Thread by @lennybendavid

Enough. To those who say Jews of the Holy Land aren't indigenous, those who claim there are no "Jews of color," or Israel is "white."
Prepare for a long thread showing my collection of Jewish women of the Middle East from 100-150 y.a from Baghdad to Beirut, Tunis to Jerusalem.
1/

2/ The Maison Bonfils photographic studio opened in Beirut in 1867. Their photos were saved from a Lebanese collection by the British Library. Shown here:
a. Jewish girl from Beirut
b. Syrian Jewish woman
c. Young Jewish woman from Egypt
d. Jewish girl from Damascus
@HenMazzig

3/ More Jewish women from Bonfils collection saved by British Library Endangered Collection dept.

e. Jewish women preparing to go out.
f. Jewish girls
g. young Jewess
h. young Jewess

4/ Most unusual pics from Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
i. A Jewish girl of Damascus in her best outfit. Catch the shoes!
b. A Jewish girl from Algiers in a traditional Jewish outfit.

5/ Jewish homes in Syria, featuring the women.

k. Interior of a Jewish home, Damascus (1901) Library of Congress.
l. Jewish home in Damascus. Keystone-Mast collection, Univ of Calif Riverside.
m/n. Enlargements of previous pic.

6/ More women of Syria:

O. 3 Jewish women overlooking Damascus from Jewish Qtr. Keystone-Mast.
P. Poor Jewish family of Aleppo ~1910.

7. North Africa - Tunisia

Q. Jewish woman (hand-colored postcard)
R. Two Jewish women (Lib of Congress)
S. Women on the beach. Maybe on Djerba.

I found 3 diff versions of pic at Lib of Congress, Yeshiva Univ library, & a postcard collection.

8/ Jewish women, some refugees from WWI fighting at Baghdad ~1917. (Pics found in the British army archives)

T. Jewish women on New Street, Baghdad
U. Poor Jewish woman and children.
V. Veiled girl on left is a betrothed Jewess, then mother, & daughters

9/ Turkey
W. A remarkable pic from the Jewish Quarter of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1898 (Keystone Mast Collection, UC Riverside.)
X, Y, Z. Enlargements of the photo show many girls and women watching.

10/ Turkestan. When the Russian Czar took control of the area in 1850s/60s, he sent photographers to new region. 1,200 pics of tribes & peoples including Jews. Pics ~1870. Rare album now at Lib. of Congress

AA. Mulka
BB. Laula
CC. Mariam
DD. Sara

11/ Turkestan, continued.

EE. Sipara
FF. Mazal
GG. Ina
HH. Lia

12/ Ottoman Empire. A trove of pictures and drawing that I've barely explored is the Ottoman Imperial Archives. Here's a glimpse of the Jewish women over the last few 100 years.

II. Jews of Salonika.
JJ. Jewish family in Constantinople.
KK. Salonika 1900
LL. "Femmes de Judee"

13/ One more batch of pics of Jewish women from the Ottoman Imperial Archives.

MM. Jewish woman of Baghdad.
NN. Jewish merchant.
OO. Jewish women of Constantinople ~1850
PP. Jewish girl dressed for her wedding ceremony 1769.

14/END
These are the matriarchs of the Jewish People who lived in Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Turkey, Babylon...
Their Jewish descendants were forced to leave their homes and many settled in Eretz Yisrael.
Let no one claim that the Jews are not indigenous to the Middle East.