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

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 "In this fascinating book, the last generation of Iraqi Jews tells their story in their own words. It's a tragic and profoundly moving account. This volume is a must-read for understanding one of the most important and overlooked aspects of the Middle East - the fate of Jews in Arab countries."--David A. Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee "Iraq's Last Jews is a thoroughly researched, riveting account of the last generation of Iraqi Jews. The editors have identified some of the most remarkable stories about this community, and in doing so have brought to light the rich, sometimes sad, always interesting history of the oldest Jewish diaspora in the world. This book will be of great value to all who care about the history of the Middle East, Iraq in the twentieth century, and the saga of the last Jews of Arab lands." - David Landau, former editor-in-chief, Ha'aretz "This important book opens a window onto the fate of the Jewish community of Iraq, which for many years had been obscured by attempts to hide the brutal policies practiced by state governments against the Jews. It is possible now to get a real picture of the suffering of the Babylonian Jewish community as expressed in these authentic testimonies. The appearance of this book in English is a great service to Western readers." - Nissim Kazzaz, Ben Gurion University, member of the Academic Committee of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, Or-Yehuda and the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq in 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."--Jacket 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. 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 Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction: The Historical Context....Pages 1-10 Iraq, Our Country....Pages 11-75 An Audacious Plan....Pages 77-124 Our Country No More....Pages 125-187 On the Outside....Pages 189-207 Conclusion....Pages 209-211 Back Matter....Pages 213-223