Mordechai Zaken Explained

Mordechai Zaken
Native Name:מוטי/מרדכי זקן
Native Name Lang:he
Birth Date:April 26, 1958
Death Date:May 14, 2021
Other Names:Moti Zaken
Education:PhD, 2003
Alma Mater:Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Occupation:Advisor to the Prime Minister on Arab & Minority Affairs
Years Active:May 1997 – November 1999
Employer:Israel
Organization:The Israel-Kurdistan Friendship League

Mordechai Zaken also Moti Zaken (Hebrew: מוטי/מרדכי זקן; Arabic: مردخاي زاكين ) (April 26, 1958 – May 14, 2021)[1] was a historian and the 2019 laureate of "the Prime Minister Prize for the research of the Jews of the Orient."[2] [3] [4] He was an expert on the Kurds and Middle Eastern minorities both as academic – he was historian of the Jews, the Kurds in Kurdistan[5] and as professional - serving as the advisor on Israeli Arabs and minorities to the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (1997–1999), and to the Ministry of Public Security from 2001.[6]

Education, expertise, prizes

Zaken earned his BA, MA, cum laude, and PhD (2003) in Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He studied as well in the US in both SUNY Binghamton and New York University (1987-1990). Among his influential teachers were Moshe Sharon,[7] Benjamin Z. Kedar and the late semitic linguist, with whom he published the Book of Ruth in Neo-Aramaic.[8] He published another Neo-Aramaic text in a book honoring Goldenberg's jubilee.[9]

On 6 March 2019, he was announced as the laureate of "the Prime Minister Prize for the Empowerment of the research of the Jews of the Orient and Iran."[10] [11]

New oral history documentation on the Jews of Kurdistan

The severe dearth of written sources on Kurdistan, drove him as a student to embark on oral history fieldwork research, conducting altogether hundreds of in-depth oral interviews with more than sixty elderly Jewish Kurdish informants, whose excellent memory was the product of oral culture. He thus saved their memories from being lost forever.[12] This study forms a new set of historical records. His book on the Jews and the tribal Kurdish society has received wide attention and commended even in its Arabic translation, published in Beirut, as an "innovation,"[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] and has been translated as well into Kurdish, in both Sorani and Kurmanji, Persian and French.[19] [20] [3] [6]

Prime Minister's Advisor on Arabs & Minorities Affairs

Expertise in the Arab Minorities in Israel

As advisor to the Prime Minister on Arab affairs at the Prime Minister ministry (May 1997 – November 1999) he was engaged in the complex relations between the government and the communities of minorities. In 2016, within the Public Security Ministry, he formed a new governmental forum for dialogue with local Arab leaders.[21] [22]

Forming the Government-Christian Forum

As an advisor on minorities to both the prime minister and the ministry of Public Security he has been standing up against hate crimes.[23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

In 2013 he initiated with Christian leaders the Government – Christians Forum that addresses the concerns of the Evangelical Christian community vis a vis the government.[29] [30] [31] Two prominent Christian leaders in this forum have been Rev. Kopp, of the Baptist Church and Rev. David Pillegi, Rector of the Christ Church in Jaffa Gate.[23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [32]

Founding the Israeli-Kurdistan Friendship league

In 1993, he founded the Israeli-Kurdistan Friendship League, possibly the first friendship association between Jews and any community in the Arab states, together with Moshe Zaken and Meir Baruch, Michael Niebur and Mathew B. Hand, the last two with whom he edited the newsletter Yedidut.[33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41]

In October 2012 he visited Kurdistan at the invitation of the World Kurdish Forum and in October 2013 participated in, and delivered a presentation for this forum that was held in Stockholm, Sweden.[42]

The dispute between Muslims and Christians in Nazareth

He was the coordinator of the third Ministerial Committee set to resolve the dispute between Muslims and Christians in Nazareth regarding a dispute near the Basilica of the Annunciation, a dispute that concerned leaders throughout the world, such as the US president George W. Bush and the Pope John Paul. The daily presence of Muslim activists in the plaza near the old mosque, known as "Shihab al-Din," became an obstacle for the plan to build an open plaza for the historical visit of the Pope John Paul II in the year 2000.[43] [44] [45] [46] He constructed the final draft for the cabinet resolution,[47] which was used by the State Attorney in the Supreme Court to repel the appeal against the government, in the years 2001–2003.[48] [49]

Director of the Institute of Students and Faculty on Israel, in New York

Zaken served as the last National Director of ISFI, or "The Institute of Students and Faculty on Israel," in New York, an organization under the auspices of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Consulate in New York City (1989–1991). ISFI provided political and cultural resources, ideas and tools, for Jewish and pro-Israel student activists throughout the US and Canada, through which Israeli oriented activities and the message of Israel could be promoted in US campuses.

Journalism, media and public speaking

In 1982, as Chief-Editor of the students' newspaper at the Hebrew University Pi-Ha'aton ("The donkey's mouth", taken from the Book of Numbers, 22:28), one of his main journalistic achievements was the unearthing of an old photograph from 1948, taken by Arabs and showing mutilated faces and bodies of Jewish soldiers that were part of an army unit that later became known as "Nabi Daniel Caravan" (שיירת נבי דניאל). He published the photograph and the story behind its discovery in a special Independence Day Edition, on 26 April 1982. He was also the Co-Chief editor of "Tipul Shoresh" (Heb., root canal treatment) an annual newspaper of the public activists' program at the Hebrew University, the circulation of which was stopped by the directors and university administration, due to its critical approach towards the university policy regarding social issues.[50] As a scholar, Zaken has been a frequent guest in radio and TV programs, speaking mostly on the Kurds and the minorities in the Middle East, and has been interviewed by newspapers as an expert on these subjects.[51] [52] [53] [54] [55]

He also spoke in public on these topics.[56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65]

Publications

Thesis

Books (including translations)

Selected lectures or conference participation

Selected book chapters

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.facebook.com/MopsGov/photos/a.233250006852436/1801308990046522/?type=3 המשרד לביטחון הפנים
  2. Israel Hayom, 6 March 2019.
  3. Web site: Siani . Simcha . Awarding of the Prime Minister's Prize for the Study of Israeli Communities . he.
  4. Web site: פרס ראש הממשלה לעידוד והעצמת חקר קהילות ישראל בארצות ערב ואיראן לשנת תשע"ט הוענק עבור מחקריהם של הרב פרופ' משה עמאר, פרופ' יהודית הנשקה ודר מרדכי זקן.
  5. His research is quoted and referred to by many scholars who deal with different subjects touched upon by Zaken. See for instance the following publications: Nader Entessar, Kurdish politics in the Middle East, Lexington Books, 2009:213; Michael Fischback, Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries, Columbia University Press, 2010: 215, 355.
  6. Web site: פרס רה"מ לחקר מורשת יהודי המזרח הוענק לזוכים. Inn.co.il. 6 March 2019 . 16 February 2022.
  7. Web site: Professor Moshe Sharon. 2015-11-22. 2018-11-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20181118220840/http://www.asmeascholars.org/professor-moshe-sharon/. dead.
  8. "The Book of Ruth in Neo-Aramaic," [By] G. Goldenberg and M. Zaken, in W. Heinrichs (Ed.), Studies in Neo-Aramaic, Cambridge: Harvard Semitic Studies Series(1990): 151-157.
  9. "Inventors’ Fate" A Folk-Tale in the Neo-Aramaic of Zakho," in M. Bar-Asher (ed.), Massorot: Studies in Language Traditions and Jewish Languages, vols. 9, 10, 11 (1997): 383-395 [Heb.]
  10. Israel Hayom, 6 March 2019.
  11. Israel Hayom, 6 March 2019.
  12. The Jews of Kurdistan & their Tribal Chieftains: A Study in Survival, by Mordechai (Moti) Zaken (Jerusalem, 2015), Rev. & 2nd EBook edition; Jewish Subjects and their Tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan: A Study in Survival, in Jewish Identities in a Changing World, vol. 9 (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2007; The book has recently published into Arabic by the Center for Academic Research in Beirut, 2013. Its importance may be viewed in the introductions of the editors of the book. The translator into Arabic Dr. Suad M. Khader explains: "This book is considered an important contribution to both the Kurdish and the Arabic library…the translation of this kind of book is considered an important necessity… the author introduced an important picture of this era of Kurdistan."

    Dr. Nasir al-Ka’bi, Director of the Center for Academic Research in Beirut wrote:"The major innovation of this study is the use of the verbal narrative (oral history) as it was clear that the other traditional and archival sources were not sufficient…" This study is distinct from other studies of the Jews of the Orient, as it concentrates on the nature of the relations of the Jews with their vicinities, namely the aghas and the masters; their relations with the authorities, the rulers and the leaders of the towns, which permits the political dimension, and their relations with the Muslims, including the religious dimension…"His book on the Jews and the tribal Kurdish society has received wide attention and commended even in its Arabic translation, published in Beirut, as an "innovation."

  13. Web site: the study is very detailed and provides much hitherto unknown information on Kurdish Jews and their relations with their Muslim neighbors... according to Rachel Simon of Princeton University, at the Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, May/June 2008, Volume XXVII, No. 4 (PDF). 16 February 2022.
  14. Book: Jewish subjects and their tribal chieftains in Kurdistan : a study in survival. 646789877.
  15. Book: Amazon.com: Jewish Subjects and Their Tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan (Jewish Identities in a Changing World) (9789004161900): Mordechai Zaken: Books. 978-9004161900. Zaken. Mordechai. January 2007. BRILL .
  16. The Ph.D. committee was composed by Prof. Moshe Sharon of the Hebrew University, Prof. Joyce Blau previously of INALCO, Paris, and Prof. Yona Sabar of UCLA
  17. Web site: Announcesment of the publication of "Jewish subjects and their tribal chieftains in Kurdistan" in Arabic, in Beirut, 2013 - Jews of Kurdistan. Mordechai. Zaken.
  18. Yahud Kurdistan wa-ru'as'uhum al-qabaliyun: Dirasa fi fan al-baqa'. Transl., Su'ad M. Khader; Reviewers: Abd al-Fatah Ali Yihya and Farast Mir'i; Published by the Center for Academic Research, Beirut, 2013; يهود كردستان ورؤساؤهم القبليون : (دراسة في فن البقاء) / تأليف مردخاي زاكن ؛ ترجمة عن الانكليزية سعاد محمد خضر ؛ مراجعة عبد الفتاح علي يحيى، فرست مرعي. زاكن، مردخاي، ١٩٥٨م-;خضر، سعاد محمد; بيروت, 2013: المركز الأكاديمي للأبحاث;
  19. D. MORDIXZI ZAKIN, CULEKEKANY KURDISTAN, ERBIL, 2015; French into Kurmanji translation of an article by Moti Zaken, "Jews, Kurds and Arabs, between 1941 and 1952", by Dr. Amr Taher Ahmed Metîn n° 148, October 2006, p. 98-123.
  20. Juifs, Kurdes et Arabes, entre 1941 et 1952, Errance et Terre promise: Juifs, Kurdes, Assyro-Chaldéens, études kurdes, revue semestrielle de recherches, 2005: 7-43, translated by Sandrine Alexie.
  21. al-akhbar (Nazareth, Arabic newspaper) 11 March 2016, front page article.
  22. Web site: Temple Mount Terror Attack Highlights Key Role of Israeli Druze Community. Algemeiner.com.
  23. Web site: Christians, Israeli Jews Fight Persecution Together . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103021511/http://www.cc.org/news/christians_israeli_jews_fight_persecution_together . 2012-11-03 . Christian Coalition of America . 2014-06-10.
  24. Web site: Christians in Israel Must Be Treated with Respect. Voice of Israel. 2015-09-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714235037/http://www.voiceofisrael.com/christians-in-israel-must-be-treated-with-respect/. 2015-07-14. dead.
  25. Government Official Visits Vandalized Church . Ministry of Public Security . 2014-06-20 . 2014-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714131831/http://mezila.mops.gov.il/english/aboutusenglish/news/pages/baptistvisit.aspx . dead .
  26. Web site: ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IN SOLIDARITY WITH VANDALIZED CHURCH . Jerusalem News Network . 2012-02-28 . 2014-06-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140607003033/http://jnnnews.com/jol_feb_28_12.htm . 2014-06-07 .
  27. Web site: Israeli gov. official in solidarity with vandalized church . Israel Today . 2014-06-10. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151127083634/http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23126/Default.aspx . 2015-11-27.
  28. Web site: Jerusalem Church Defaced With Hateful Graffiti . 4 . 2012-03-01 . 2014-06-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130409164748/https://www.nlife.com.au/PDFs/1st_March_2012_Edition.pdf. 2013-04-09.
  29. al-Akhbar, 4 November 2015; al-akhbar, 11 November 2015.
  30. Web site: Mitchell. Chris. Israel Steps Up Efforts to Protect Christian Community . CBN.com. 30 June 2015. 2015-09-09.
  31. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . 2015-10-14. Analysis: Arab-Israeli MKs of Joint List opting for conflict instead of cooperation . The Jerusalem Post.
  32. "al-Akhbar", Arabic newspaper printed in Nazareth, writes extensively about the Forum, in its front page and page 5, on October 14, 2016
  33. Web site: Israeli-Kurdish Friendship League. Israeli-kurdish-friendship-league.blogspot.com. 16 February 2022.
  34. Eşref Günaydın, Yahudi Kürtler, Babil´in Kayıp Çocukları, 2003, p. 55.
  35. Book: Israel Shahak. Open Secrets: Israeli Foreign and Nuclear Policies. registration. Pluto Press. 1997. 77.
  36. Web site: عبدالله جاسم ريكاني.
  37. Web site: Türkiye Yeni Bir "SEVR"e Doğru Gidiyor. Hakikat.com. 16 February 2022.
  38. Web site: 2021-06-04. Foremost expert on Kurdish Jews, Mordechai Zaken, dies. Point of No Return. 2024-05-09.
  39. Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds. Ofra Bengio. Middle East Forum. June 2014.
  40. Book: Laçiner, Sedat. Turkey and the World: A Complete English Bibliography of Turkey and Turks. 6 January 2019. USAK Books. 9789756698082. Google Books.
  41. "The Wandering Kurd," (Hebrew) Davar, 2 December 1994.
  42. Web site: "The Jews their Aghas," Dr. Moti) Zaken, the 3rd "World Kurdish Congress," Stockholm 2013 - Jews of Kurdistan. admin.
  43. Web site: 4 IDF Soldiers Dead, At Least 10 People Wounded by Hamas; 40 Rockets Fired By Hezbollah VFI News . 2024-05-09 . vfinews.com . en.
  44. Web site: Archived copy . 2014-06-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006182033/http://147.237.72.72/NR/rdonlyres/D2306F1B-E132-4BFD-9E01-F498E082E8AA/0/TheDisputesoverTwoBasilicaesIntheHolyLand14_16.pdf . 2014-10-06 . dead .
  45. Web site: Nazareth mosque plan splits Muslims, Christians. Elaine Ruth Fletcher, SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER. 23 April 1999. SFGate.
  46. News: Israel Sets Forth Compromise Plan on Nazareth Mosque Dispute. 20 April 1999. The New York Times.
  47. Web site: April 20, 1999 . Israel Sets Forth Compromise Plan . The New York Times.
  48. Web site: Missing Page Redirect. Cwnews.com. 16 February 2022.
  49. Web site: February 2011 . 271295 . istanbul.indymedia.org.
  50. Web site: טיפול שורש. Arabjewsarchive.wordpress.com. 16 February 2022.
  51. Web site: Minderheiten in Israel: Zwischen staatlicher Fürsorge und langsamer Assimilierung . Minorities in Israel: Between state care and slower Assimilation . Mordechai . Zaken . 2016-10-14. Gelleschaft für bedrohte Völker . de.
  52. News: Frantzman. Seth J.. 29 November 2017. MKs unite to support Kurdish people at Knesset . The Jerusalem Post.
  53. News: Solomon . Ariel Ben . 18 July 2017 . Temple Mount terror attack highlights sharp dichotomy between Israeli minorities . Jewish News Syndicate.
  54. Web site: Sherwani . Leyla H. . 2017-07-08 . Remnants of Jewish Neighborhood in Zakho on Verge of Collapse . BAS News . dead . http://web.archive.org/web/20170810150148/http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/reports/369146 . 2017-08-10.
  55. Web site: Gil . Ines . 5 October 2017 . Au Kurdistan irakien, la difficile renaissance du judaïsme (2/2) . In Iraqi Kurdistan, the difficult rebirth of Judaism (2/2) . fr.
  56. מרכז דהאן - יהודי כורדיסטן: זהות ומורשת - ד"ר מוטי זקן . Dahan Center - The Jews of Kurdistan: Identity and Heritage - Dr. Moti Zaken . 2015-01-15 . Zaken . Mordechai . Symposium . he . Dahan Center . YouTube.
  57. A conference on the Jews of Kurdistan, Ben-Zvi Institute for the study of Oriental Jewry, 15 October 2015
  58. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . Tehran seeks to overcome Western influence by supplying weapons to Kurds . The Jerusalem Post. 26 August 2014 . 2015-09-09.
  59. Dr Mordechai Zaken, Kurds and Kurdish Jews Hebrew Interview . 2015-08-28 . Lowenstien . Nitza . Podcast Interview . he.
  60. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . Iran deal could lead to improved covert Arab-Israel cooperation . The Jerusalem Post. 13 July 2015 .
  61. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . So are there Jews in Kurdistan?. The Jerusalem Post. 12 November 2015 .
  62. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . 2017-01-23 . After Bedouin Riots, Israeli Arabs Set Violent Precedent for Future Demolitions of Illegal Communities . Jewish News Syndicate.
  63. Web site: Solomon. Ariel Ben. Jerusalem terror and the split between minorities. The Jewish Star. 19 July 2017 .
  64. Web site: Solomon . Ariel Ben . 2017-01-03 . Israeli Arabs living the good life, but some are still working to undermine the state . Jewish News Syndicate.
  65. Web site: Alesvich . Matt . 2018-08-15. Iraq's Kurdish Jews look to the future with hope and scepticism. Middle East Eye.

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