Iraqi Jews: A History

(Paperback)

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Description

The Jews of Iraq constituted one of the oldest and most deeply rooted Jewish communities in the world. But in the early 1950s most of them left for Israel, under circumstances that remain the subject of heated controversy. Iraqi Jews: A History examines the role of this community, highlighting the critical years of the late 1940s - after the establishment of the state of Israel - when deep rifts began to appear in Iraqi society. The sad sequence of events that finally led to the mass exodus of Jews in the 1950s was marked by dishonesty on all sides. An impartial and well-documented account of a formerly well-integrated and vibrant community, Iraqi Jews: A History is a landmark in the political and social history of the Middle East.

Reviews

'... greatly enhances our understanding of the complex and troubled history of the Jews of Iraq in the first half of the twentieth century ... not only informative and illuminating but also strikingly fair-minded.' Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations, St Antony's College, Oxford 'It is a shabby and squalid story, but it is also a deeply tragic one. It is greatly to Shiblak's credit, and a measure of his humanity, that he has conveyed these two aspects so convincingly and so movingly.' Third World Quarterly ' ... excellently researched and referenced ... carefully demonstrates the strains which the creation of an Israeli state imposed on the Iraqi Jews.' Tribune 'Shiblak's book is especially important. He treats with sympathy the last days of a prosperous, industrious and conscientious community.' Jewish Quarterly ' ... will stimulate anyone trying to piece together the complex issue of communal co-existence in the Arab world.' Middle East International 'Groundbreaking, a breathtaking exploration of the still controversial topic...a cause for celebration for all those deeply engaged in a critical understanding of the Jewish-Iraqi tragedy.' Ella Shohat, New York University 'Shiblak's analysis is fair-minded and well balanced. It is a solid work of scholarship based on much research in primary sources.' Nissim Rejwan, Jerusalem Post 'The book is a landmark in the history of the Iraqi Jews after decades of silence and deceit.' Adel Samara, al-Arab

Author Bio

Abbas Shiblak is a Palestinian writer and academic. He is a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.