Mohammed Al Samawi, “The Fox Hunt”

Sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, Southeast Region

With Daniel Pincus, National Board of Governors, American Jewish Committee

In Conversation with David Lewis, David Lewis Productions

COMMUNITY PARTNER: HADASSAH GREATER ATLANTA

Born in Yemen, Mohammed Al Samawi was a devout Muslim raised to think of Christians and Jews as his enemies. At 23, he secretly received a copy of the Bible, which cast doubt on everything he’d previously believed. After connecting with Jews and Christians on social media, Al Samawi became an activist, making it his mission to promote dialogue in Yemen. Then came the death threats: first on Facebook, then through terrifying anonymous phone calls. To protect himself and his family, Mohammed fled to Aden not knowing that the city was about to become the heart of a north-south civil war. As gunfire and grenades exploded throughout the city, Mohammed hid in the bathroom of his apartment and desperately appealed to his contacts on Facebook. Miraculously, a handful of people he barely knew responded. Over 13 days, four ordinary young Jews worked to save this young man and his family. The Fox Hunt reminds us that goodness and decency can triumph even in the darkest circumstances.