The Israel-Kurdistan Friendship League

The Israel-Kurdistan Friendship League, possibly the first friendship association between Jews and Israelis and Muslim community in an Arab country was established in 1994 in Jerusalem, by several Israeli and Jewish activists of Kurdish origin or interest.[1][2][3] The founder was Mordechai Zaken[4][5] and the main activists who worked together were the late Moshe Zaken, a business man from Jerusalem, Meir Baruch, a retired military person, Michael Niebur who spent some time in NGOs helping the Kurds, and Mathew B. Hand an American who promoted activity of coexistence with Muslims. The response of Kurdish representatives and organizations both in Kurdistan and the diaspora was enthusiastic as can be judged from hundreds of letters, phone calls and also email received in Jerusalem within short time after the announcement of its founding in the world press and in The Voice of America in the Kurdish language, which conducted interviews with the founder, Mordechai Zaken. The League also published a newsletter called yedidut (heb., friendship) carrying the message of Israeli and Jewish friendship to Kurds worldwide.[6]

A newsletter entitled "Yedidut" (Hebrew, Friendship) edited in 1993 in Jerusalem, as one of the first steps of the newly established "Israeli-Kurdistan Friendship League", to send the message across to the Kurdish people in Kurdistan and the diaspora.

References
  1. "Israeli-Kurdish Friendship League".
  2. Izreʿel, Shlomo; Drory, Rina (1995). Language and Culture in the Near East. BRILL. p. 222. ISBN 9789004104570.
  3. "Minorities in the Middle East - Columbia University Libraries". library.columbia.edu.
  4. Publications, Usa International Business (7 February 2007). "Middle East and Arabic Countries Taxation Law Handbook". Int'l Business Publications – via Google Books.
  5. Sharpe, J. Forrest (2006). Neo-Conned!. IHS Press. p. 96. ISBN 9781605700090.
  6. "US, Israel sympathetic to Kurds but lack concrete action, Kurdish official says - Middle East - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com.
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