ijao's Latest Posts
Ancient tablets reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
By Luke Baker | JERUSALEM A new exhibition of ancient clay tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq is shedding light for the first time on the daily life of Jews exiled […]
The Jewish master of Arabic
Most revered for his Arabic to English translation of the Koran, Nessim Joseph Dawood was a revolutionary in introducing the West to Arab literature and culture – but his life […]
Long Island Jews Unite To Keep Artifacts Seized From Saddam Hussein’s Police
Treasures, Including Torahs, Dating 500 Years Supposed To Be Returned To Iraq March 17, 2014 6:36 PM These artifacts were seized by the U.S. in the headquarters of Saddam Hussein’s […]
Open letter to the Presbyterian Church USA from an Iraqi Jew
by Joe Samuels Some of your members, under the banner of human rights, have demonized one country. According to them, the one country that destabilizes the Middle East and creates […]
Montreal’s Iraqi-Jewish Community Pieces Together Fragments of its History
by Leah Balass Lisette Shashoua looks at her elementary school diploma and family photos from when she lived in Iraq. Lisette Shashoua looks at her elementary school diploma and family […]
My Iraqi Jewish heritage: What’s left?
By Robert Fattal It is a pity that many observant Middle Eastern Jews have adopted the symbols of a 200-year-old tradition over their own, much older ones. Last month the […]
Return of Jewish artifacts to Iraq sparks outrage
By Dan Pine Who is the rightful owner of a stunning collection of Iraqi Judaica known as the Iraqi Jewish Archives: the descendants of that country’s exiled Jewish community now […]
Iraq and Roll: The Jewish Sounds of Bollywood
In the 1930s, Mumbai actually supported a Hebrew record label. By naresh fernandes [A version of this piece first appeared in Time Out Mumbai.] The dulcet ring of the oud […]
Don’t Return the Iraqi Jewish Archive
by Joe Samuels My Arabic name is Yusuf Sasson Shumail. I was born in Taht Al Takia, in the old city of Baghdad, Iraq on December 31,1930. In 1941, I […]
Canadian Parliamentary Hearings on Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries
On May 2nd and 7th, 2013, former Jewish refugees and expert witnesses appeared before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee. The Committee sought historical and legal […]
My escape from Iraq
by Joe Samuels A video surfaced in January of Muktadar Al Sader, the Shiite militia leader, pleading for Iraqi Jews to return to help rebuild their homeland. Right. Imagine me, […]
Iraqi Christians afraid of facing departed Jews fate
After 10 years of attacks on Iraqi Christians, Monsignor Cacha wonders if ancient community’s days are numbered. by Salam Faraj – BAGHDAD After 10 years of attacks on Iraqi Christians, […]
