjoy.
