Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon (Palgrave Studies in Oral History)

Iraq’s Last Jews is a collection of first-person accounts of Iraqi Jews about their lives in Iraq’s once-vibrant, 2,500 year-old Jewish community. It is also about the escape and rebirth of that community in the middle of the 20th century in the face of oppression and violence resulting originally from Nazi influences in Iraq, growing Arab nationalism, and eventually Arab anger at the creation of the state of Israel. This Book Tells The Story Of The Last Generation Of Iraqi Jews, Collecting The Oral Histories Of Wealth Businessmen And Communists, Popular Musicians And Reformist Writers, Iraqi Patriots And Early Zionists. Recorded Here Are Accounts Of Heroism, Ideals, And Intrigue, From The Undercover Israeli Agents Who Helped Orchestrate The Mass Emigration Of Iraqi Jews To Israel To Those Who Argued For The Lives Of Their Loved Ones In The Brutal Prisons Of Saddam Hussein To Muslims Who Saved Endangered Jews. Collectively, These Oral Histories Tell A Story About Quiet Bravery And The Possibility Of Peace In Times Of Great Upheaval.--book Jacket. Shlomo El-kevity -- Ezra Zilkha -- Salim Sassoon -- Salim Fattal -- Oded Halahmy -- Alfred And Hanina Shasha -- Sami Michael -- Shlomo Hillel -- Ilana Marcus -- Shlomo Sehayek -- Mordechai Ben Porat -- Saeed Herdoon -- Oddil Dallall -- Zuhair Sassoon -- Ronit Dangour -- Linda Masri Hakim -- Aida Zelouf -- Richard Obadiah -- Eli Amir -- Dhiaa Kasim Kashi. Edited By Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, And Robert Shasha. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [213]-216) And Index. Iraq's Last Jews is a collection of first-person accounts by Jews about their lives in Iraq's once-vibrant, 2500 year-old Jewish community and about the disappearance of that community in the middle of the 20th century. This book tells the story of this last generation of Iraqi Jews, who both reminisce about their birth country and describe the persecution that drove them out, the result of Nazi influences, growing Arab nationalism, and anger over the creation of the State of Israel. This book collects first-person accounts from Iraqi Jews about the lives they led in Iraq's once-vibrant, 2,500-year-old Jewish community - once the world center of Jewish life