Iraqi Jews: A History of Mass Exodus

The Jews of Iraq constituted one of the oldest and most deeply rooted Jewish communities in the world. But in the early 1950s most of them left for Israel, under circumstances that remain the subject of heated controversy. Researched and written by Palestinian writer and academic, Abbas Shiblak. He is a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. First published in 1986, this 2005 edition includes a preface by Peter Sluglett.

Shiblak examines the critical years of the late 1940s – after the establishment of the state of Israel – when deep rifts began to appear in Iraqi society, and the sad sequence of events that finally led to the mass exodus of Jews in the 1950s. An honest, impartial and well-documented account of a formerly well-integrated and vibrant community, Iraqi Jews: A History of Mass Exodus is a landmark in the political and social history of the Middle East.

Reviews:

'Groundbreaking, a breathtaking exploration of the still controversial topic ... A cause for celebration for all those deeply engaged in a critical understanding of the Jewish-Iraqi tragedy.' Ella Shohat, New York University

‘Shiblak’s book is especially important. He treats with sympathy the last days of a prosperous, industrious and conscientious community.’ Jewish Quarterly

‘It is a shabby and squalid story, but it is also a deeply tragic one. It is greatly to Shiblak’s credit, and a measure of his humanity, that he has conveyed these two aspects so convincingly and so movingly.’ Third World Quarterly