Iraq

The tragic story of the Iraqi Jewish Community: how an ancient community was destroyed.

It was once home to one of the oldest and most influential Jewish communities in the world—second only to the Land of Israel.

The following dramatic events, virtually unknown to most Jews, took place 80 years ago this week. This story was adapted from a Hebrew account published by Asher Noach, son of Rabbi Yitzchak Noach, in Sichat Hashavua #533: In 1941, the German army was spr...

An all-encompassing work, the Talmud discusses not only law and ethics but also such practical matters such as investment strategy and unhealthful practices.

As the community grew, Babylonian Jewry developed unique Torah and political institutions.

Why does this specific prayer depend on a secular date rather than a Jewish one?

The rapid disappearance of ancient Jewish communities throughout the Middle East that has occurred in modern times.

Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, known in recent years as "the eldest of the Kabbalists," in the Holy Land, was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1898. As a youth, he studied under the great "Ben Ish Chai" (Rabbi Yosef Chaim of  Baghdad, 1840-1913) and was regarded as ...

In 1733, the Persian conqueror Nader Shah Afshar laid siege to Ottoman-held Baghdad. Knowing that Persian rule would not bode well for them, the Jewish community prayed for an Ottoman victory. On 11 Menachem Av, an Ottoman force led by Topal Osman Pasha d...