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The history of the Hebrew from the very beginning were asociated with Iraq. The great Jewish patriarch Abraham was from what is now Iraq. Subsequent Hebrew history revolve around geogaphy, Palestine's location between the early great civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Then other empires (Persia, Greece, and Rome) would play a major role. Cyrus the Great who conquered the Babylonians freed the Jews. Many retuned to Palestine, but some remained in Persian controlled Iraq. Under Persian, Greek, Parthian, Roman, and Byzantine rule, the Jews in Iraq prospered. Important Jewish scholars worked in Iraq, producing the Babylonian Talmud (500-700 AD). Iraq was an early conquest of Arabian warriors and most of the poplation gradually converted to Islam. The Arab treatment of the Jews varied between periods of toleration and suprression. Ottoman rule was a reltively begign period. There was by the 20th century a substantial Jewish community in Iraq, largely concentrated in Bagdad. One estimate suggests that at the time of World war I about a third of Bagdad was Jewish. Ottomon rule in Iraq was ended by World War I The League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Iraq. Jews prospered under British rule. Britain granted Iraq independence (1932). Jew at first played an important role in independent Iraq. Iraqi nationalists were influenced by the NAZIs and their anti-semetic dictrines.. Anti-semitism was further fueled by the Grand Mufti and his struggle with the British and Zionist settlers in Palestine. After the First Isreali-Palestinian War (1947-48), Iraqi Jews were rescued as part of Operations Ezra and Nechemia (1949-51). Another 20,000 Jews reached safty through neigboring Iran. Jews remaining in Iraq were the target a series of anti-Jewish measures and attacks.
The history of the Hebrew from the very beginning were asociated with Iraq. The great Jewish patriarch Abraham was from what is now Iraq. There is some dispure about just where in Iraq. We know he was from the city of Ur. [Genesis 11:31.] Ur in Iraq is one of the first actual cities. There are, however, several different settlements called Ur. Genenis was, however, written many centuries after Abraham lived and Abraham himself is more of a legendary than a historical figure.
An assessment of the Biblical passages suggest that Abraham's Ur was located near Haran in Northern Mesopotamia rather than the Ur of southern Mesopotamia believed to be the first city. After Abraham, Henrew history is more focused on Egypt than Iraq, until the rise of Assyria.
Assyria began expanding south (9th century BC). Israel joined with the kingdoms of Hamath and Damascus (modern Syria) to resist the Assyrians (mid-9th century). The Assyrian had far greater resoyrces and steadily moved south. One of the most important Assyrian kings was Tiglathpileser III ( -728 BC). He appears to have been the Biblical Pul (2 Kings 15.19). His conquests included the Aramaean tribes in Babylonia and his armies campaigned against the Medes and reached as far north as the Caspian Sea. Tiglathpileser defeated King Urartu in Hamath thus gaining control of the north of modern Syria. The two Hebrew states instead of joining against Assyria saw each other as the major enemy. King Ahaz of Judah appealed to King Tiglathpileser for military aid King Pekah of Israel and King Resin of Damascus. Tiglathpileser conqquered Damascus. He then supressed a revolt in Babylonia. Stripped of its northern allies, Israel had to face Assyria alone with a hostile Judah to the south. Tiglathpileser conquered northern areas of Israel and exiled the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. Shalmanaser V (727-22) took Luli in Tyre. He then conquered Samaria, the capital of Israel, in the same year he died (722 BC). [2 Kings 17.] This ws the territory of tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, Shalmanaser exileds the tribes. Sargan II (721-05 BC), one of the greatest Assyria kings conquered the rest of Isreal, completing the conquest. Sargon is Biblical Sharru-kin. [Isaiah 20:1.] The exiled Jews were replaced with other peoples. It is unclear who they were, but because because they were living in Shomron or Samaria -- are called Samaritans in the Bible. The Samaritans accepted some aspects of Judaism, but not the religion fully. They were thus not accepted by the Jewish people and were in turn resentful.
The period from the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) to the reconstruction in PaleTstine of a new Jewish state is known as the Babylonian Captivity. and conquered Judah. The Babylonians saw the Jews as hostile, in part because they had been hard-fighting Assyrian allies. The Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple (the First Temple), They took many many Jews hostage, chosing the Jewish elite, both men and women, and their children. Deportations like this were common imperial practices by both the Asyrians and Baylonians. The Babylonians brought the Jewish hostages to Babylon itself where they could be better controlled. Jewish historians debate the number of Jews brought to Babylon and the nimber that remained at home. This period is often called the Babylonian Captivity. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel in the Bible (the book of Prophets) penned sad descriptions describing the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple. The Jews in Babylon managed to remain in contact with their kinsmen in Palestine [Ezekiel]
The Jews might have disappeated to history at this time, just one more conquered people.
The Babylonians in turn were conquered by Persia. Cyrus the Great introduced new concepts of imperial rule. He conquered Babylon (539 BC) and permitted the Jews to worship once more in Jerusalem (538 BC). Many Jews returned to Palestine. More than 40,000 are believed to have returned. The Assyrians had taken the northern tribes into captivity and are lost to history. The Babylonian exile were what remained of the Children of Israel. Cyrus had am inovative imperial outlook. The Persians allowed local notables to govern their own people. Other exiled Jews remained in Babylon. The relatively open policies of the Persians allowed Jews to spread throughout their Empire. This was the origin of the Jewish population in Iran as well as many other western Asian countries that were part of the Persian Empire. The Jews asked themselves while God had allowed this terrible tragedy occur. Ezra and Nehemiah preached that the Jews themselves were at fault. They had not properly observed the Law. In other words, the Jews had not adhered to their side of the Covenant. Ezra and Nehemiah successfully convinced many exiled Jews to observe the Law more rigorously. The prophesied 70 years of captivity were fulfilled with the completion of the new Temple (516 BC).
Cyrus the Great who conquered the Babylonians freed the Jews. Many retuned to Palestine, but some remained in Persian controlled Iraq. Under Persian, Greek, Parthian, Roman, and Byzantine rule, the Jews in Iraq prospered. Important Jewish scholars worked in Iraq, producing the Babylonian Talmud (500-700 AD).
Iraq was an early conquest of Arabian warriors and most of the poplation gradually converted to Islam. The Arab treatment of the Jews varied between periods of toleration and suprression.
Ottoman rule was a reltively begign period. There was by the 20th century a substantial Jewish community in Iraq, largely concentrated in Bagdad. One estimate suggests that at the time of World war I about a third of Bagdad was Jewish.
The Ottomans joined the Central Powers in World war I (1914-18). A British Army invaded and occupied Iraq (1916-18).
The League of Nations authorized a British mandate (1922) The British attempted to introduce modern concepts to Iraq which after several centuries of Ottoman rule was exceedingly backward. The British effort experienced considerble resistance fromconservative Islamic society.
The British granted Iraq independence (1932). There was a defense relatioinship associated with independence. Jews played an important role during this period. Iraq's Jews were among the most educated in the country. They also had ties abnd contacts potside the country. Iraq's first minister of finance was Yehezkel Sasson, a Jew. Jews played a major role in the development of a modern judicial and postal systems. The Iraqi Jewish community built modern medical facilities and schools. They sponsored a range of cultural activity. Almost all of the Baghdad Symphony Orchestra were Jewish.
Independence also opened the Jews to persecution from the Arab majority, A factor here was that the Jewish community was more prosperous than the Arab community. Pan-Arab nationalism grewc in strength in the 1930s. Major elements were anti-Jewish and anti-British feelingh. NAZI actions against the Jews impressed leading nationalist elrments. They also saw the NAZIs as an ally in overyhrowing British influence in Iraq and the wider Arab world. Another factor was the struggle led by the Grand Mufti in Palestine against both the British and Zionist settlers. Iraqi Jews had few contacts with the Zionists, but began to be targetted by Iraqi nationalists. The Grand Mufti sought shelter in Iraq after his revolt against the British in Palestine failed. He helped stir up popular attitudes against the monarchy, british, and Jews. This resulted after the start of World War II in an anti-British coup and Farhood, Krystallnacht likeattack on Baghdad Jews (June 1, 1941).
Iraq was very important to Britain in World war II. Iraqi oil fueled the British Desert Army and the fleet operating in the eastern Mediterrandean. Without it, Britain could not have held Suez. The Grand Mufti helped inspired a coup against the pro-British government. The military men led by Rashid Ali attacked the remaining British military bases in Iraq (June 1941). The coup plotters watching the series of NAZI victories in Europe, expected massive Axis assistance. Along with attacks on the British, there was a pogrom targetting Bagdad Jews. Well armed Iraqi mobs unoposed by the Iraqi police and army attacked Jews, killing 180 and injuring about 1,000. The British intervened and restored order. The situation of Iraqi Jews changed again with the departure of the British following World war II.
With the U.N. partition of Palestine, attacks on Jews increased. There were repeated outbreaks of violence against Jews during the struggle in Palestine (1047-49). After Israel declared independence, Zionism was made a capital crime (1948). And many Iraqis did not decrimiate betweem Zionists and Jews.
Iraq permitted Jews to leave the country if they turned over their property and citizenship (1950). Next new laws limiting the economic activities of the Jews who remained (1951). Israel oversaw the mass evactuation of Iraqi Jews. About 104,000 Jews escsaped from Iraq as part of Operations Ezra and Nechemia (1949-51). Another 20,000 Jews reached safty through neigboring Iran.
Iraq ended Jewish emmigration (1952). Two Jews were hanged on trumped up charges of attempting to bomb the U.S. Information Agency. The Iraqi Jewish community had been devestated, but Iraqi nationalists attempted to outdo each other on actions targetting the small remaining Jewish community.
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