Thread by @ZechariahSharab

🧵on Jews of #Iraq 🇮🇶 العراق

1) The Jews of #Iraq are one of the most ancient communities of the Middle East

Jews arrived in Iraq in 586 BCE, and later drafted the Talmud in the Babylonian cities of Pompedita, Nahrdeah, and Surah (modern day Fallujah ٱلْفَلُّوجَة)

2) Iraq was the home of the prophet Ezekiel

His tomb still stands to this day in the town of Al Kifl الكفل, and is the holiest site for Jews in Iraq

Iraqi Jews had a long-standing tradition spending passover near the tomb, and the site was well protected by Saddam Hussein

3) The prophet Nahum is also buried in #Iraq in the #Kurdish city of Alqosh ألقوش

Iraqi Jews would visit this tomb on the holiday of Shavuot

4) Iraqi Jews established several major yeshivas in Baghdad, the most famous of which was Bet Midrash Abu Mansi headed by Rabbi Abdallah Somekh (left).

The most well known spiritual leader of Iraq's Jews is the Ben Ish Chai (right), whose books are well studied to this day

5) Jews were an integral part of Iraqi society. One particular area of contribution is Arabic Music, were composers such as Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaiti, Salim Murad, Filfel Gurgy, and many more had a pioneering role in the modern Arabic music

6) In fact, so many professional musicians in Iraq were Jewish, that Iraq National Radio did not broadcast live music on Yom Kippur and Tisha'a Be'Av, as most musicians were fasting

7) The most famous of Jewish singers was Salima Pasha سليمة مراد who was highly popular throughout the Arab world

She was dubbed "The Voice of #Iraq" 🇮🇶

She was recently honored at the International Oud Festival in #Jerusalem for her legacy

8) In 1941, The Iraqi government was overthrown by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, a Nazi collaborator

His coup led to the Farhoud الفرهود , a violent dispossession carried out on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot

180 Jews were killed, 1,000 injured, 900 Jewish homes burned

9) The Farhud was a tragic event, as up until that point, Jews were an integral part of Iraqi society

10) This marked the start of the exile of Iraq's Jews culminating in 1951 when the entire Jewish population migrated mostly to #Israel

11) Just like my granparents who arrived from #Yemen, Iraqi Jews had to get accustomed to living in a new and diverse society, with many different cultures and languages. Luckily, Arabic was spoken by other Jewish immigrants, which made their arrival easier

12) Iraqi Jews brought their beautiful culture and language, as well as many of their spiritual leaders from the Hadaya, Fetaya, Mussafi, and Kadduri families

In the picture below, you can see the Torah scrolls wrapped in cloth as they were carried on the plane

13) Iraqi Jewish musicians re-formed their orchestra and performed Arabic music daily, as they did on #Iraq National Radio, on the Kol Israel radio station

This radio program was very popular and well appreciated by MENA Jews who longed to hear their native music

14) Most famous was the legendary Qanun musician Abraham Salman. Although blind since birth, he was a well respected Qanun virtuoso throughout the Arab world

15) Today, 40% of the city of Ramat Gan #Israel, a suburb of Tel Aviv, is populated by Iraqi Jews. It boasts Iraqi restaurants and spice shops, as well as musicians that continue to preserve the Iraqi musical tradition

A monument in Ramat Gan commemorating Iraqi Jewry 🇮🇶✡️

16) Some famous Iraqi Jews in #Israel

Top left: Chief Sephardic Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef zt"l
Bottom left: Journalist Zvi Yehzekely
Top right: Kabbalistic Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri zt"l
Bottom right: Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked