Iraqi Jews: A History (Paperback)

by Abbas Shiblak (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

" ... excellently researched and referenced ... carefully demonstrates the strains which the creation of an Israeli state imposed on the Iraqi Jews."--Tribune

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

" ... excellently researched and referenced ... carefully demonstrates the strains which the creation of an Israeli state imposed on the Iraqi Jews."--Tribune

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

"... will stimulate anyone trying to piece together the complex issue of communal co-existence in the Arab world."--Middle East International

"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

Product Description

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.

Iraqi Jews: A History examines the role of this community, highlighting the critical years of the late 1940s - after the establishment of the state of Israel - when deep rifts began to appear Iraqi society. The sad sequence of events that finally led to the mass exodus of Jews in the 1950s was marked by dishonesty on all sides.

An honest, impartial and well-documented account of a formerly well-integrated and vibrant community, Iraqi Jews: A History is a landmark in the political and social history of the Middle East.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863565042
• ISBN-13: 978-0863565045
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #824,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important scholarly work, April 20, 2006

By	tarihci202 "tarihci202" - See all my reviews

First a correction: The full title of this book is Iraqi Jews: A History of Mass Exodus. This is *not* a general history of Iraqi Jews; rather it specifically and exhaustively addresses the causes and repercussions of the exodus of Jews from Iraq in the period directly after the creation of the state of Israel.

The Jewish population of Iraq, and particularly of Baghdad, constitutes one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. In 1948, the Jewish population numbered well over 100,000. In the 1957 census, slightly less than 5,000 remained. Today, the number of Jews remaining hovers around 100, mostly elderly, holdouts.

Shiblak, using a wealth of sources, examines the pushes and pulls which created this mass exouds and gives a wealth of information regarding its demographic repercussions.

For those hoping for polemics (and this, like all issues relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict, is a point of polemical debate), Shiblak will certainly disappoint. Even the polemically minded, however, will find it hard to resist the wealth of statistical materials he provides. For the casual reader, this short, but very dense, work may be too much of a good thing. It is not a particularly easy read. On the other hand, for serious students of the Arab-Israeli conflict or of the Middle East, this is an invaluable contribution and well worthy of consideration.