The Jews of Iraq: 3000 Years of History and Culture

by Nissm Rejwan

Overview

An overview of the long tenure of the Jewish community in Iraq, this fascinating history details the 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781891785399
Publisher:	Fons Vitae of Kentucky, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Series:	The Fons Vitae Spiritual Affinities: Judaism & Islam Series
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1470L (what's this?)

About the Author

Nissm Rejwan is the author of Arabs Face the Modern World, Israel in Search of Identity, Israel’s Place in the Middle East, and The Last Jews in Baghdad.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part 1 From the Assyrian Captivity to the Arab Conquest (731 BC-AD 641) 1

1 Roots 3

2 The Lure of Exile 11

3 The Scribes and the Birth of the Synagogue 17

4 The Way They Lived 24

5 Greeks, Romans, Seleucids, Sassanians 30

6 Family, Home and Education 36

7 A Neat Division of Labour: Exilarch and Gaon 47

8 From Mishnah to Talmud 53

9 The Talmud in Action 61

10 Babylonia Assumes Leadership 70

Part 2 The Encounter with Islam (641-1850) 77

11 A Deep Sigh of Relief 79

12 Islam and the Jews: Theory and Practice 85

13 Baghdad's Jewish Population 94

14 Messianism and Karaism: Rabbinic Judaism Challenged 104

15 Saadia's Legacy 117

16 The Last of the Geonim 130

17 The Dark Ages of Iraqi Jewry 136

18 Lasting Imprint 144

19 100 Years of Turmoil 155

20 Recovery and Reassertion 161

Part 3 A Century of Radical Change (1850-1951) 169

21 The Road to Equality 171

22 Exilarch to Nasi to Hakham Bashi 177

23 The Impact of Modern Education 185

24 World War I 192

25 Rumours of a Brave New World 200

26 Mandate and Independence 210

27 The Farhud and its Consequences 217

28 Youth in Revolt 225

29 The Politics of Extortion 233

30 The Exodus 243

Appendix: The Organization of the Community 249

Chronology 254

Select Bibliography 258

Source Notes 260

Index 267

Maps: Jewish settlements in Babylonia in the Talmudic period 49

The City of Baghdad in the seventeenth century 165

Editorial Reviews

"No one interested in Jewish history will want to miss this erudite, elegantly written history of the oldest Jewish community in the Arab world. A work of interest and enduring value." —Alvin Z. Rubenstein, Orbis

"Fascinating and compelling. It is a welcome contribution . . . [sets] a standard for evenhandedness, while offering a good synthesis of available information and providing valuable insights." —Middle East Journal

"Nissim Rejwan, himself a scion of this community who went to Israel, is well-qualified . . . The Assyrian captivity, Greek, Roman and Sassanian dominations, the encounter with Islam, Geonim and Exilarchs, Misnah and Talmud—all are revived by his able pen." —Meer S. Basri, Jewish Quarterly

From the Publisher