Some 2,500 years after the first Jews established roots in Babylon, the once-vibrant and prosperous Jewish community of Iraq has disappeared. A community that numbered close to 140,000 in the late 1940 and comprised fully one-third of Baghdad s population consisted of a mere 20 when U.S. tanks rolled into the Iraqi capital in 2003.

Yet as late as the 1920s and 1930s, Iraqi Jews felt the heady potential of full equality in a secular society for the first time in their long history of subordination to Muslim rulers. From music to politics to commerce, Jews played a major role in Iraqi society and culture. For centuries after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Babylon was the world s epicenter of Jewish life and religion the place where the Babylonian Talmud was written and where rabbis from across the region and Europe came to learn from the most scholarly sages. But the community dissolved in the middle of the 20th century when pro-Nazi forces, Arab nationalism, and the formation of Israel led to violence against and a general sense of insecurity among Iraqi Jews, causing them to flee, mostly over the course of about a year and a half.

This book tells the story of that last generation, people who in many cases grew up with strong patriotic feelings but were always prepared for a future beyond Iraq's borders just in case. The storytellers of these first-person accounts vary as widely as any group of Jews does, reflecting the breadth and texture of the community: wealthy businessmen and Communists, popular musicians and reformist writers, Iraqi patriots and early Zionists. Many had close friends among the Muslims and Christians of Iraq of whom they speak warmly. They tell the tales of a people with a love for their birth country that persisted even as they were forced to leave their homes.

The story of the final decades of the Jewish community in Iraq divides into three periods. First is the period before 1939 when the Jews in Iraq saw themselves as part of the Iraqi national fiber in government, commerce, and the arts. That ended verbally with the rise of Nazi influences andviolently with the Farhoud, a pogrom against the Jews, in 1941. Second is the period between then and 1953 when increasing Nazi agitation and Arab hostility toward the new state of Israel turned most Jews into Zionists and the vast majority of the community left. The final period records an Iraq that drifted towards increasingly autocratic leadership, culminating in the sadistic dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, with the Jews often playing the role of scapegoat. Finally, the book closes with several moving retrospectives of the community from a diverse group that includes two poets, a novelist, and an Iraqi Shiite.

These stories are sometimes funny, often tragic, touching, and insightful. Readers will find that the editors, in addition to recording descriptions of daily life, have also uncovered acts of heroism, adventure, and intrigue: from the undercover Israeli agents who helped orchestrate the mass emigration of Iraqi Jews to the young Jewish state at mid-century, to those who argued for the lives of their loved ones in the brutal prisons of Saddam Hussein. What has been compiled here, ultimately, is a book about quiet bravery in times of distress and a celebration of the possibility of peace.

Interviews and Reviews

Finalist, National Jewish Book Award 2008, Sephardic Culture

Interview January 19, 2008 on the BBC. Please note that it may take 30 seconds to load depending on your connection speed.

Interview on WKGO. Look at the 5 AM slot.

A review in Choice .

A review in the New York Post can be found here and is reproduced below.

A review in the Jewish Journal of Boston can be found in the 1800s and 1900s.

A review by the deputy director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry is reproduced below.

A review in the Jewish Book World is here

The cover of the magazine Masaaraat in which the introduction to our book (written by Dr. Shmuel Moreh) is translated to Arabic.

New York Post Review

By MICHAEL SOUSSAN November 23, 2008

"I felt I was leaving behind the Garden of Eden," writes Oded Halahmy of his expulsion from Iraq. His is just one of the fascinating testimonials in "Iraq's Last Jews," a compilation of first hand accounts by Jews who fled their Iraqi homeland. These stories provide more than just the details of Iraq's former Jewish community; we learn so much about that country's larger history and culture.

At the time of the British occupation of Iraq in 1917, one third of Baghdad's population was Jewish. An incredible statistic, given that there are only about a dozen Iraqi Jews left there today. Of the 137,000 Jews who resided in Iraq in the early 1940s, 124,000 had fled the country by 1952.

The book is filled with amazing characters like Baghdad-born Halahmy, who moved to Israel in 1951, and is now a famous sculptor and art gallery owner in New York. At his Pomegranate Gallery in SoHo, Halahmy now helps young Iraqi artists (of all faiths) promote their work internationally.

In contrast to his positive memory of Iraq, Linda Masri Hakim, who left in 1972, after the Ba'athist regime had taken power and steadily increased its persecution the Jewish community, still has nightmares about being stuck in that country today. "When I wake up, I touch my pillow and say, 'thank God I am not in Iraq.'" Linda says she would like to "close the book" on the Jews' history in that country and "forget about perpetuating the memory. This is my attitude because we can't go back in the same way that European Jews could go back to Europe after the Holocaust."

From the mix of idyllic and traumatic memories we get a sense of the enormous loss Iraq itself suffered from the persecution and flight of its Jewish community. Shiite Muslim Dhiaa Kasim Kashi writes that, from a cultural standpoint, Iraq "suffered a big shock when the Jews left," because "all of Iraq's famous musicians and composers were Jewish," as were a large portion of its other artists. In addition, "Jews were so central to commercial life in Iraq that business across the country used to shut down on Saturdays because it was the Jewish Shabbat. They were the most prominent members of every elite profession - bankers, doctors, lawyers, professors, engineers, etc." In Kashi's view, had the Jews stayed, they would have helped "manage the country far better" and served as a "moderating influence of society," a bulwark against the "extreme brand of Arab Nationalism" embodied by Saddam Hussein, which ultimately led the country into three devastating wars and complete economic collapse.

If many of the individuals who fled Iraq rose to prominence thereafter, it may be due to the exceptional richness of their heritage. They were thoroughly integrated into the larger community and used Arabic as their main language, they were literate and Jewish community leaders played an important role in shaping Iraq's political destiny for centuries. Sir Sassoon Hezkel, for example, participated in the negotiations with Winston Churchill that led the formation of the modern Iraqi state. Knighted by the British crown, he was also an early supporter of King Faisal I, the first Hashemite leader of Iraq. (He later served as Faisal's minister of finance, which goes to show the level of trust that used to exist between Iraq's Muslim and Jewish communities).

Yet "Iraq's Last Jews" is almost a misleading title. The story of Iraq's prominent Christian communities is also told here. At a time when many Iraqi Christians are suffering from renewed persecution, their proud history is both timely and relevant for diplomats and journalists involved in that country's transition. It is not a coincidence, for example, that the northern city of Mosul remains the last bastion of Sunni extremism. There is a very real fear among some of the town's Sunni population, many of whom now live in the homes formerly occupied by expelled Jews, Kurds and Christians, that they may be dispossessed of the ill-gotten gains they acquired under Saddam's rule.

What is it about this ancient land that had the world's major powers involved in its destiny throughout recorded history? That is the larger question this book addresses. The testimonies of "Iraq's Last Jews" serve as the narrative threads that help to unveil layer upon layer of false assumptions and misguided perceptions, most of which stem from news coverage devoid of historical perspective. Even the normally well-informed New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman thought it wise to joke, in 2003, that the US had invaded "the Flintstones." Though Friedman was obviously trying to convey the extreme poverty he witnessed while traveling through Iraq, of all the countries the US has ever invaded, Iraq may be the least befitting of such a simplistic analogy. Iraq is a naturally rich country, both in resources and culture, and the extreme poverty its civilians were reduced to under Saddam Hussein is a historical anomaly.

"Iraq's Last Jews" does describe heart wrenching tragedies, but the collection also reminds us that "mutual respect and even friendship" between Arabs and Jews and Christians was "once the norm" in Iraq.

Having traveled extensively throughout Iraq, both before the war (as a humanitarian worker) and after the 2003 invasion (as a journalist), I learned more flipping through these 200 hundred pages than I imagined possible. "Iraq's Last Jews" is without a doubt the most surprising and informative book about that country's culture and history to date.

Michael Soussan teaches international relations at New York university's Center for Global Affairs and is the author of the book Backstabbing for Beginners: My crash course in international diplomacy.

Jewish Journal of Boston

Book Sheds Light on Iraq's Once-Thriving Jewish Population Eric Shoag Special to the Journal Wed, January 28, 2009

Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon Tamar Morad, Dennos Shasha and Robert Shasha Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

When one thinks of Iraq, images of war, destruction and chaos come to mind. One certainly does not imagine it being home to a flourishing, vibrant and vital Jewish community.

Yet in the not- too-distant past, that is precisely what existed there, and the largely untold story of that community and its demise is the subject of the book "Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon". The book is part of Palgrave Macmillan's "Studies in Oral History" series. The story is by no means a pleasant one, but it is essential to our understanding of not only the past and present of Iraq, but also of Israel, and of the epic Jewish odyssey of the tumultuous twentieth century.

At just over two hundred pages, this unassuming volume is packed with the detailed reminiscences of ex-patriots from many different social and economic strata. Editors Tamar Morad, Dennos Shasha and Robert Shasha have trimmed the narratives skillfully to present a composite picture of a once-thriving community systematically decimated over the years by the whims of unstable governments, and the fanned flames of racism and Arab nationalism.

Many of the interviews begin with affectionate recollections of a beloved homeland lost forever: the sights, sounds, and smells of routines, relatives, friends and neighborhoods now dispersed and dismantled. Jews were an integral part of Iraqi society from the centuries it existed as part of the Ottoman Empire, through the British-Arab alliance following World War I that resulted in its creation as an independent state. King Faisal's benevolent rule over this new state fostered an atmosphere of tolerance and equality which ended abruptly with his death in 1933, after which rising anti-Jewish and Pan-Arabic sentiment led to restrictions on all phases of Jewish life, culminating in the establishment of a pro-Nazi government and a notorious deadly pogrom against the Jews known as the Farhoud in 1941.

Anti-Jewish feelings exploded to new heights in the aftermath of Israel's independence in 1948, and its subsequent victory over the Arab armies that challenged its very right to exist. This led directly to the massive emigration of Jews from Iraq to Israel in the 1950s in what came to be called Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. It is here that a book of this kind, a history told in the form of a string of first-person tales, is particularly affecting. The notion that history is made up of ordinary people's decisions is brought home in full force, particularly in the story of Shlomo Hillel, an agent of the Mossad (Israeli Secret Service) who helped organize illegal airlifts of Jews. Hillel tells of the moment of panic he experienced when he found himself in a cockpit for the first time, feeling completely in over his head, fearing imminent discovery and failure. The individual leaps of faith by people like Hillel added up to a heroic movement whereby most of Iraq's 140,000 Jews found new homes in Israel and elsewhere.

Things turn surreal and horrific in the testimonies of those who stayed in Iraq through the 1960s, when the cycle of tolerance supplanted by increasingly repressive regimes continued, leading to the domination of the sadistic Saddam Hussein, who appears in these pages in some truly foreboding and ominous encounters. Random arrests and torture became commonplace, especially after Israel's decisive victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, when Jews suddenly found themselves without jobs, their assets frozen, and even their phone service cut off.

A brutal touchstone moment came in January 1969, when a group of 15 prisoners (nine Jews) was hanged in the public square of Baghdad. This event, like the Farhoud of 1941, we see through many pairs of eyes, including those of Zuhair Sassoon, grandson of the last Chief Rabbi of Iraq, whose father was imprisoned with those who were hanged. Sassoon speaks of his shock upon seeing the bodies and identifying his father's distinctive shoes on one of them. After what "felt like an eternity," he looked up to the face, which was that of a stranger. His father (released the following year) had loaned the shoes to another, less fortunate, prisoner.

Sadly, Jews themselves are not spared criticism from some interviewees, who tell of Israeli prejudices against Arab Jews, or Mizrachim, once they arrived in the Jewish State. The difficulties Mizrachim faced both in Iraq and at the hands of a largely Eastern European, or Ashkenazi, power structure in Israel is perhaps understandably avoided considering the unflattering light it shines on traditional Zionist narratives, but it should not be ignored. The once-voluminous Jewish population of Iraq has dwindled incredibly to the single digits, but thanks to this book, its story has not disappeared and the small but significant acts of kindness and heroism that punctuate this tragic tale lend it an air of humanity and hope, as well as the fact that by its mere existence, there is the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past and forge a brighter future both for the Jews and for the world at large.

Eric Shoag writes from Boston

Zvi Gabay's Review

Here is how it appeared originally in the Jerusalem Post: first page and second page

May 27, 2009 12:18 | Updated May 28, 2009 12:41

Babylonian heritage

By ZVI GABAY Iraq's Last Jews - Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval and Escape from Modern Babylon
Edited by Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha and Robert Shasha
Introduction by Prof. Shmuel Moreh Palgrave-Macmillan 211 pp., $75.99 (hardcover)

Although the Jewish community of Iraq was forced to flee, its story is rarely told, leaving the Palestinians as the only victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

How does one explain the reason why a prosperous community of 140,000 people, with a history and heritage of 2,600 years, uproots itself en masse, and leaves Iraq, the country which it helped modernize in all areas - government and politics, economy, medicine, education, literature, poetry and music? An explanation for this extraordinary historical phenomenon is found in Iraq's Last Jews.

This book includes testimonies of 19 Jews (men and women) as well as of an Iraqi Shi'ite, who personally experienced the events that occurred in Iraq during the last century.

The main reasons that brought about the escape of the Jews from Iraq may be summarized as follows:

the xenophobia of the nationalistic Sunni leadership, which did not tolerate minorities, including Shi'ites, Christians and Kurds, especially if they had substantial financial means and social standing;

anti-Semitism, which existed in newly independent Iraq (and in other Arab countries), which was sponsored by Nazi Germany and led by the German ambassador, Dr. Fritz Grobba, who was supported by fanatical religious leaders, such as Haj Amin el-Husseni (who escaped from Palestine under British Mandate and continued his anti-Jewish activities in Iraq).

The climax of the anti-Jewish activities in Iraq, was the Farhud - the uprising against the Jews on Shavuot of 1941 - during which 135 men, women and children were murdered, hundreds were injured and much property was looted. This uprising ultimately brought about the escape and the mass emigration of the Jews from Iraq. The longing for Zion among Iraqi Jews directed many of them to Mandate Palestine and later on to Israel, while a minority opted to immigrate to other countries such as the United States, Canada, England and Australia. Today, the number of Iraqi Jews residing in Israel is 244,000, while 40,000 are distributed elsewhere in the world.

The catastrophe of the Jews of Iraq occurred for no obvious reason. The anti-Jewish policy of its governments left them with one option - to escape and leave behind all their personal and communal property. Unlike the Palestinians, the Jews of Iraq did not wage a war against Iraq nor did the Jews in other Arab countries. They were the scapegoats of political conflict in their own countries. Israeli governments throughout the years, for reasons which are not clear, did not include this catastrophe of the Jews of Arab countries as part of their political agenda nor was it included in the educational program, as in the case of the Nakba of the Palestinians. This enabled Arab propagandists to portray the Palestinians as the only victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The testimonies are personal and include a broad description of Jewish life in Iraq spanning the comfortable day-to-day life, mainly during British rule, the sufferings and persecutions once Iraq became independent and finally the escape to Eretz Yisrael, through the assistance of the Zionist underground movement, which was established after the Farhud.

They are also authentic and can be the basis for writing the history of the Jews of Iraq in the last century. The introduction, written by Prof. Shmuel Moreh, provides historical background and explains how the Jewish community survived for 2,600 years, in Babylon and later in Iraq.

The extraordinary history of Dhiaa Kassem Kashi, the young Shi'ite, who suffered from oppression in Iraq and was forced to escape in the 1980s, is a vivid example of the sufferings of the non-Sunni communities in the country. He longs for the good relations that existed between his family and his Jewish neighbors. Needless to say, there were Muslims who did not agree with the policy of hatred toward the Jews; however, their voices at the time were not heard. The Jews in Iraq suffered from the struggles between the Sunnis and Shi'ites, as today Israel is at the center of the conflict between Shi'ite Iran and Sunni Arab countries.

The timing of the publication of this book is critical, since firsthand testimonies of Jews who lived in Iraq are dwindling (two of the Jews included in the book were not fortunate enough to see its publication). In this respect, special acknowledgment should be given to the Jewish Babylonian Heritage Center in Or Yehuda, for its important work in collecting and documenting personal testimonies of Iraqi Jews.

Since the book is in English, it provides for the first time a good glimpse of the history and the plight of the Iraqi Jewish community to a broad range of readers. Many of the descendents of the Jews of Iraq in Israel and other countries reached prominent positions in a range of fields - government, economy, science and the arts - due in part to their great heritage. The book is highly recommended for readers interested in exploring this unfortunately neglected part of Jewish history.

The writer is a former ambassador and deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry.

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