Anyone have any links with information to read more about this?

Among the Righteous the Holocaust's long reach into Arab lands. It is a good place to start however I didn't learn much from the book regarding the plight of Ethiopian Jewry under the control of Italy but I sill research the topic.

Israel's telling of Jewish history has long focused on Europe - as if it all started with Herzl, and ended up in Israel. It's one reason so many Israelis are ignorant of our longer, more dispersed existence, both in our ancient homeland and in the broader Diaspora. Robert Satloff's recent book "Among the Righteous" offers good background info to what was going on in North Africa during the war years. Satloff shows how a few locals did try to protect Jews in occupied North Africa. It also puts a lie to Arab claims that Arabs "weren't involved" in the Holocaust, as many took advantage of the occupation to further oppress their Jewish neighbors.

It deeply saddens me to say that Sephardic and Mizrahi history has been erased in Israel; brushed under the carpet as though it were some dark part of our past which ought to be forgotten and replaced entirely by an Ashkenazified identity. The history of Jews in Arab lands is still barely taught in schools, and where it is it is not given even a tenth of the time allocated to that of European Jewry. I have read testimonies of Jews who fled Uzbekistan on horseback and rode all the way to the Land of Israel, for over 2 years, carrying nothing but the clothes they were wearing and what valuables they had. Where are there stories heard in Israel? Where are the stories of the Yemenites? Where are the stories of the Moroccans? Where are the lessons about festivals unique to the Yemenites or Moroccans or Ethiopians? Why is this history being erased?

Number 1 - I just found this http://www.sephardicgen.com/holocaust.HTM

Ladino speaking jews from: Greece, Bosnia, serbia, macedonia bulgaria etc..

Sa'adon argument amounts to a what-if scenario. What if American forces didn't prevent the deportations from Algeria. What if the King of Morocco didn't protect Morroco's Jewish community. What ifs don't matter. That some North African Jews were murdered at the encouragement of the French and British by racist Islamic fanatics, while tragic and sad, is not the same thing.

A LEGACY OF LEADERS Inspiring Stories and Biographies of Sephardi Hachamim by Yehuda Azoulay This is a tremendous sefer in English that speaks of All of the Great Sephardic Rabbanim z"l. Read about the Life, and avodat Hashem and yirat Shamayim of The Ben Ish Chai z"l, Ohr HaHaim Ha'kadosh z"l, Rabbi Pinto, Rabbi Sharabi and much more. Read about their birth and growth in Torah and Kedusha. Rabbanim from Morroco, Yemen, Eretz Yisrael, Turkey, Syria, Istanbul, Iraq and all over all in one sefer http://www.mekorjudaica.com/store/detail.asp?ProdID=26146

Through your ignoramous posts. Just because one community lost more than other does not diminsh their story and their deaths. Sick and twisted.

The Jews of North Africa in WWII http://www.filmakers.com/indivs/MatterofTime.htm These two films tell, for the first time, the story of the Jewish communities of North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) during World War II. Extensive archival footage brings the history of this period to life. Stories from the survivors, now elderly, reveal how, had fate not intervened, it was only “a matter of time” until they would share the fate of their co-religionists in Europe. A Matter of Time presents the historical evidence of plans by German and Italian occupiers to carry out the Final Solution far from the shores of Europe. The film includes testimony of people who lived in North Africa during WWII and unique archival material.

Your talkback is an excellent one and I agree with you completely. Frankly, I think it's a travesty that the history of the Jews from Arab countries and North Africa has been given short shrift in Israel, when a majority of the of the population originated from those areas. Not only that, but it has allowed the Arabs to level the specious argument that they had nothing whatsoever to do with the Holocaust and that the establishment of the State of Israel was merely an attempt on the part of European Christians to assuage their own guilt on the backs of the Arabs. So, in that respect, Israel was doubly foolish not to have given this part of their history the attention it deserves.

Look at what you wrote in post 10: "Stories from the survivors, now elderly, reveal how, had fate not intervened, it was only “a matter of time” until they would share the fate of their co-religionists in Europe." Exactly. You are comparing what did happen to one group and what could have happened to another. It's like those people after 9/11 who would say, "Oh my God, I was supposed to be there. I could have been there!" Yeah but you weren't so don't make it about you.

The Jews of Greece - NOT ASHKENAZI, but Sephardic were destroyed by the Nazis taking with them to their graves the language of their forefathers, Ladino. Maybe, you should read this http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/greece/greece.pdf and stop saying only German, Polish Jews lost their family in the Holocaust. You are not sole bearers of pain and discrimination. You may not know things, but that doesn't mean its a falsehood.

http://www.zchor.org/libya/libya.htm Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands http://www.meforum.org/article/1771 "Nazi Activities in North Africa and the Middle East During the Era of the Holocaust" Tunis - Holocaust http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205892.pdf http://www.sephardiccouncil.org/backgrounder.pdf The forgotten Jews of Tunisia http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1164881894199 The Holocaust in Morocco http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/hol/cou/mor/hcm-law.html

You know the discourse about the Shoah seems to assume it was an Ashkenazi tragedy. Well whole Sepharadic communites were decimated in Europe, including France, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia, and beyond. I am glad that we are getting a chance to hear about the story of the North African Jews. As well I think it is important that the consciousness of Israel take on the identity of the other ethnic groups of Israel as well. I think in 40 years these boundaries won't mean much though.

Watch it here: http://tinyurl.com/5cza4v - flv flash file, download link If the link doesnt work, search "The Forgotten Refugees" in video.google.com or visit their website at http://www.forgottenrefugees.org/ AND Check out Pierre Rehov's "Silent Exodus" trailer here: http://www.shoebat.com/trailer_exodus.php

Has yet to be confirmed by hard evidence.

#12 I am in complete agreement with you. While I mean no disrepect to Jews of Middle Eastern origin why must you compete with EUROPE'S Jews (Greece is in Europe, and no last I checked nobody short of morons denies the Nazi slaughter of Greek Jews) for status as victims or martyrs? You should be so pleased as to have been spared what happened in Europe. As for an Ashkenazicentric approach to education and/or national identity in Israel -- here Sasson I believe you have something very valid to add, and this is where you should focus your attentions. To repeat, comparing what happened is North Africa and the Middle East to what happened in Europe is an exercise in the obscene -- such statement's as the title of #14 "Everyone's Holocaust" only serve to underline what I am saying. It is not everyone's Holocaust no matter what you want to tell yourself. So in conclusion, yes of course Sephardim were murdered (and I will add to your list of places where they came from - Holland) but they were European Sephardim, residing in Europe. Remember too that discussions such as those relating to restitution, as in seeking restitution for lost properties in Middle Eastern countries make Jews look like a twisted bunch of schnorers. Unless your purpose in raising restitution is to nullify an argument for compensation to Palestinian refugees from Israel - you are a first rate hypocrite to suggest that any Middle Eastern country owes you anything, unless you are of the belief that Palestinians should likewise be compensated, which somehow I doubt. In making this last remark, before you assume me to be an Israel basher, think again, I am far from it. I support Israel at every turn, it is simply that I call a spade a spade and do not seek to elevate our people at the expense of others.

My husband wasn't born yet, but his family was in a ghetto in Libya. His grandmother was beaten to death by the Nazis.

The Nazis made no distinction between Ashkenazim and other Jews. A Jude was Jude. Period. The Holocaust was against Jews, because they were Jews; regardless of any real or perceived differences amongst ourselves.. It had absolutely nothing to do with Ashkenazim per se.

My father who was 21 when he was sent to the labour camp of Bizerte told me the stories how the Germans used the jewish community leaders to provide labour slaves in order to unload and load their ships in the port of Bizerte. The nazis did not even care to feed the slaves, task which was reserved to the jewish community of Tunis. My father who is still alive, ad 120, remembers and tells me all these stories.

The film "The Last Jews of Libya" by Vivienne Roumani-Denn, which was screened at the 2007 Tribecca Film Festival, 2007 Jerusalem International Film Festival, Sundance TV Channel, etc., and includes the period of WWI, is described at www.lastjewsoflibya.com. A new book "The Jews of Libya" by Maurice Roumani, which covers the period from 1938 to the departure of the last Jews in 1967, is described at http://www.sussex-academic.co.uk/sa/titles/jewish_studies/Roumani.htm

This article forget that thousands of sephardic jews from Greece, Jugoslavia, France, Bulgaria, Holland and Belgium where simply erased from the map! Just make a search in Yad vashem database and you will find the story of all sephardic (most of them spanish-portuguese jews)communities who disapeared during the Holocaust.

they were very lucky that their muslim neighbours didn't take the opportunity offered to them by vichyst regime to mistreat the jews. they were very lucky that many of their muslim neighbours protected their possessions, either by buying them and giving them back, or by refusing to buy them. they were very lucky that mosques converted jews to islam, knowing it wasn't sincere, just to save some lives (specially in France)... now that Israel is hosting the unlucky ones and the lucky ones, it's not a reason to forget that this is a fact. European jewry was destroyed, while north african jewry was not.

I agree with both of you completely. Unfortunately, all these discussions have as a starting point the feeling that Sepharadim have that Ashekenazim think they are superior, which in this context is completely misplaced. All European Jewish communities, with few exceptions, have suffered during the Holocaust, Ashkenazim as well as Sepharadim, but the North African Jews should stop trying to compare their families' suffering with those of their European counterparts.

#18 Your off, my friend. Take it from this half Ashkenazi/ half Mizrahi Jew. Were Jews killed in North Africa for being Jews??? Yes. Were Jews forced into labour camps? Yes. Was ONLY Jewish property stolen in North Africa? Yes. Last time I got a 99% in my Jewish studies it seems very clear to me all those events listed also happened to Ashkenazim as well, during the holocaust. The ONLY fact you can differentiate between the Mizrahi/Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi holocaust histories was that Ashkenazim had systematic killings perpetrated against them. But to assume that fate was not in the works for the Mizrahim/Sephardics is intellectual dishonesty... Didn’t the Ashkenazim first get persecuted by sporadic violence and property seizures??? Why yes they did. So you see, your historical account while admirable for the half truths it contains is endemically flawed for the other half’s you fail to recount, be it by ignorance or malice. The worst part of your post is on restitution, and this fallacy of comparison between Palestinians. Perhaps it is your belief that North African Jews only lost property after the founding of Israel, but sadly that’s untrue. Land was being confiscated before 48. Now was "Palestinian" land being "confiscated" before the war of independence or after/during the war? You know that answer. I would also like to make the comparison of the evil North African Jews (sarcasm) who waged war against Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco, losing, and then fleeing whilst having their land confiscated... Oh wait North African Jews never waged war against their countries... Neither did all my cousins in the middle eastern countries... How then can any comparison be made to a people who were entirely peaceful? To one who worked with "saints" like the Mufti of Jerusalem? Please #18 account for these differences before trying to compare North African/Middle eastern Jewry restitution to "Palestinian" restitution. For in saying they are the same it is no dissimilar to saying civilians killed by terrorists are no different than civilians killed in IDF strikes... One goes looking for murdering innocents the other one doesn't. #25, half truth. There were many Muslims who did take that offer. On the other hand I most certainly do acknowledge those who did not, and even praise them. Many Muslims within the cities turned rabid against the Jews because they always had jealousies. When given foreign occupation this gave them a chance to manifest their jealousies in physical ways. Again, I restate there were those who helped us. So for that I do thank and will not forget the good among the bad, and I will never forget the bad among the good. #26 I see nowhere statements such as "North African deaths were the same as European deaths" I am sorry if your own personal psychological insecurities influence your cognitive patterns to such an extent that you assume these kind of things before such things are ever stated. This article highlights the fact that North African Jews/Middle Eastern Jews suffered from the holocaust and that they were persecuted for being Jews. It states the need for a kind of restitution and acknowledgement of a people being persecuted for their identities, no different to the reasons Jews in Europe were persecuted. If you believe them Ashkenazim were persecuted for a reason other than being Jews please don't keep me in the dark. If you believe the Jew killed in North Africa was killed for a different reason than the Jew in Europe please educated me.

Ashkenazim are not saying Sephardic deaths don't count. That's your spin. You said: "But to assume that fate was not in the works for the Mizrahim/Sephardics is intellectual dishonesty... " OK, it was in the works for North Africa but it didn't happen. Let's not compare it to places where it did. "The ONLY fact you can differentiate between the Mizrahi/Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi holocaust histories was that Ashkenazim had systematic killings perpetrated against them." That's a HUGE difference.

Thanks to all who provided places where I can go for additional information! I've looked at some of the links & would encourage others to do the same. If I had the talent, I'd make a movie. If someone here does, please do. Before all the survivors are dead, tell their stories as well. The concentration on what happened in Europe tends to overlook what happened elsewhere. Let's change that! Had no idea about what the Jews in Greece went through. These stories have been omitted from the regular Shoah narratives that I've seen.

I am afraid #27 that you are so deeply brewed in a one-sided perspective on things, that border on propaganda as to miss the big picture. Whether peaceful or not -- Palestinians are people the same way we are, whether Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, or Sephardi. I thought I was giving you a major "get out of jail free" card when I said that I raised the specter that perhaps you were invoking discussion of restitution (for Middle Eastern Jews) as a means to nullify the debate as to compensating Palestinian refugees. The fact that you pushed this aside, and persisted that our suffering as Jews is different and thus worthy of extra-special treatment proves my point as to giving the appearance of or being nothing more than schnorers. Lastly I hate to have to be the one to draw to your attention that the issue of land confiscation in Israel is not so clear cut as you would like to believe. I will not comment on pre-48 events, nor even on the loss of land during the War of Independence but I will on events that have taken place since 67 and continue until this day. Under the cover of security concerns amongst others, ordinary Palestinians continue to find themselves powerless in the face of loss of their property in the West Bank in particular.