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Meet the TikToker trying to revive Judeo-Arabic, the nearly extinct language Jews once spoke across the Arab world

Summarizing Simone Saidmehr in Forward · Published Sunday, March 22, 2026
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JL;DR SUMMARY Dan Sheena, a TikTok creator and Arabic teacher, is on a mission to revive the nearly extinct language of Judeo-Arabic through social media and online classes. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Diaspora  Jewish Heritage  Social Media  Tiktok  Assimilation  Cultural Preservation  Judeo Arabic  Language Revival  Iraqi Jews  Dan Sheena 

Places mentioned

Israel
"Raised by two parents from Baghdad, Sheena grew up in Israel and spoke the language at home."
Baghdad, Iraq
"In TikTok videos viewed tens of thousands of times, 31-year-old Dan Sheena dons a blond wig and acts out skits of a bickering Iraqi couple in a language that is nearly extinct: Judeo-Arabic."
Iraq
"In Iraq, where there was once a thriving Jewish community of around 120,000, just three Jews are believed to still live in the country."
United States
"In Israel, Bar Moshe said, Arabic was seen as the language of the enemy, so children were embarrassed to speak it. Vicky Sweiry Tsur and her mother on a trip to Bahrain Courtesy of Vicky Sweiry Tsur There was a similar pressure to assimilate for Jews who fled to other countries."
United Kingdom
"There was a similar pressure to assimilate for Jews who fled to other countries. We wanted to be British, said Vicky Sweiry Tsur, a Bahraini Jew who grew up in the U.K."
Bahrain
"Vicky Sweiry Tsur and her mother on a trip to Bahrain Courtesy of Vicky Sweiry Tsur There was a similar pressure to assimilate for Jews who fled to other countries."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"She previously served as a research assistant at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she worked on the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. Originally from New York City, she is a graduate of the dual bachelors program between Columbia University and Tel Aviv University, where she studied Middle Eastern studies and political science."
New York City, New York, United States
"She previously served as a research assistant at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she worked on the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. Originally from New York City, she is a graduate of the dual bachelors program between Columbia University and Tel Aviv University, where she studied Middle Eastern studies and political science."
Canada
"When Jews left the Arab world, most fleeing to Israel, the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, they commonly abandoned the language as they tried to integrate into new societies."
California, United States
"We wanted to be British, said Vicky Sweiry Tsur, a Bahraini Jew who grew up in the U.K. and now lives in California."

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Cairo Item ID 78231
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Retrieved 2026-03-23 05:30:44 UTC
Curated 2026-03-23 08:31:03 UTC