A million Jews lived in Arab countries in the 20th century. Today, just a few thousand are left, mostly in Morocco and Tunisia. The departure of Jews caused a crisis in almost every Arab country. Despite their relatively limited numbers, the Jewish impact on society, economy and trade had been crucial to the development of Arab nations. It is no wonder that after the departure of Jews from places like Iraq and Egypt, these countries experienced crisis after crisis, in contrast to the golden years known as “the age of the Jews.”
Now there is a longing in most Arab countries for the Jews to return. Many believe that only with a Jewish presence will their country blossom and develop as in the past. Jewish contribution to the Arab states was significant. In Egypt, for example, the gold market flourished, and continues to do so until this day, even though the Jews were kicked out and Jewish stores ransacked. Still, Jewish symbols like the Magen David remain engraved on shops, in the markets and on buildings. The older generation still remember the prosperity that came with the Jewish store owners.
It is no coincidence that the Egyptians decided to invest tens of millions of dollars in the restoration of synagogues throughout Egypt. The most recent is the renovation of the Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the Prophet) Synagogue where six million dollars is being invested to rebuild the magnificent structure.
Not only the Egyptians want to bring back Jewish prosperity. A few months ago, the new Sudanese Minister of Religion Nasser Aladin called on Jews to return to Sudan after they had been forced to emigrate in the wake of the establishment of the State of Israel. In Lebanon, over a million dollars was invested in the restoration of the Magen Avraham synagogue in the Wadi Abu Jamil neighborhood in west Beirut near the Lebanese parliament.
Perhaps more than others, it is the Iraqis who long for the return of their Jewish neighbors, and the Iraqi Jews who miss their former homeland. In recent years, a number of Facebook accounts have opened in Israel to renew the connection between Iraqi Jews the Iraqi Arabs who lived together for thousands of years in harmony prior to the advent of Islam. Tragic events separated Iraqi Jews from their former home, but their contribution to the country is felt to this day. Like Jewish minorities in other countries, the Jews of Iraq concentrated on trade, crafts and light industry, governmental and municipal services, and banking. The impact of Jews in commerce and banking was especially significant. The eight banks operating in Baghdad in the 1940s were founded by Jewish families. In addition, most of the clerks of Jewish and foreign banks were Jews. The first Iraqi Minister of the Treasury, Yehezkel Sasson, was Jewish. He laid the foundations for Iraqi taxation, economics and the state budget. In one of the protests against corruption in Iraq a few years ago, Minister Sasson’s name was held up on signs declaring that he was not like the current corrupt politicians.
Today, there is one Jewish minister in an Arab State. Roni Trabbolsi serves as Minister of Tourism for the Tunisian government, the third Jewish minister to serve since Tunisia’s founding.
In summary, Jews in Arab countries symbolized stability and prosperity in the region. Arab countries flourished and reached their peak because of the Jews who lived there. Then, in some countries, there was an exchange of populations: the Jews left, and Palestinian Arab refugees arrived in their place. It was a cultural and social shock for these nations. The wealthy and educated Jews were replaced by a weak and poor population. The effect of this was felt mainly in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
With the rise of Arab nationalism and their resistance to the State of Israel, Arab nations could not beat Israel on the battlefield, so they punished Jewish people who lived in their countries. Now, years later, there is a longing and profound remorse for the injustices imposed on the Jews, and many are calling for them to return to their country.
According to the Koran, the Jews are “the people of the book,” and are to be honored and protected. Some Muslims are even calling for the “Skull Tax,” a tax levied on non-Muslims in Arab countries, to be returned to the Jews. In spite of all this, Arab leaders chose to look the other way, not only refusing to protect the Jews, but actively contributing to their persecution. As a result, Arab nations are suffering from serious economic failures, not to mention never-ending wars and disputes. Many Muslims believe that this is a punishment by Allah (Islam’s god) because they did not protect the Jews as instructed.
