Baghdad in the 1940s teemed with Jewish life. Today, a handful of Jews remain in the Iraqi capital. What happened in between is the relatively unknown story of the ethnic cleansing of Iraq’s Jews. Following decades of persecution that included a local Nazi uprising during World War Two, one of the oldest Jewish communities limped to its final death under Saddam Hussein’s regime. The modern story of Iraq’s Jews is bloody, tragic and largely untold.
Carole Basri has made it her life mission to tell that story. The Fordham University Adjunct Professor of Law is herself of Iraqi descent, and has led the recent resurgence of research into what she calls the “taboo history” of Middle East Jewry.
She heads an organization that carefully maps out places in the Middle East with historical Jewish interest, such as synagogues and tombs. She also lectures widely on the topic, propelled by her belief that the taboo history is part of a larger Arab effort to say that Jews never existed in the Middle East and therefore have no historical claim to Israel.
Basri delivered a keynote lecture at the National Jewish Retreat in 2013, where she spoke of her family’s pain in being driven from the country where they had lived for 2700 years. Basri detailed the campaign of anti-Jewish activity that steadily eroded the Jewish community: legislation banning Jewish commerce, accusations of treason, restriction on travel, and expropriation of property.
Following the US takeover of Iraq in 2003, Basri travelled to Baghdad to conduct ethics and anti-corruption training. She brought a menorah with her and lit it in one of Hussein’s palaces. Around her echoed the whispers of the 160,000 Jews who used to call Iraq home; today, Basri is giving them a proper voice.
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Although not a Jew, I taught Jewish students in Baghdad at the Frank Iny and Shamash school from 1957-1959 and I want to thank Mrs Basri for telling the true story of the sufferings of this brave race.
Thank you Mrs. Basri for that informative and emetdike presentation about the Iraqui Jews. So important for those of us who know nothing concerning what’s going on with Yidden far from our own little dales amos. I appreciate the fact that there are people like you who dedicate their lives to helping the Jews in Iraq.
I admire the Basris immensely. As someone who lived the period I affirm many of her statements. However, there are a few errors which I wish she avoided.
Every Iraqi jew should be thankful for this deep study of historical facts and joining them together by Carol. We certainly know and lived most of the incidents but she made order.
It seems she knows much about the source of anti-Semitism in the middle east.
However, her just talking about it at workshops – about her concern that no one will remember that Jews were in the middle east – will become self-fulfilling: no one will hear about this but a small, niche inerest group,
She needs to make a movie/documentary/book
Bravo to this woman for her important work!!