Iraqi Jews privileged
In the article "The Israeli-Kurdish Relations" by Sergey Minasian, "21-st Century", No1, April, 2007, Minasian writes on the influence of the Iraqi Jews, who he asserts had a "privileged status", Jews who "played a significant role in big business and civil service":
"The Iraqi Jews, especially the ones residing in the central provinces of the country since the Ottoman rule had played important roles in the economic, cultural and even political life of Iraq. After the granting of formal independence to Iraq by Great Britain in 1932, the Iraqi Jews retained their privileged status under the government of Feisal and played a significant role in big business and civil service."
IPS, Inter Press Service Agency, has published an article on the Jews´ situation in Iraq called "Kurdish Jews Recall a Paradise Lost", in the form of a review of a book written by an Iraqi-Kurdish Jew, "My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Northern Iraq". The October 10, 2008, IPS article states:
"After World War I, one-third of Baghdad was Jewish. After World War II, Jews served in the Iraqi cabinet, its Parliament, and on its High Court of Appeal. "
So here we read that "one-third of Baghdad was Jewish", quite astounding information, is it not?
Al Jazeera - Saddam and the Iraqi Jews
Part of Al Jazeera´s documentary "Arab Jews - the
unheard voices". With English subtitles.
