Iraq and its Jewish minority: from the establishment of the state to the great Jewish immigration 1921-1951

Abstract

ABSTRACT The transition from life under Ottoman rule to life under the Iraqi Kingdom established in 1921 marked a positive shift in the fortunes of the country’s Jewish community. During the British mandate for Iraq (1921–32), the Jews enjoyed equal rights and were economically and socially integrated into Muslim society. However, with the end of the mandate and the acceptance of Iraq’s independence, a process of restricting the Jews and physically harming them began, culminating in the pogrom (known as the Farhud) of June 1941. During the decade attending the Farhud, the Iraqi government linked the fate of the Jewish community to that of the Palestinian Arabs. The state pursued a policy of oppression and discrimination, which eventually led to the displacement of the country’s Jewish community from a place it had called home for thousands of years.