Final Vote on Resolution Recognizing Jewish Refugees Set for Monday

B"H

This is the last hurrah for the JJAC--and a great way to go out on a bang!

They will be changing, forever, the discussion of middle eastern refugees--and, hopefully, encouraging a discussion of what has really happened over the past 60 years.

Yes, there were some displaced arabs, but the overwhelming evidence is that there are NO JEWS in most of the arab countries and MANY ARABS in Israel--which points to to the fact that it was the arabs and not the Jews who committed large scale "ethnic cleansing" of their countries--eliminating all Jewish presence in lands that had a historic Jewish community--and taking the lands, valuables, and money of the Jews they pushed out of their countries.

It is about time that the historical record was set straight. Jews are a tiny group of people in a tiny country surrounded by huge countries full of arabs.

M
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Final Vote on Congressional Resolution Recognizing Rights For Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Shira Dicker 917.403.3989 shira.dicker@sd-media.com

WASHINGTON, DC (March 28, 2008) - A dramatic shift in United States policy is on the horizon as the House of Representatives will vote Monday on H.Res.185, which would grant first-time-ever recognition to Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

A phone-in press conference is planned for Monday afternoon, March 31st at 4 pm, EST. Congressional Dial-in number is (866) 914-0429, Access code: 863143#.

Participating will be: Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY); Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY); and Congressman Mike Ferguson (R-NJ).

Prior to the adoption of H.Res.185, all resolutions on Middle East refugees referred only to Palestinians. H.Res.185 affirms that all victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict must be treated with equality, including Jewish, Christian and other refugees from countries in the Middle East. It further urges that the President and US officials participating in Middle East discussions must ensure: "That any explicit reference to Palestinian refugees is matched by a similar explicit reference to Jewish and other refugees, as a matter of law and equity."

The Resolution will be the strongest declaration on the rights of Jewish refugees that were displaced from Arab countries. H.Res.185 underscores the fact that Jews living in Arab countries suffered human rights violations, were uprooted from their homes, and were made refugees. The resolution further declares that, "it would be inappropriate and unjust for the United States to recognize rights for Palestinian refugees without recognizing equal rights for Jewish refugees from Arab countries."

Underscoring the importance of H.Res.185, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) stated, "When the Middle East peace process is discussed, Palestinian refugees are often addressed. However, Jewish refugees outnumbered Palestinian refugees, and their forced exile from Arab lands must not be omitted from public discussion on the peace process. It is simply not right to recognize the rights of Palestinian refugees without recognizing the rights of Jewish refugees."

Monday's vote follows on the heels of H.Res.185 being unanimously adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 27, 2008. A copy of H.Res.185 and a complete Media Kit is available at www.justiceforjews.com/mediakit2.html.

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries is a coalition of 77 Jewish communities and organizations in 20 countries, operating under the auspices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the American Sephardi Federation, in partnership with the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai Brith International, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the World Sephardic Congress.