Al Jazeera Video about CVJHP

The video below, which highlights the work of CVJHP, was produced by and featured recently on Al Jazeera Arabic TV. The spot showcases Magen David Sephardic Synagogue in Rockville, MD, whose congregants hail primarily from #Morocco, #Iraq, #Iran, #Syria, #Turkey and other parts of the Arab/Muslim world. The synagogue reflects the exquisite Muslim architecture of “Al Andalus” where #Arabs ruled large swathes of the Iberian Peninsula from about 700 – 1492. The rich cultural and intellectual legacy left by the Arab and Amazigh caliphate, in which #Jews #Christians and #Muslims intermingled relatively harmoniously, is reflected in #Sephardic (Spanish) traditions throughout the world. When the Catholic Church reconquered the territory from the Arabs in 1492, it imposed the Inquisition and expelled the Moors and Jews (unless they converted to Christianity). Jews sought refuge in Muslim North #Africa and in the lands of the #Ottoman Empire. It’s a reminder that Jews have been part and parcel of the Arab/Muslim world and of Morocco in particular, for over 2,000 years.  (Full Facebook post here)