The Ministerial Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols voted on Monday to set a special memorial day on the Jewish calendar to mark the deportation of Jews from Arab countries.
The committee, headed by Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, approved a proposal submitted by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon who said a new memorial day would correct a historical injustice by finally recognizing the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees and victims who were persecuted and forced to leave their homes in Arabs countries.
The committee resolved to consult the government to determine how the day should be marked.
The recommended date for the commemoration is the day of the "Farhud," the large pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad in Iraq which fell on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot on June 1–2, 1941. During the pogrom, at least 170, and up to 780, Iraqi Jews were murdered.
On the new memorial day, students will learn about the 850,000 Jewish refugees who fled from their native Arab countries since the establishment of the State of Israel.
Ayalon has previously said that "the Arab League should recognize the historical fault of Arab countries and these countries should bear responsibility for expelling the Jews and turning them into refugees."
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