JEWS AMONG MUSLIMS
Prior to World War II, approximately one million Jews lived in the predominantly Muslims countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. How are the lives they left behind remembered? And how does memory becomes politicized in light of current events. See my reflections in the articles I've published on the topic:
Central Asia's Bukharan Jews
Deep in the heart of Central Asia, Bukharan Jews occupied the geographical edges of the Jewish world for well over a millennium. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the population (some 50,000) left their homes en masse. In a historical instant, one of the world's longest chapters in diaspora history came to an end.
I have devoted much of my scholarly life to exploring the historical and contemporary experiences of this little-understood group. For some of my writing on the topic, click here.
Prior to World War II, approximately one million Jews lived in the predominantly Muslims countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. How are the lives they left behind remembered? And how does memory becomes politicized in light of current events. See my reflections in the articles I've published on the topic:
- Muslim Couple Preserves Remnants of Jewish Life in Uzbekistan, The Jewish Daily Forward, December 2013
- Remembering Home and Exile: Memoirs by Jews of Muslim Lands, AJS Perspectives, 2007
- The Forgotten Refugees Remembered in Film, Judaism, 2006
Central Asia's Bukharan Jews
Deep in the heart of Central Asia, Bukharan Jews occupied the geographical edges of the Jewish world for well over a millennium. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the population (some 50,000) left their homes en masse. In a historical instant, one of the world's longest chapters in diaspora history came to an end.
I have devoted much of my scholarly life to exploring the historical and contemporary experiences of this little-understood group. For some of my writing on the topic, click here.