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Step inside the traditional tomb of Ezra the Scribe (עזרא הסופר) in Al-Uzair, Iraq, one of the most important Jewish pilgrimage sites in the Middle East. According to longstanding Jewish tradition, this is the burial place of the biblical leader Ezra, who led the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian exile and helped reestablish Jewish life in Jerusalem during the 5th century BCE. For centuries, Jews from Iraq, Persia, and across the region made pilgrimages to this sacred site. The present complex, featuring a distinctive blue-tiled dome, is believed to be several centuries old and is notable for having served as both a Jewish and Muslim shrine. The site also includes a historic synagogue, a reminder of Iraq's once-thriving Jewish community. Today, Ezra's Tomb stands as a powerful symbol of the deep historical connection between the Jewish people and ancient Mesopotamia, where some of the most significant chapters of Jewish history unfolded. 📍 Ezra's Tomb (Kever Ezra HaSofer), Al-Uzair, Iraq

Step inside the shrine traditionally identified as the tomb of the prophet Ezekiel (יחזקאל בן-בוזי הנביא) in Al Kifl, Iraq - a site revered by Jews and Muslims and today part of the Al-Nukhailah Mosque complex. Jewish sources and travel accounts place Ezekiel’s burial in Babylonia, and medieval travelers like Benjamin of Tudela describe the pilgrimage scene here, including nearby tombs he identifies as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. One major correction (because history matters): the tradition about the structure being built by a king is generally tied to Jehoiachin/Jeconiah, not Jehoiakim. Before the 1950s exodus, sources commonly report around 5,000 Jews came from Baghdad and other cities for Passover pilgrimage.

The Great Shaf Veyativ Synagogue, בית הכנסת שף ויתיב, is one of the most important ancient Jewish sites connected to Bavel and the Jewish exile after the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash. According to Jewish tradition, the synagogue was connected to King Jehoiachin, מלך יהויכין, and the Jews who were exiled from Eretz Yisrael to Bavel. It is said that earth from Eretz Yisrael was brought with them and used in the building of the synagogue, giving this place a direct connection to Yerushalayim even in exile. The synagogue is mentioned in the Gemara, Megillah 29a: רַב שֵׁשֶׁת הֲוָה יָתֵיב בְּבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא דְּשַׁף וִיתֵיב בִּנְהַרְדְּעָא “Rav Sheshet was once sitting in the synagogue of Shaf Veyativ in Nehardea...” For generations, this site represented the deep roots of Jewish life in Iraq, where Torah learning, tefillah, and Jewish communal life continued in Bavel for over 2,000 years.

Kabi is a 16 year-old student from a Zionist family. When his Uncle is arrested, Kabi and his family face an uncertain future as do all Jews living in Baghdad.

The Babylonian Jewry Museum opens a window to the glorious and oldest heritage in the Diaspora and presents episodes in the history of the Jews of Babylon over the generations for more than two thousand and eight hundred years. The Historical section of the Museum tells the story of the community and the Ethnographic department shows the way of life of the Jews in Iraq, customs, manners, art and other material representing the culture. The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center was founded in 1973 to perpetuate the history and culture of the Jewish community of Iraq and ensure that it remains part of the future narrative of the Jewish people. Or Yehuda was a natural location for the Center, as the city - whose name means the "Light of Judah" - sprung up from what was one of the biggest immigrant transit camps for Iraqi and other Jews of Middle Eastern origin after their arrival in 1950- 1951. The Center fosters research, preservation, and publicity around this mission

Baghdad Jewish Museum opens in former Jewish school

In a new series, we’re exploring Jewish languages. Jewish communities across the Middle East and North Africa developed various dialects of Judeo-Arabic, which today is nearly extinct.

Iraq used to be home to one of the Middle East's most thriving Jewish communities, attracted among other things by the wealth of holy sites going back to ancient Mesopotamia. Wars, politics and the creation of Israel meant most Jews left Iraq -- yet the Jewish shrines are still maintained, and revered, by Iraq's Muslims.

In 2013, Maurice Shohet, an Iraqi Jew who now lives in Washington, D.C., received a surprising email from the National Archives. A librarian had recovered his elementary school record that was left behind nearly 40 years ago when he and his family fled Iraq. The record is part of a cache of thousands of personal documents and religious texts that were found at the start of the Iraq War, drowning in the cellar of a building run by one of the world's most wanted men.