Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life

05/01/2024

Located a block from Rue de la Palestine, the now-closed cemetery in Khenchela, Algeria is described as "mixed" because it contains both Christian and Jewish graves. The cemetery has fallen into disrepair, becoming a dumping ground and purportedly a popular spot for drug dealers and prostitutes. Worse, remains have been disinterred. In 2016, a FB commentor cited Islam's prohibition on disrespecting the dead, adding: "what's happening now has nothing to do with religion." Pictures posted on Facebook in March 2023 depict a mummified arm strewn on a street, where children allegedly played with it (not shown). The posters of these picture as well as other commentors expressed outrage.

Algerian-born French Professor Benjamin Stora's father, Maurice, is from the town, which he describes as "a mysterious place from my childhood where my sister went every summer, and I never did." In preparation for writing "Les trois exils. Juifs d’Algérie," Stora visited Khenchela in 2004....

Continue reading: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/2099/

21/02/2021

Thank you Jane Arraf / The New York Times. Originally a Jewish shrine, disputes about the holy occupant(s)/ownership of Baghdad's "Tomb of Joshua" led to persecution of the Iraqi-Jewish community in the 19th century & during the Farhud.

Learn more: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/275/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/world/middleeast/baghdad-iraq-joshua-tomb.html

No one knows for certain if Joshua, the Old Testament prophet, actually lived or where he might be buried. But for over 1,000 years, the sick and faithful have visited a Baghdad tomb said to be his.

09/11/2020

In 2019, Beitenu: The Atlas of Jewish Life with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations created the 1st digital map of over 1,000 synagogues & other Jewish sites attacked by the N***s on based on "Pogrom Night, 1938." Contact us if you have info/would like to help us complete the project.
https://t.co/II8H0zXVG2?amp=1

A Beitenu: Atlas of Jewish Life digital rendering of the sites documented in "Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany" and GermanSynagogues.com. This map is a work in progress, additional multimedia will be uploaded over time. Please email [email protected] with corr...

04/06/2020

“[I]n many cases, Diarna’s virtual records are all that stand between these centuries-old treasures & total oblivion.... [Diarna] has the power to change the very nature of how we understand the past”~Dara Horn, Smithsonian Magazine

“The implications of this project are enormous not only for threatened Middle Eastern minorities, but for all of us. [Diarna] has the power to change the very nature of how we understand the past.” ~Dara Horn, Smithsonian Magazine

04/06/2020

“The implications of this project are enormous not only for threatened Middle Eastern minorities, but for all of us. [Diarna] has the power to change the very nature of how we understand the past” ~ Dara Horn, Smithsonian Magazine

The digital venture, called Diarna, takes you back to painstakingly revived synagogues and destinations once lost to history

04/06/2020

The New York Times article, "An Iraqi Town Where Muslims, Jews & Christians Coexist, in Theory," on Amediye in Iraqi-Kurdistan, mentions "Hazzana," a mysterious Jewish holy man. Based on Diarna's research, however, the shrine shown belongs to Asenat Barzani, a 17th century female Rabbi (indeed, the 1st), who also headed a yeshiva at Mosul. In 1664, Rabbi Ḥarīrī extolled her erudition and referred to her as “Master, Rabbi, and Teacher." See: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/909/

Behind a wall, in a garden, at the foot of an old stone staircase, is the underground tomb of Hazana of Amadiya, a Jew celebrated by some Muslims and Christians, too.

04/06/2020

The digital venture, called Diarna, takes you back to painstakingly revived synagogues and destinations once lost to history

05/05/2020

Ever wonder about the Jews of Start Wars? Today on , explore the last of the Jewish sites in Luke Skywalker's hometown, Tatooine ( Tatooine, Tunisia): https://diarna.org/exhibits/jews-of-star-wars/

08/01/2018

Dr. Beth Harris of Smarthistory interviewed Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life Jewish Life Coordinator Jason Guberman-Pfeffer about the race against time to save vanishing Jews history in the Middle East and North Africa. Their conversation focuses on the Eliyahu HaNabi (Elijah the Prophet) Synagogue that once stood in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus, Syria. This interview is part of Smaryhistory's NNational Endowment for the Humanities-supported ARCHES (at risk cultural heritage education series). See: https://smarthistory.org/diarna-documenting-places-vanishing-jewish-history/

A conversation with Jason Guberman-Pfeffer, Executive Director, Digital Heritage Mapping, Inc. and Coordinator, Diarna Geo-Museum and Beth Harris. An ARCHES ...

09/11/2017

The Diarna Geo-Museum of North African & Middle Eastern Jewish Life is the flagship initiative of Digital Heritage Mapping (DHM), a non-political organization dedicated to digitally preserving historic sites across the Middle East and beyond. DHM works with individuals and institutions of all backgrounds and perspectives. Both the diversity of its partners and the non-political nature of its mandate remain integral to DHM’s identity and success.

The Diarna Geo-Museum of North African & Middle Eastern Jewish Life is the flagship initiative of Digital Heritage Mapping (DHM), a non-political organization dedicated to digitally preserving historic sites across the Middle East and beyond. DHM works with individuals and institutions of all backgr...

19/09/2017

In this rare film clip, Moroccan Jews اليهود المغاربة pray during Rosh Hashanah at Tangier, Morocco, circa late 1950s/early 1960s. The synagogue, based on the plaque visible at 00:11, appears to be the Moshe Laredo (also known as Yosef Laredo and Akiva Laredo), but the interior scenes seem to be from somewhere else, mostly likely the Avraham Toledano Synagogue, based on the location of the pillars and the Tebah. Hear the shofar at 01:41.

For the full film, "Edge of the West" (France, 1961), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBMK...

Thank you to The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the The Hebrew University of Jerusalem for making this film (in its entirety) and so many other archival films accessible to the public.

In this rare film clip, Moroccan Jews pray during Rosh HaShanah at Tangiers, Morocco, circa late 1950s/early 1960s. The synagogue, based on the plaque visibl...

16/06/2017

16/06/2017

Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life is in a race against time to preserve the oral histories of the last primary source generation with memories of Jewish life throughout the region. We are particularly interested in conducting interviews with: Iraqi Jews(Jews Of Babylon) יהדות בבל from outside of Baghdad, Iraq (places such as Najaf, Iraq, Samawah, Al Muthanna, Iraq, Fallujah, Iraq, Mosul, Iraq), الليبيون اليهود Libyan Jews from outside of Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya (such as Sert, Libya, Derna, Yifrin, Garian, Gharyan, Libya), and Yemeni Jews. يهود اليمن יהודי תימן from outside of Sanaa, Yemen (such as Ibb, Sa’adah, Taiz, Yemen, Aden, Yemen).

Contact us immediately if you or someone you know has memories or documents to share. Diarna researchers are ready to meet you in the United States, Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, Australia, France, or Italy.

To-date Diarna has conducted over 200 interviews, identified over 1,800 synagogues, schools, shrines, and other structures, and documented hundreds of sites via more than 40 research expeditions. Please help us preserve these memories before they are forever lost.

דיארנא: המוזיאון הגאוגרפי של חיים יהודיים בצפון אפריקה ובמזרח התיכן, נמצאת במרץ נגד הזמן לשמר ההיסטוריה בעל פה של הדור העיקרי האחרון עם זיכרונות של חיים יהודיים באזור. אנחנו מעוניינים במיוחד לבצע ראיונות עם: עיראקים מחוץ לבגדד (כמו נגאף, סמאואה, פלוגה, מוסל), לובים מחוץ לטריפולי ובנגזי (כמו סירת, דרנה, יפרן, גריאן), ותימנים מחוץ לצנעא (כמו אב, צעדה, תעיז, עדן).

תהיה בקשר איתנו מיד אם יש לך או למישהו שאתה מכיר זיכרונות או מסמכים להשתתף. חוקרי דיארנא מוכנים לפגוש אותך בארה"ב, קנדה, ישראל, אנגליה, אוסטרליה, צרפת, ואיטליה. עד היום, בצענו יותר מ200 ראיונות, זהינו מעל 1,800 בתי כנסת, בתי ספר, קברים, ואתרים אחרים, ותיעדנו מאות אתרים באמצעות יותר מ40 משלחי מחקר. נא לעזור אותנו לשמר הזיכרונות לפני שהם אבודים לנצח.


ديارنا: المتحف الجيوجرافي لحياة اليهودي في شمال أفريقيا و الشرق الأوسط تكن في سباق ضد الزمن لحفظ التاريخ الشفوي من التوليد الأخر مع ذكريات من عيش اليهوديين في المنطقة.
المتحف مهتم بعمل مقابلات مع اليهود العراقيين الذين ليس من بغداد (من النجف والفلوجة والموصل والسماوة) و اليهود الليبي الذين ليس من طرابلس او بنغازي (من سرت ودرنة ويفرن وغريان) و اليهود اليمنيين الذين ليس من صنعاء (من إب وصعدة وتعز وعدن).

اتصل بنا الآن لأنا انت او شخص تعرفه لكم ذكريات أو وثيقات لشارك .
باحث ديارنا مستعدين لقابل معكم في الولايات المتحدة كندا المملكة المتحدة أستراليا فرنسا إيطاليا إسرائيل.
حتى اليوم تفعل ديارنا أكثر من 200 مقابلات و محدد أكثرمن 1800 كنيست و مدارس و مزارات و موقع اخرى و تجميع صور وفيديو من مئات موقع بواسطة أكثر من 40 بعيثات بحث.
ساعدينا حافظ الذكريات قبل ضايعهم.


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09/03/2017

Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life is featured in a news segment on Channel 1 (Israel) רשות השידור - Israeli Broadcasting Authority. Contact us here or at [email protected] if you or someone you know can share memories of Jewish life in the Middle East and North Africa, and/or if you have photographs or documents on Jewish sites (synagogues, cemeteries, schools, shrines, or other structures).

09.03.2017 לאורך ההיסטוריה של המזרח התיכון עמדו התרבות והמסורת היהודית, לצד הערבית-מוסלמית: בתי כנסת, מבנים עתיקים ומקומות פולחן. בשנים האחרונות - בשל המלחמו...

08/03/2017

Thank you, Joshua Shamsi, Diarna's Lead Photographer and Outreach Director, for your years of service and your beautiful photo of the Jewish cemetery at Ksar El Kebîr, Ouarzazate, Morocco that appears on Page 1 of Newsweek's US Edition for 3 March.

08/03/2017

Newsweek's article about Diarna, "The Race to Save Jewish Heritage," the cover story of 3 March edition of Newsweek International is a cover headline and feature article in the US Edition this week. Get your copy on newsstands now!

http://www.newsweek.com/2017/03/03/isis-destroying-centuries-jewish-history-middle-east-volunteers-558799.html

19/02/2017

Today, Sunday, 23 Shebat, is the (date of passing) of Rabbi Shlomo ben Lahens (Lhens), the Snake Rabbi (literally "Son of the Snake"). Rabbi Shlomo traveled to Morocco to raise funds for yeshivot (schools) in Israel, but was unable to finish his journey and passed away in the Ourika Valley. His tomb remains as a place of pilgrimage for from all over the world. Join Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life on a virtual pilgrimage to the tomb.

Perched on the edge of a mountain above a river valley sits the 500 year-old tomb of an emissary from the land of Israel who died while on a fundraising trip...