WE ARE FROM HERE

A Family Story of Indigenous Jews

The film follows Rabbi Gadi Capela, a Columbia University student during the October 7 riots, as he shares his family’s exodus from Yemen during Operation On Wings of Eagles. Highlighting the experiences of over a million Middle Eastern Jews, the film challenges the narrative of Jews as foreign colonialists, emphasizing their indigenous roots and enduring connection to the Land of Israel.

The events at Columbia University following October 7, 2023

It was a profound time to be on the Columbia University campus during the October 7^th events and their aftermath.  I found out that in the frequently discussed notion of Jewish indigenousness to the land of Israel, the perception in the West is firmly set on Jews being white.  Similarly, Israel being a “Western” country and is somehow a “white, settler-colonialist” and an “Apartheid State.”

This rhetoric is so commonplace, it has made it into literature published by Amnesty International, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Critical Race Theory.  It also inspired the curricula across the United States.  Ironically, in Europe, Jews were considered insufficiently white.  But when arrived in America, right into the paradigm of black or white, Jews gradually were considered “white” and assimilated.

Following one of the big anti-Israel demonstrations on campus, my professor asked me to narrate my parents’ story of forced migration from Yemen as children in 1951.  I said, “I wish someone told my parents when they were wandering on foot for over a year in the Arabian Desert, that they were colonial oppressors.”  I realized that my classmates have never processed who actually lives in Israel and how they got there.

There is at best, an informational disconnect between the reality of Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews and these demonstrably false notions.  Despite millennia of documented history, there is a sheer lack of awareness of the indigenous Middle Eastern Jews, whose ancestors never set foot in Europe, and share genetic markers, physical features, language, and culture, with the surrounding non-Jewish populations.  They are referred to as the “Forgotten Refugees.”

The story of the Forgotten Refugees, which is the story of most Jewish Israelis today, is commemorated annually on November 30.  It is known as The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran.  It tells the story of nearly a million Jews displaced from Arab countries as a consequence of the events surrounding 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel.

In order to explain this critical piece of Jewish history, I created an educational event on November 30, 2023.  Consequently, Columbia University accepted my proposal to make November 30^th an annual affair on campus.  I will use the next few months to plan the next event on November 30, 2024.

For the past 18 years I have been involved with interfaith teaching and traveling with Christians and Muslims around the world.  Our message all along has been that the conflicts in the Middle East, which are in no doubt influenced by geopolitical, economic, and other reasons, are essentially motivated by religious convictions.  Therefore, interfaith dialogue and activism are key to the promotion of peace in the region.  I would like to turn the journey of the Forgotten Refugees into a roadmap to peace in the Middle East and beyond.

Pursuing peace goes hand in hand with truth and justice.  I hope to open a window into the context of Mizrahi communities within the story of the Jewish people.  Tracing it through ancient manuscripts, I would like to show the diverse face of the Jewish people and the tapestry of the Israeli society.

The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding, aiming to educate and prevent future conflict arising from ignorance.  The paper is divided into three parts, which parallel past, present, and future. My intention is to weave together a cohesive and compelling narrative, building on the two papers from the past academic year, but also to amplify the often forgotten and unheard voices of these communities through personal testimonies of some of their descendants.

The Misguided Premise of the Anti-Israel Argument

This misguided premise of the anti-Israel message created an American public perception that is firmly set on Jews being white Europeans.  From here, it’s not a big stretch to see Jews as the white colonizers over the indigenous population.  On this basis, Black Lives Matter has been connecting itself to the Palestinian cause.

The misguided anti-Israel rhetoric on American university campuses promotes the notion that therefore any means to redeem the Palestinian land is acceptable.  Ironically, in Europe, Jews were not white enough and were persecuted on this very basis.  Hitler’s Mein Kampf is clearly based on it.  When Jews immigrated into the American paradigm of white or black, Jews gradually became white and assimilated.  Jews fell into the white rubric and fell in love with it.

In actuality, a majority of Jews in Israel are not European or white.  They are Syrian, Iraqi, Moroccan, Yemenite, Ethiopian, etc.  Unfortunately, the current American public perception is firmly set on Jews being white, and thus European colonizers.  On that basis, the Black Lives Matter movement connects itself with the Palestinian cause.  On November 12, 2023, The Washington Post published an opinion column by JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) in which they write, “Many of us don’t present as white and our American immigration story is different from many of our Ashkenazi friends, so how are we categorized by anti-Israel protesters? This misguided premise also seeps into young Jewish minds as well.

When I spoke with students at the Bayit – Columbia’s Jewish students food co-op, the fact that most Israeli Jews are indigenous to the land, and that there was always a Jewish presence there, albeit small, was new even to them.

 Rabbi Gadi Capela’s Story: A Jewish Family Rooted in the Middle East and the Land of Israel

Rabbi Gadi Capela’s personal story is one of deep connection to the Middle East and the Land of Israel, reflecting the enduring legacy of Yemenite Jewry. His family’s history is interwoven with the vibrant tapestry of Jewish life in the region, a testament to the resilience and cultural richness of a community that has maintained its traditions for millennia.

Yemenite Jews are often described as a “time capsule” of ancient Jewish practices, embodying customs and traditions that trace back to biblical times. Rabbi Capela’s heritage speaks to this authenticity. His ancestors carried with them the values, rituals, and melodies of their forebears, connecting each generation to the spiritual and cultural heart of Judaism. Whether through prayers chanted in age-old melodies or practices rooted in the Land of Israel, the Capela family has preserved its identity despite centuries of displacement and challenge.

Rabbi Capela’s journey as a leader and educator is inspired by this heritage. Through his work, he highlights the narratives of Jews from Arab lands—stories that are often overlooked yet vital to understanding the full scope of Jewish history. His commitment to teaching about the eternal nexus between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel serves as a bridge between the past and the future.

As part of his efforts, Rabbi Capela delves into the connections between Yemenite Jews and the broader Middle Eastern context, exploring their influence on and interactions with surrounding cultures. This mission is not just about preserving history but also about fostering understanding and appreciation for the diversity and unity within the Jewish people.

Rabbi Capela’s story is a reminder of the enduring connection between the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland, a bond that continues to inspire generations.

The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran

The story of the Forgotten Refugees is commemorated every year in Israel and in the diaspora on November 30.  It is known as The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran.  It is the story of the expulsion of nearly a million Jews from Arab countries – Morocco in the West to Iraq in the East, from Syria in the North to Yemen in the South, as well as from Iran – as a consequence of the establishment of the State of Israel.  Most of these Jews had lived in Arab countries for centuries, even millennia, and are indigenous to the land.

While on the Columbia campus, I wanted to honor that day with an educational event to explain this critical piece of Jewish history.  I hoped to open a window into the context of these communities within the story of the Jewish people and, importantly and meaningfully, to amplify the often forgotten and unheard voices of these communities through the personal stories of some of their descendants.  The name we chose for the event was The Indigenousness of the Jewish People to Israel.

In the frequently discussed notion of indigenousness, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the suggestion is often made that Israel is somehow a “white, settler-colonialist” state, made up of “white Europeans.”  Ironically, in Europe, Jews were considered insufficiently white.  But when Jews arrived in the United States, at the American paradigm of black or white, they gradually were considered “white” and assimilated. Unfortunately, the perception in the West is firmly set on Jews being white and Israel being a “Western” country. On that basis, Black Lives Matter connects itself to the Palestinian cause, considering Jews white European colonizers, and Israel an Apartheid state, in which the brown, indigenous people are simply trying to redeem their land.

This rhetoric is so commonplace it has made it into literature published by Amnesty International, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Critical Race Theory.  The new curricula across the United States inspired by it, seems to me in sync with the utter lack of awareness of the story of Jews from the Middle East, a majority of whose ancestors never set foot in Europe, and share genetic markers, physical features, language and culture, with the surrounding non-Jewish populations in countries in which they lived – as well as with other Jews around the world.

There is at best, an informational disconnect between the reality of Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews and the demonstrably false notions that Israel and the Jewish People are “white” or “European settler-colonialist,” and thus an “Apartheid State.”  Therefore, we would like to expand the event of The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran and make it an annual lecture, where we bring experts in their fields amplify the history and cultures of Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews.