Guest author explores the plight of Middle Eastern Jewry

By Jeff Margolis, IAC member

In an emotional and poignant presentation, author Lyn Julius meticulously described the plight of over 800,000 Jews, Mizrachim, who lived in Arab nations. Julius spoke, via Zoom from London, to an audience of over 100 in the Greater Naples community. Her program was sponsored by the Israel Advocacy Committee of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

Lyn Julius’ research, described in her book, “Uprooted: How 3,000 Years of Jewish Civilization in the Arab World Vanished Overnight,” examines the history of once-thriving Jewish communities that had been in existence for centuries, only to be decimated by the rise of antisemitism, Arab collaboration with Hitler and the Nazi regime and the resentment and jealousy caused by the establishment of the state of Israel. Many of the Jewish refugees headed for the newly established nation and, at one time, comprised 50% of Israel’s population.

In a chart provided by the author, viewers could visualize the extent of the rise of Arab nationalism and antisemitism. For example, at one time, there were 150,000 Jews in Iraq, including Julius’ family. Today, there are only three Jews in the country. Morocco, which once had a Jewish population of 260,000, is now down to 2,000.

Julius is the founder of HARIF, an association of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa.

Many thanks to IAC member Monica Goodwin for arranging this thoughtprovoking program.

Upcoming events

After a hiatus due to COVID-19, the Israel Tennis Center (ITC) program returns to Naples on Thursday, March 16. The program will be held at the Vineyards Country Club from 4 to 6 p.m. The ITC is the largest social service agency for children in Israel, having served over half a million youngsters and their families since the first center opened in Ramat Hasharon in 1976. There are currently 16 centers across the nation of Israel, primarily in underprivileged communities. These centers use tennis as an avenue to promote the social, physical and psychological well-being of students. Another goal of ITC programs is the development of coaches, and building and maintaining courts and facilities at the highest levels.

This spring, the nation of Israel will celebrate its 75th anniversary. The Israel Advocacy Committee of JFGN invites the entire community to join the celebration on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at the new Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center on Pine Ridge Road from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be games for children, information booths, food for purchase and entertainment. The first 500 guests will receive a free Kona Ice. Admission is free. The cochairs of this highly anticipated event are Tracy and Michael Askotzky, and Cathy and Phil Zacks. For more information, please contact Reneé Bialek, Federation program director at, rbialek@ jewishnaples.com.