Introduction: Who Are MENA Jewish Women?

“You are dearer to me than my own eyes”

December 14, 2025 - 25 Kislev 5786

Episode Summary

In our opening episode, we explore the heart of Ayuni: Voices of Our Jewish Grandmothers. Ayuni—“my eyes,” “dearer to me than my own eyes”—is the tender phrase many Middle Eastern Jewish grandmothers used for their children and grandchildren. We introduce who Mizrahi MENA Jews are: ancient Jewish communities from the Middle East and North Africa, most of whom were forced to leave their homelands in the mid-20th century due to persecution. Today, their descendants live mostly in Israel, carrying fragments of language, song, and memory. Much of their story—especially women’s stories—was lost or never recorded. Ayuni seeks to uncover, honor, and restore these voices.

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Every family holds a universe of memory.

If you’ve carried a song, a story, a proverb, a photograph, a silence — we welcome you to share it with us at [e-mail]
What memory from your grandmother’s kitchen still warms your hands and heart?

A dish, a spice, a scent — what story does it carry?

Your voice becomes part of our collective archive.

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Support Our Voices
Ayuni is a labor of heart and heritage.

• Become a supporter: If you believe in preserving the lived stories of Middle Eastern and North African Jewish women, please consider supporting this work. Your contribution helps us document what was almost forgotten — and amplify what must be remembered.

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  If you’d like to sponsor an episode in memory of a grandmother or in celebration of your family's story, please reach out: [e-mail]

Mentioned in This Episode

Gabai, Nili. Ha-Ishah ha-Yehudiyah be-Bagdad. Agudat ha-aḳademaʼim yotsʼe ʻIraḳ be-Yiśraʼel, The Jewish Woman in Baghdad (Hebrew), 2006.

Links & Resources

- Sephardic Voices: The Forgotten Exodus of the Arab Jews, Henry Green, Richard Stursberg, 2021

- Memories of Eden, Violette Shamash, Forum, 2008

- Uprooted:How 3000 Years of Jewish Civilization in the Arab World Vanished Overnight, Lyn Julius, Vallentine Mitchell, 2018