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The New Babylonian Diaspora
The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Community in Iraq, 16th-20th Centuries C.E.
Series: - The Brill Reference Library of Judaism, Volume: 57
Author:
The New Babylonian Diaspora: Rise and Fall of Jewish Community in Iraq, 16thâ20th Centuries C.E. provides a historical survey of the Iraqi Jewish community's evolution from the apex of its golden age to its disappearance, emergence, rapid growth and annihilation. Making use of Judeo-Arabic newspapers and archives in London, Paris, Washington D.C. and other sources, Zvi Yehuda proves that from 1740 to 1914, Iraq became a lodestone for tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants from Kurdistan, Persia, the Mediterranean Basin, and Eastern and Central Europe. After these Jews had settled in Baghdad and Mesopotamia, they became âBabyloniansâ and âforgotâ their lands of origin, contrary to the social habit of Jews in other communities throughout history.
Zvi Yehuda, Ph.D. (Jerusalem, 1982) is the director of the Research Institute of Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center (Israel) and the editor of its publications. He has authored or edited more than twenty volumes published numerous articles and five documented films. He is also responsible for the research in the Babylonian Jewry Museum.
Preface
List of Figures and Maps
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
âTo be Babylonians
âModernization without Assimilation
âAmiability and Animosity
âLeadership under Muslim-Arab Rule
1 From Destruction to Revival
âThe Disappearance of Babylonian Jews
âThe Beginning of New Babylonian Community
âThe Emergence of Lay and Spiritual Leadership
2 Rise and Fall of the New Babylonian Diaspora
âAuthority in Change
âReturn to Babylonia
âThe Economy in Transition
âEn Route to Modernization
âModernity and Communal Organization
âA Dream Which Was Not to Be
âReturn to Zion
âExodus Babylon
3 The Jewish Blood-libel Against Christians in Basra (1791)
âBasra in the Eighteenth Century
âJews in Basra in the Eighteenth Century
âChristians Accused of Murdering a Jew for Ritual Purposes
âThe Christian Response
âChristian Attempts to Refute the Libel Foiled
âEscalating Confrontation between Jews and Christians
âChristians Turn to Europe and India for Help
âThe British Envoy Visits the Pasha
âConclusions
4 Struggle of Iraqi Jewry for Control of Prophet Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil (1860)
âBasis for the Jewish Claim of Ownership over Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil
âMuslims Take Over Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil
âControl of Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil in the 14thâ18th Centuries
âJews of Iraq Regain Control of Ezekielâs Tomb
âJews of Iraq Foil the Muslim Attempt to Take Control of Ezekielâs Tomb
âMuslims Changed the Compound of Ezekielâs Tomb
âConclusions
5 Events Surrounding the Burial of Rabbi Abdalla Somekh (1889) and their Consequences
âState of Research and the Sources
âBackground to the Events
âThe Course of Events
âAppeal to the Turkish Government
âRequest for Assistance from the Jews of England
âRequest for Assistance from the Jews of France
âAppeal to Jewish Public Opinion
âThe Muslim Takeover of the âHa-Cohenâ Courtyard
âIntervention by the Turkish Government
âJews on Trial
âConclusions
6 The Pogrom (Farhud) of 1941, Reexamination
âResearch on the Farhud
âDr. Fritz Grobba and the Pogrom
âOutbreak of the Pogrom
âThe Course of the Pogrom
âThose Responsible for the Pogrom
âDenial of the Pogrom
âConclusions
âMap of the Farhud Pogrom
âList of Victims of the Farhud
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures and Maps
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
âTo be Babylonians
âModernization without Assimilation
âAmiability and Animosity
âLeadership under Muslim-Arab Rule
Part 1: Five Centuries of the New Babylonian Diaspora
1 From Destruction to Revival
âThe Disappearance of Babylonian Jews
âThe Beginning of New Babylonian Community
âThe Emergence of Lay and Spiritual Leadership
2 Rise and Fall of the New Babylonian Diaspora
âAuthority in Change
âReturn to Babylonia
âThe Economy in Transition
âEn Route to Modernization
âModernity and Communal Organization
âA Dream Which Was Not to Be
âReturn to Zion
âExodus Babylon
Part 2: Studies on Political Issues
3 The Jewish Blood-libel Against Christians in Basra (1791)
âBasra in the Eighteenth Century
âJews in Basra in the Eighteenth Century
âChristians Accused of Murdering a Jew for Ritual Purposes
âThe Christian Response
âChristian Attempts to Refute the Libel Foiled
âEscalating Confrontation between Jews and Christians
âChristians Turn to Europe and India for Help
âThe British Envoy Visits the Pasha
âConclusions
4 Struggle of Iraqi Jewry for Control of Prophet Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil (1860)
âBasis for the Jewish Claim of Ownership over Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil
âMuslims Take Over Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil
âControl of Ezekielâs Tomb at Kifil in the 14thâ18th Centuries
âJews of Iraq Regain Control of Ezekielâs Tomb
âJews of Iraq Foil the Muslim Attempt to Take Control of Ezekielâs Tomb
âMuslims Changed the Compound of Ezekielâs Tomb
âConclusions
5 Events Surrounding the Burial of Rabbi Abdalla Somekh (1889) and their Consequences
âState of Research and the Sources
âBackground to the Events
âThe Course of Events
âAppeal to the Turkish Government
âRequest for Assistance from the Jews of England
âRequest for Assistance from the Jews of France
âAppeal to Jewish Public Opinion
âThe Muslim Takeover of the âHa-Cohenâ Courtyard
âIntervention by the Turkish Government
âJews on Trial
âConclusions
6 The Pogrom (Farhud) of 1941, Reexamination
âResearch on the Farhud
âDr. Fritz Grobba and the Pogrom
âOutbreak of the Pogrom
âThe Course of the Pogrom
âThose Responsible for the Pogrom
âDenial of the Pogrom
âConclusions
âMap of the Farhud Pogrom
âList of Victims of the Farhud
Bibliography
Index
All those interested in the history of Iraqi Jews and Jewish and Middle Eastern studies. Many believe that the descendants of Jews exiled to Babylonia are the Iraqi Jews of the last century. New historical evidence proves that new Babylonian Diaspora emerged in Iraq.