An Exchange of Populations
An Exchange of Populations By Rabbi Meir Kahane, Zt"l
In all the furor that has been created in Israel and the world
Jewish community over the suggestion by certain "radical" Jews
that Israeli Arabs be transferred from the country, there
appears to be forgotten the fact that such an action would only
be the second part of an ultimate exchange of populations.
The fact is, that with the creation of the Jewish state in 1948,
hundreds of thousands of Jews fled Arab countries, almost all of
whom left behind all their property for which compensation was
never paid. It is worth while to look at the record before we
dismiss the concept of the transfer of Arabs from Israel.
Algeria had 150,000 Jews in 1948. Pogroms in that country had
occured almost every 10 years since tha 1890's, and during the
1930's, many Jews of Constantine were massacred despite French
intervention. In 1961, the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN)
attacked the large cities where most of the Jews lived and
100,000 were forced to flee the country, leaving behind all
their belongings.The FLN desecrated the Great Synagogue at
Algiers and the ancient Jewish Cemetary at Oran, and succeeded
in driving out all but 900 Jews by 1973. And so: Algeria 1948:
150,000 Jews; Algeria 1973: 750 Jews.
In Morocco in 1948 there were 300,000 Jews. On June 7 of that
year, mobs in Oujda sacked the Jewish quarter, killing and
wounding hundreds of Jews, and in nearby Djerada, 30 Jews were
massacred by Arab mobs the same night. The new revolutionary
government passed anti-Jewish laws so severe that they drove out
300,000 Jews. With the return of the Sultan in 1961, there was
some relaxation of the laws; but by 1973 only 25,000 of the
original 300,000 Jews remained. Morocco 1948: 300,000 Jews;
Morocco 1973: 25,000 Jews.
There were 23,000 Jews in Tunisia in 1948. Following the
revolutionary government's program of Arabization, Jews became
"instant scapegoats ," and many were arrested for "economic"
crimes simply for being merchants or practicing any gainful
occupation. By 1973, all but 9,000 Jews had been driven out of
Tunisia. Tunisia 1948: 23,000 Jews, Tunisia1973: 9,000 Jews.
Syria had 45,000 Jews in 1948. They had prospered under the
Turks and the French, but when the Arabs took over, they at once
became the target for both official and unofficial violence.
Anti-Jewish legislation froze bank accounts and confiscated
property. New laws forbade Jews to sell their property or move
more than three miles from their homes. Special identity cards
were issued to them, and they were allowed to work only at
certain jobs. Government employees and military personnel were
forbidden to patronize Jewish shops. Today there are fewer than
4,000 Jews in Syria, and they are under constant attack. Syria
1948: 45,000 Jews, Syria 1973: 4,000 Jews.
There were 45,000 Jews living in Libya in 1948. In Tripoli in
1945, 120 Jews had been killed by mobs of Arabs. After
independence, most of the others were driven from the country,
many were murdered after the Six-Day War and numerous others
were arrested. In 1976, there were only about 70 Jews remaining
in the country ruled by Colonel Qaddafi. Libya 1948: 45,000
Jews, Libya 1976: 70 Jews.
Jews have been in Egypt since Biblical times, and Alexandria had
once been, at least partially, a Jewish city. In 1945, the
pro-Nazi "Young Egypt" group led anti- Jewish rioting in which
many Jews were killed. In 1947, a new law for companies made it
practically impossible for Jewish businesses to operate. Egypt
had 75,000 Jews in 1948, when bombings, burnings and looting
destroyed almost $50 million worth of Jewish property. After the
overthrow of King Farouk by Nasser and his "Free Officers," life
for Jews became intolerable in that country. After the Suez War,
3,000 Jews were arrested and imprisoned without trial. Thousands
of others were presented with deportation orders forcing them to
quit the country within days and leave all their property
behind. By 1967, Nasser had managed to force all but 3,000 Jews
out of Egypt. There were fewer than 500 Jews remaining in the
land ruled by the "moderate" el-Sadat in 1976; the rest were
driven out to find new homes, mostly in Israel. Egypt 1948:
75,000 Jews, Egypt 1976: 500 Jews. ( Amnesty International
reported in 1976 that there were only 350 Jews in Egypt.)
Iraq was the home of 125,000 Jews in 1948. Since then, the
revolutionary government has conducted an almost incessant
campaign of terror against them. Nine Jews were hanged in public
and 68 tried as Israeli spies in January 1968 while chanting
mobs moved through the streets beating up any Jew that passed
their way, women and children included! By 1973, only 400 Jews
remained in Iraq. Iraq 1948: 125,000 Jews, Iraq 1973: 400 Jews.
Yemen, where 54,000 Jews lived in 1948, had none in 1976.
Hundreds were killed, and the rest found shelter in British
bases until they were carried to Israel by Operation Magic
Carpet. Before that, it was legal to stone a Jew to death, and
the law decreed that " fatherless Jewish children under thirteen
be taken from their mothers and raised as Muslims."Yemen 1948:
54,000 Jews, Yemen 1976: No Jews whatsoever!!
In Aden, there were 5,000 Jews in 1947, but in 1976 there were
none. In December, 1947, Arab mobs attacked the Jewish quarter,
killing several people and burning down buildings. Between 1948
and 1967, most Aden Jews fled to Israel. The 130 who remained
fled after the riots in June 1967 to escape torture and certain
death. Aden 1948: 5,000 Jews, Aden 1967: No Jews Whatsoever!!
A total of some 750,000 Jews fled Arab lands since 1948. Surely
it is time for Jews, worried over the huge growth of Arabs in
Israel, to consider finishing the exchange of populations that
began 35 years ago.