Mizrahi Heritage Month: A OneTable x JIMENA Shabbat Supplement
Jewish life has been present in the Middle East and North Africa for over a millenia. Between 1948-1980, in the years following World War I and the founding of the State of Israel, approximately 850,000 Jews living in this region were expelled from their home countries and left to resettle in Europe, Israel, and North America. While this history is known among the Mizrahi and Sephardi communities, this history has rarely been documented, and the plight of these people as refugees has largely been ignored by the global community. In 2014, Israel declared November 30 as an annual national day of commemoration for Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century. To raise global awareness, November has come to be known as Mizrahi Heritage Month.
In addition to supporting young adults in creating a lifelong Friday night Shabbat practice, OneTable’s goal is also to help hosts connect to their Jewish roots and discover the flavors of the greater Jewish diaspora. Over the years, many OneTable community members have hosted and participated in Mizrahi and Sephardi-inspired Shabbats that have introduced their guests to Jewish culture and history from the Middle East, North Africa, and Iran. Loving what we’ve seen transpire and honoring our commitment to the full inclusion of all Jewish communities, we are excited to announce that we are once again partnering with San Francisco-based nonprofit JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa to create more opportunities for people to explore Jewish diversity.
Throughout the rest of the year, OneTable and JIMENA are encouraging you to honor Mizrahi and Sephardi culture by hosting Mizrahi Heritage Shabbat dinners of your own. To elevate your experience, we have created this Mizrahi Heritage Shabbat supplement to help you plan, frame, and cook for your dinner. We are elated to work together once again and look forward to counting you as allies in holding space for all Jewish histories.