Personal Stories

Iraqi Jews and their descendants share memories of home, the Farhud, the airlift to Israel, and the new lives they built around the world.

Written Narratives

Iraqi Oral History Collection

In their own words

Oral Histories from Iraq

JIMENA has recorded the memories of Jews from across the Middle East and North Africa. These interviews with Jews from Iraq tell of the communities they grew up in and the journeys that followed.

Yvette Dabby

Persecution under the Baath regime; smuggled out by Kurds in 1969.

Victor Ozair

Baghdad. The 1941 Farhud and the exodus of 1950 and 1951.

Salim Fattal

Hiding during the 1941 Farhud.

Sadok Masliyah

Baghdad, 1934. Fleeing to Israel alone as a boy.

Joseph Samuels

Baghdad, 1930. Smuggled by boat from Basra to Iran.

Michael Shamam

Baghdad, 1935. Losing citizenship and property.

Fuad Salem

Shamia, 1934. Jailed at 13 on charges of Zionism.

Shaul Massry

Basra, 1930. From Baghdad to a career in medicine.

And more than a dozen other interviews in the collection.

Watch all the oral histories from Iraq →

Explore JIMENA's full oral history collection →

Timeline of Jewish Presence

View chronological details of Jewish life and presence in Iraq.

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