The Jews of Iraq

Overview

An overview of the long tenure of the Jewish community in Iraq, this fascinating history details the comfortable, centuries-long coexistence between Jews and Muslims under an Islamic majority government. Opening with the Babylonian captivity in 731 BC, this account chronicles a time when the Jews were pushed out of Israel and Judea and deported to Babylon. Tracing the growth of Jewish towns in this new setting, the discussion points to a long period when Babylon was the center of Jewish life in exile and Talmudic study flourished. Continuing thought the centuries, the material covers the Mongol massacres of the Middle Ages, the Arab and Ottoman domination of Iraq, and the horrors of World War II, during which time the Rashid Ali regime carried out a Nazi-inspired pogrom in which Jews were murdered in the streets of Baghdad. The final chapters detail the exodus in 1951 of 100,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel.

Reviews

"No one interested in Jewish history will want to miss this erudite, elegantly written history of the oldest Jewish community in the Arab world. A work of interest and enduring value." —Alvin Z. Rubenstein, Orbis

"Fascinating and compelling. It is a welcome contribution . . . [sets] a standard for evenhandedness, while offering a good synthesis of available information and providing valuable insights." —Middle East Journal

"Nissim Rejwan, himself a scion of this community who went to Israel, is well-qualified . . . The Assyrian captivity, Greek, Roman and Sassanian dominations, the encounter with Islam, Geonim and Exilarchs, Misnah and Talmud—all are revived by his able pen." —Meer S. Basri, Jewish Quarterly

Author Biography

Nissm Rejwan is the author of Arabs Face the Modern World, Israel in Search of Identity, Israel’s Place in the Middle East, and The Last Jews in Baghdad.