The Jews of Iraq : 3000 years of history and culture

An overview of the long tenure of the Jewish community in Iraq, this fascinating history detailsthe 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. Contents Preface Part One: From the Assyrian Captivity to the Arab Conquest (731 BC-AD 641) 1. Roots 2. The Lure of Exile 3. The Scribes and the Birth of the Synagogue 4. The Way They Lived 5. Greeks, Romans, Seleucids, Sassanians 6. Family, Home and Education 7. A Neat Division of Labour: Exilarch and Gaon 8. From Mishnah to Talmud 9. The Talmud in Action 10. Babylonia Assumes Leadership Part Two: The Encounter with Islam (641-1850) 11. A Deep Sigh of Relief 12. Islam and the Jews: Theory and Practice 13. Baghdad’s Jewish Population 14. Messianism and Karaism: Rabbinic Judaism Challenged 15. Saadia’s Legacy 16. The Last of the Geonim 17. The Dark Ages of Iraqi Jewry 18. Lasting Imprint 19. 100 Years of Turmoil 20. Recovery and Reassertion Part Three: A Century of Radical Change (1850—1951) 21. The Road to Equality 22. Exilarch to Nasi to Hakham Bashi 23. The Impact of Modern Education 24. World War 1 25. Rumours of a Brave New World 26. Mandate and Independence 27. The Farhud and its Consequences 28. Youth in Revolt 29. The Politics of Extortion 30. The Exodus Appendix: The Organization of the Community Chronology Select Bibliography Source Notes Part One 1: Roots 2 : The Lure of Exile 3: The Scribes and the Birth of the Synagogue 4 : The Way They Lived 5: Greeks, Romans, Seleucids, Sassanians 6 : Family, Home and Education 7 : A Neat Division of Labour : Exilarch and Gaon 8: From Mishnah to Talmud 9 : The Talmud in Action io : Babylonia Assumes Leadership Part Two 11 : A Deep Sigh of Relief i2 : Islam and the Jews : Theory and Practice 13: Baghdad’s Jewish Population 14: Messianism and Karaism: Rabbinic Judaism Challenged 15: Saadia’s Legacy 16: The Last of the Geonim 17 : The Dark Ages of Iraqi Jewry 18: Lasting Imprint 19:100 Years of Turmoil 20 : Recovery and Reassertion Part Three 21 : The Road to Equality 22 : Exilarch to Nasi to Hakham Bashi 23 : The Impact of Modern Education 24: World War i 25 : Rumours of a Brave New World Index