Visit Israel and you'll be startled by how many colors you'll see.

I don't mean the colors of the buildings or landscape.

I mean the colors of the people.

Black, white, olive, brown, and everything in between.

Israel is a true United Nations.

That's because Israel is a nation of refugees from everywhere.

And more than half of them are from, are you ready?

Arab countries.

Over 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from the Middle East and North Africa,

following the Arab countries attack on Israel when it gained its independence in 1948.

For over 2,000 years, these Jews had lived in the Arab countries of Morocco, Algeria,

Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

And in the Muslim, but non-Arab countries such as Turkey and Iran.

Today, they form over half of Israel's Jewish population.

Many of these Jews from Middle Eastern lands look well,

just like other people from Middle Eastern lands, of darker complexion with darker.

Other Jews migrated from North Africa.

So why is their story so unfamiliar to most people?

The most important reason is that they didn't remain refugees for long.

But refugees, they most certainly were.

The vast majority forced to leave their homes, possessions, and businesses behind.

In other words, they came to Israel with nothing.

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