Operation Ezra and Nehemiah

From 1950 to 1952, Operation Ezra and Nehemiah airlifted 120,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel via Iran and Cyprus. By 1968 only 2,000 Jews remained in Iraq. Today less than 100 Jews remain, all of whom live in Baghdad.

The operation is named after Ezra and Nehemiah, who led the Jewish people from exile in Babylonia to return to Israel in the 5th century BCE, as recorded in the book of the Hebrew Bible that bears their name.

Background

The critical change in Iraqi Jewish identity occurred after the violent Farhud or pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad, on June 1-2, 1941 following the collapse of the pro-Nazi Golden Square regime of Rashid Ali al-Kaylani regime. At least 180 Jews were killed during two days of riots.

Since 1945 in Iraq, there were frequent demonstrations against the Jews and especially against Zionism. On 1947 with the affirmation of the Partition Plan for Palestine, the Jews felt that they were in danger of their lives. Many received harsh legal sentences, or were forced to pay heavy fines.

Between 1949 and 1952, about 130,000 Jews immigrated to Israel from Iraq, thanks largely to the efforts of emissaries from Israel and activists of the "Halutz Movement" in Iraq. One of the key figures was Shlomo Hillel, an Iraqi Jew who went on to become a minister in the Israeli government.

The Exodus of Iraqi Jews to Israel lasted several months, and started after the Iraqi Government passed a special bill permitting their emigration in 1951. The Iraqi Jews were mostly wealthy and the local authorities gave them special privileges. When the Jews learned about the special permit they had been given, thousands arrived in Baghdad and gathered in registration centers where they registered for immigration to Israel.

According to Iraqi law, the Jews had to sell their property and liquidate their businesses before they could leave. Many sold large properties for small sums in order to win the right to emigrate.

Airlift

Waiting in Baghdad was a tense and difficult period. Some 50,000 Jews signed up in one month, and two months later there were 90,000 on the list. This mass movement stunned the Iraqi Government, which had not expected the number of immigrants to exceed 8,000, and feared that administrative institutions run by Jews might collapse. At the same time, the Zionist movement issued a manifesto calling on the Jews to sign up for immigration. It started with the following: "O, Zion, flee, daughter of Babylon," and concluded thus: "Jews! Israel is calling you — come out of Babylon!"

The first planes flew to Israel via Cyprus in mid-May 1951. Several months later, a giant airlift operated directly from Baghdad to Lod airport. Operation Ezra and Nehemiah ended at the beginning of 1952, leaving only about 6,000 Jews in Iraq. Most of the 2,800-year-old Jewish community immigrated to Israel.

Aftermath

After the initial emigration, the number of Jews in Baghdad decreased from 100,000 to 5,000. In 1968 there were only about 2,000 Jews still living there. With the establishment of the State of Israel hundreds of young Iraqi Jews were arrested on charges of Zionist activity and two Zionist leaders were publicly hanged in Baghdad. On January 27, 1969 nine other Jews were hanged on charges of spying for Israel. Today less than 100 Jews remain, all elderly and living in Baghdad.

Until Operation Ezra and Nehemiah there were 28 Jewish educational institutions in Baghdad, 16 under the supervision of the community committee and the rest privately run. The number of pupils reached 12,000 and many others learned in foreign and government schools. About 400 students studied medicine, law, economics, pharmacy, and engineering. In 1951 the Jewish school for the blind was closed; it was the only school of its type in Baghdad. The Jews of Baghdad had two hospitals in which the poor received free treatment, and several philanthropic services. Out of 60 synagogues in 1950, there remained only seven after 1970.

References

Mordechai Ben-Porat To Baghdad and Back: The Miraculous 2,000 Year Homecoming of the Iraqi Jews, Gefen Publishing House, 1998. ISBN 965-229-195-1
Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Kürt Yahudileri - Din, Dil, Tarih, (Kurdish Jews) In Turkish, Kalan Publishing, Ankara, 2006
Shlomo Hillel, Operation Babylon Fontana, Collins Press, 1988/89, translated from the Hebrew by Ina Friedman.

External links

To Baghdad and Back - Book rewiew from Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center web site
Iraqi Jews who left Baghdad in the 1960's and 1970's - Jews who chose to stay in Iraq during Operation Ezrah and Nehamiah
[1] The Jews of Iraq By Naeim Giladi.
The Forgotten Refugees: the causes of the post-1948 Jewish Exodus from Arab Countries (focuses on Iraq)