Iraqi Jewish Immigrants, Palestinian refugees, and intercommunal relations in Tira Transit Camp

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article discusses the relations between different Jewish migrant communities during the early 1950s in the Tira transit camp (Ma’abara) that was established on the land of the Arab village of Al-Tira near Haifa. The Tira camp was divided into two parts. While the population of the north camp was dominated mainly by Jewish migrants from Romania, the south camp was home mainly to Jewish migrants from Iraq. This article concentrates on the Iraqi Jews, particularly those from Mosul who settled in the south camp, and examines their relations with Jews from Baghdad. The article examines the ways in which the borders between the south camp and north camp influenced the intercommunal relations in this space. It also explores the manner in which the relations between the different Jewish communities in Iraq were reflected in the relations among the migrants in the south camp. During the transition from the Arab village of Al-Tira to the Jewish village of Tira, dozens of Palestinian refugees returned to the lands of the village. Thus, the article also examines the crossing of ethnic and national borders and the relations between Jews and Arabs in this shared space.