Old Archive

Jews In Iraq: A Testament to the Jewish Spirit

By Subha Dhanaraj

I recently attended a presentation made by Alice Hecht, Chief Administrator Officer of the UN Special Commission on the disarmament of Iraq, in hopes of writing an introspective article mourning the perennial persecution and subjugation of Jews in Iraq for Tisha B'Av. Instead, I left Ms. Hecht's presentation with a sense of hope and a clearer understanding of what being Jewish really means.

In her capacity with the United Nations, Ms. Hecht has made frequent trips to Iraq. During those trips, Ms. Hecht visited the only existing synagogue in Baghdad several times and filmed the prayer services of the Jews remaining in Iraq. Despite the constant threat and danger these exemplary Jewish men and women face, they remain dedicated to their faith. With no contact with their families in the rest of the world, no newspapers, one government-run television station, and most importantly, without the spiritual guidance of a rabbi, the 61 Jews of Iraq remain committed to the Jewish faith.

Jews in Iraq lead a far from relaxed way of life. Extensive pogroms in the 1940s resulted in the emigration of most Iraqi Jews, with the remaining few leaving Iraq illegally through the mountains of Kurdistan in the 1970s. More continued to leave when the Gulf War increased the dangers of being Jewish in Iraq. Yet, a few brave souls stay, despite horrors like the 1998 shooting in the Baghdad Jewish community center.

Although international pressure has forced the Iraqi government to allow these Jews to continue their lives in Iraq, they are discriminated against and forced to live in constant fear. For example, the Jews of Iraq were forced to surrender over $200 million worth of community property to the state without compensation. Nevertheless, the Iraqi Jews persevere. Alice Hecht's films show them praying in a rudimentary synagogue, rolling the Torah up on a couch, celebrating Passover with matzoh made in an oven at the synagogue, and praying together. To those of us who take these things for granted in our warm, safe communities, who rejoice in God when it is convenient, when we are obligated to, or when we need something, the rather mundane activities of the Iraqi Jews provide a vibrant lesson on what it really means to be Jewish. It is about facing adversity and fear with the strength supplied by family, community, and most importantly, God.

Knowing several Hebrew school dropouts and several disenchanted young Jews, I was inspired by the dedication of these 61 Iraqi Jews. I quickly realized that there is no reason to mourn the de facto exile of the Jews from Iraq, the home of the Babylonian Talmud and an important forum in Jewish history, but to celebrate the continuing triumph of the Jewish people and the power of God.