Mizrahi Jews are Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries such as Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Morocco, and Egypt. Mizrahi Jews possess rich Jewish traditions, culture, and history, and built communities in Arab and Muslim-majority countries dating back many centuries.
After the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, many Jews were expelled from the kingdom of Judea, leading to the formation of Jewish Diaspora communities across different parts of the world. The Jews who remained in or returned to the Middle East and North Africa became known as Mizrahim, meaning “Eastern” in Hebrew.
The creation of the modern day state of Israel in the mid 20th century triggered rising antisemitism and political upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa, resulting in nearly all Mizrahi Jewish communities — approximately 850,0000 people — being expelled from the countries where they had been living for generations. The majority of those communities fled to Israel. Today, Mizrahim are a vital part of global Jewry, particularly in Israel, where they make up nearly half of the country’s Jewish population and contribute significantly to Israeli culture and society.