The Tragic Demise of Iraqi Jewry

Until the 1950s, Iraq was home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, with a proud history spanning over 2,600 years. Today, fewer than ten Jews are left in the country. Within a few decades, a community of over one hundred thousand was reduced to practically nothing. What happened that caused the tragic demise of Iraqi Jewry?

Read on to learn more about the end of the famous Jewish community of Iraq. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out our article on the most significant episode in the demise of Iraq Jewry: the unprovoked massacre of Jewish men, women, and children in Baghdad in 1941 known as “The Farhud.”

Iraqi Jewry before the Twentieth Century

The history of the Jews in Iraq can be traced back to 586 BCE, when Babylon was under the control of the neo-Babylonians, who were ruled by Nebuchadnezzar II. At this time, Jews living in the Kingdom of Judah were uprooted and exiled to Babylon. When the return to Zion occurred around 50 years later, very few Jews living in Babylon chose to go back to the Holy Land, having settled and made lives for themselves in Babylon. Over the course of time, Babylon became a hub for Judaism, seeing the rise of some of Judaism’s greatest scholars. Following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Babylon became a great center of learning and saw a number of schools and prominent Jewish religious figures arise.

This period culminated in the creation of the Babylonian Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish halacha (religious law) and Jewish theology. The Babylonian Talmud comprises the Mishnah and the Babylonian Gemara, the latter representing the pinnacle of more than 300 years of analysis and debate of the Mishnah by successive generations of Jewish scholars.

Over the centuries, the region was conquered several times, often leading to periods of great upheaval. Under the Sassanids, the Jewish community prospered, as the Jewish community benefited from good relationships with its leaders. The Mongol period followed, and while life under the new regime started off well for the Jews, by the end of Mongolian reign, Jews regularly experienced persecution. The Mongolian period was followed by Ottoman rule. Then too, Jews were not treated as equals and occasionally suffered terrible indignities and persecution, but nevertheless were allowed to flourish to the point that the Iraqi Jewish community became a hub for Middle Eastern Jewry.

Although not fully integrated into Iraqi society, up until the 1920s and 30s the Jews of Iraq generally enjoyed a relatively high standard of life, holding key positions in government and bureaucracy and being very successful economically. Jewish schools introduced modern methods of teaching, resulting in many Jews enjoying a higher level of education than the rest of the population. This allowed Jews to work in a number of fields, including in the government and economics, as well as in the arts and performance. However, the Jews’ success was a double-edged sword, and provoked resentment among the greater population.

The Rise of Zionism

Zionism rose to prominence following the First World War. However, few Iraqi Jews were initially interested in making Aliyah, believing that Zionism too closely resembled socialism. In addition, Iraqi Jews were generally not interested in the agricultural work required of those moving to Mandatory Palestine. Therefore, despite their sympathies with the Zionist vision, many disregarded moving to Israel as a viable option.

Two years after the Great War, in 1920, the “Jam’iyya Adabiyya Isra’iliyya” (Jewish Literary Society) Zionist group was founded in Baghdad. The society was initially permitted by the Iraqi government, but after two years a new law passed by the Iraqi government required societies and associations to register with the Ministry of the Interior. Despite existing for two years by then, the Minister delayed the Jewish Literary Society’s permit until 1924, and even then the society was allowed to operate in a limited area, thanks to much pressure from the Zionist Organisation in London. Over the next five years, a number of Zionist societies and groups were established; some clandestinely, some openly.