65 Years After The Farhud In Iraq

Each time I read about the hardship of Iraqi Christians in today's Iraq, I can't help but think of the Iraqi Jews.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of Farhud in Iraq. It marks the beginning of fear among Iraqi Jews, which resulted in their exodus from Iraq.

Abraham H. Miller wrote in the Contra Costa Times:

THURSDAY marks the 65th anniversary of the infamous Farhud (pogrom) against Jews of Iraq on the Jewish holiday of Shavout 1941.

Although the media are filled with pieces about the tragedy of the Palestinian refugees, the tragedy of the nearly 1 million Jewish refugees of the Middle East (the Mizrachim) and of North Africa (the Sephardim), displaced from their homes by Arab governments is seldom mentioned.

It is as if these people never existed, and the violence against them need not impinge on humanity's conscience.

The Farhud began at 3 p.m. June 1, 1941 when a mob attacked a Jewish delegation that went out to greet the returning Iraqi Regent Abdulal Iiah.

The mob then murdered, burned and raped its way through Baghdad's Jewish community. Pregnant women, infants and children were systematically targeted for violence.

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The same crimes have been committed against Iraqi Christians for the last three years. Their population has decreased sharply since the collapse of the old regime. Very soon, we'll be like the Iraqi Jews, who existed in Iraq for centuries. Now, they're part of the Iraqi history.