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it's 2 in the morning and when chicago is getting ready to go to iraq. he's a jewish north london with a point to prove. who is going to even believe that there were jews in iraq. i can no longer carry on living as if nothing else happened i tell my son that he was born in finchley and this was where his as a story started. we have gotten possible off iraq and i would let go.

and when wants to buy a house north of baghdad it's so that he can say the iraqi jews still have a stake in their home in. the snow as a movie like this is being taken as long as our house is being told the jews of iraq. we are still there. and that gives me the sense of belonging. for decades baghdad has meant violence. and the last place most people would want to call home especially the jews. but it wasn't always soon. not diamond got no clothes still i think i'm a lucky guy i got

a son and ambled of mine. i 1st came across the jews of baghdad when i was asked to catalog an archive. it belonged to the family of david dunn goal. when david's father was born there were 140000 jews in baghdad. they made up nearly half the city. few people in baghdad now remember them. through their houses and old synagogues are everywhere. edwin has arrived in baghdad looking for his roots. i feel. i haven't finished with this place. unfinished business or. i don't even know the dangers because when i tell people.

on the road are you kidding are you crazy. the few. i feel if i'm a jew. or. edwin was just being flowery. iraqi jews are the ones unsung. the ones who were captured and taken slaves. the ones who sat by the waters of babylon there we sat down and wept when we remembered zion. they stayed and wrote a great book of jewish law the babylonian talmud. they were below the muslims in society but they ran their own a says as babylon became mesopotamia and as mesopotamia became iraq. back in london

i went to meet david van gogh's us. they were born on the banks of the tigris when iraq was ruled by the british. now a lean and doreen live in flats one above the other field this is my grandfather's the chief rabbi of iraq. it was had mean the. only in back that. to show that life was good. in the. face. his speech was that. we don't have religion we are all iraqis jews and christians. it was a good time it was then it will spread. this paradise was created by the british who took but 1917.

this little boy being pulled along in it to a british time. constant david. on his father's farm near the town of. i won't change it with the world by a father stick a relation with their. i made a very dear you. to believe you they were like a brother but i say like a brother like a brother i mean they are they come to all we go to the hole we were just like part of one house and my father. can speak english. there were the rule is if you are in with the british the levee can be that the north will iraqi jews were in line with the british i met salim fatah in israel

on many others like me in the pool class so the british you are robbing our resources are all you. do you are trying to tell us what to do we don't want any foreigners here we want to rule ourselves by. galop interfere you have nothing to go but go. but when british rule ended in 1902 the oilman didn't go home the m m i did king of this and on their country to meet with directors of the have to credit him company by sheer magic give the authentic that have touch. not a pact they should have any other kind of i like it was independence. on turks are worth. their reality lost. while the

government the british. but the british were not the only ones after iraqi oil. as disaffection with the british grew the germans promoted hitler as a liberator. and in 1933 camp was translated into arabic. i met sure menasha a he was a child in basra. there was a famous say. but in this guy. on the ground this year was restored a lovely summer off with other vehicle for. its own separate bomb. the nazis p arab supporter the grand mufti of jerusalem came to baghdad in 1039.

the jews did not understand what happened in iraq. with the mufti and with the influence of the narcisse during the 30 years they are in danger to us our intention. to move to moved into this house on the banks of the tigris in baghdad next door to david's family the dangour was. in early 1941 the move to hitler. you're excellences great fear of. the palestinian problem has united all the out of states and the mutual hatred of the english and the jews. that ups are willing to shed their blood in the holy war and the oil flow for england. great futa

my wishes for a long life and chinese victory. the public mood in iraq turned against the monarchy and in much $941.00 the region fled with the boy king leaving iraq to the fascists and its oil to the germans. once again the british invaded to. do nothing for the 1st came over a little bit of an off the on everyday existence out of fear on. every other but if they don't the rebels all of a load of. the nationalists or they feed it completely by the end of may. they have fast patients who is the object that can be a victim for this is a frustration to coos. i

met just bare all spend machine television. she was living in the suburbs and her family didn't realize. anything was wrong my grandfather went shopping he was beaten and very badly they called him you know our jewish you know our english and he was beaten and he was bleeding all over. that night a riot started. in jerusalem i found early a man who was in the center of baghdad the muslims evaded the jewish quarter we knew of the this way or the other will they'll kill jews. all night we were up there on the roof. frightened to death waiting for something bad to happen they were banging on doors and breaking people

shouting crying. we heard the crowd coming on the stairs my father know it to the neighbors they said please give us every few words. with a bird called his god and they started to cross us to the other side. my uncle. who was a slaughter i think is part of the business both of them they live together that type of girl. but that's where they stopped the process and took me it was outside and they killed our neighbors were muslims. and to my mother. and to her neighbor we were very good friends. she's a breastfed me. and god bless her calea as they came to our house

you're stronger and the big one is just. there. i am ship brooke 50 that for 3 days. she saved our life. and. after 941 with the money to keep back in place iraq was a piece for the rest of the war. the movie fled and went to ballin. the dangle was brought the house where he lived and the kids got to play in the most he's got. the warhawk he's touched them. there were parties every night the community was living in a bubble. they were not touched by the holocaust and they were living as if there was no war and nothing has happened much. so my father was very happy to to

to stay on and back that. david should mashes david dunn gore's neighbor in london as he was in baghdad when they were children there's always hope that a bad episode was a one off and it won't repeat itself. with the mounting wishful thinking that. the troops are nothing. but the less well off jews were worried. they saw the right during the war as a warning. her rally joined a secret cell. phone road. there are those who are bikini to bits to hone call ala didn't begin to share say new but no more

lawyer. law sort of call the house all the iraq. today he teaches kids at the babylonian museum in tel aviv and he's bringing his replica guns to tell them about how scientists working for the creation of israel came to trade them in fact that we're going to tell a lot more shoe industry leaders are. giving chorus if you. are thomas kushal how to. cook we must conclude that. you should rush how much of a budget. the kenyan pact that designed this were essential to the jewish leader david ben-gurion

. he was building his new country and he wanted a 1000000 immigrants to people it and to defending. of the things i don't agree with you bring bring the jews here. because we don't want to happen tomorrow today i know we can bring them so it's bring the jews . esperance spend most shame decided to learn hebrew the chosen one which is the new state i think of all the people that came to study with me. we went far far away in the desert somewhere we are. near the river or somewhere very far nobody lives there nobody not a soul of their. first lady of the world there busy. we had the bacon eggs they were talking about this or it was like the end like either but

all the movie that so everybody was interested though. in may 948 palestine was partitioned to make way for the new jewish homeland israel . the dream came to the designs. and a nightmare began for the jews still living in the ira. from egypt from trans-jordan from the north with support of other arab states palestine is invaded as the united nations looked for ways to stop the war. raging erupted out of palestine and ignited in the streets of iraq. the fierce the tough and when israel won the war the iraqi

government at the time mostly only against the jews over there what a very difficult situation given 950. jews were fired from government jobs and the people who today shops. jews closed down businesses they do not dare to go through the streets. they hang. jewish people for the zionism i midline there were 2 for communism. so everyone and the stole that there was no way for us to live there. money opened the door was. a deal funded by american sign. with sweetness for the prime minister's family allowed for the jews to renounce their iraqi citizenship and

leave. at 1st the take up was slow. some people didn't want to go they had their jobs and their money and their houses . my parents were not violent they were jews. they have all the whatever you use to do holidays and all and in the synagogue there were not really. but then a series of bombs went off in jewish districts of baghdad although the government accused and then hind to zionists for doing it in order to drive in the creation. no one believed them now they were afraid or they are throwing bombs in the synagogues so we have to move so they went to register all of and 7000 when the

register in the synagogue so we were about 220000. the minute they close the list of all those wanted to go to jerusalem they confiscated all the money in the banks or what you had you can't sell anything you can sell your house you can sell not even a friend. and we left iraq with them pounds. throughout the summer of 1951 planes flew continuously from baghdad to tell of the. until 120000 iraqi jews were carried away. but the welcome wasn't. they were expecting. looking like creatures from the arabian.

it's a colorful site but scarcely a pretty one. a sort of weird costume ball on balls in front of you abusing bizarre but. it was. they conceived of the people who have no concept. does not exist the our language is the language of the enemy and they define. black people. we do know some of these people may have been well to do or even well think what you mean and still know where they are all headed. basically the message just came back guys don't rush for god's sake we rush to this place and we sitting in tents with a russian. in

1951 life for edmonds family under the money he was comfortable. to leave. alone with 7000 when. they stayed on. and when his left the safety of the hotel to look for his childhood home now sandwiched between the notoriously violent side to city and the river. the area is controlled by a shia militia. the taxi driver is nervous and of course for the why should. also that mosque so much for the love of the. father was shot early on it will be. odd if it has had a foot in the police. but i couldn't put them to cut them up we would call. them adoption of the b. of i g g the b.

of you know how that doesn't equal. the other bit other bit you know the. it well go for the ball go. my god. oh my god the same. god would be nice to the floyd way way way way. as we know paul they got it how do you but i think it'll be a no show but how do you think i would be out of my she don't know. why did you always open up with a mark on the book. well i would. say with. when i saw the house. that you have to leave your old home. like a criminal. is difficult to put myself into the cauldron of boiling

motions. on the jew who always names feel. it's a kind of a feeling of belonging. but there's just other mother other than i'm going to bob it's going to be jewish funny how that of could be a goof what i love of on the other shot of him in him should be you know most of it with his heart and of the heart and all of the love about that god but the courage to do we wouldn't see him in the pool has not edwin he's still in his old neighborhood trying to find his family's synagogue it's called me a twig. and it's now the only maintained synagogue in iraq. that it.

may tweak is still standing. when saddam hussein needed to piece the americans hearing street to be preserved. but it's too dangerous to choose to actually worship. baghdad was the center of the jewish world for over 1500 years. they were both in color mood bob you know when you come board. why isis is put so much into iraq. i can't live. with the fact that my grandpa is very poor. and that we've abandoned him we just say goodbye but. but it's we. could everything. we don't gave in the

back. while it was egyptian president is it makes a public appearance following caesar of the sun seen by the 1st one soon with took place my father could see that it was a momentous thing happening in the middle east. it was the 1st time that nationalism asserted itself i remember he used to listen to news day and night he couldn't get away from it one minute. the women i mean probably david douglas mother said 3 my brother who are not happy. either could feel a kind of anxiety behind the sort of facade of easygoing life. all

house was on the river front and the royal palace was on the other side we work up to the sound of gunfire. it must have been a. sort of 1st light. raid you came on announcing the army had taken over. 2 years after series in 1958 the monarchy in iraq was overthrown in a leftwing military coup. it had lasted 37 years. and reassign just opposed his plan to end the republican rebels have offered

$10000.00 pounds of his rent. insisting the new one thing is certain the women is doable. this is i do carry in costume he was the leader of the revolt the idea that the king should be replaced by a republic was something strange to us and quite bewildering in some ways even though we knew very little about politics we knew something cataclysmic was happening. i was 3 years old when the coup happened everybody rushed to the balcony to watch. the prime minister for russia and the only site they tied his body to a car and just the usual. revenge would pull his body through the streets of baghdad i remember my mother my grandmother screaming as the as the body

was passed through. the me squeezing between them to see what what was the commotion. king faisal the 2nd in the royal family were gunned down. and the crown prince's mutilated body was displayed on the walls of the ministry of defense. in 1959 david's parents finally made the decision to leave iraq we came to england when we had finally got our entry permit. my father had hoped to make his life in the land his forefathers it was set. i never went back. after the revolution we had to bring it down we didn't want anybody to come and see we have the king and on the war. we'll put it down when we're at it. and put it away in is still rule. $2000.00 jews stayed after the

revolution. the 1st 6 months we thought we are going to be called when east. now even want to learn about communism with us we're out of stuff we are going to be probably. the david calash had a dealership selling fancy american cars we have what about 70 or $80.00. when the revolution kid mean we thought no boy you were there to write a b. car you want to go in this war or otherwise there would kill you. you corrode merely in 6 months the government the open embassies of the east russia embassy because of your good china and these people they are starving for america's guard.

was going in the room with every car the streets of the. of the short. break after. in 1963 with the tacit support of the cia kassam was killed in another coup by the baath party who included some old wartime fascists and a young officer saddam hussein. israel was back as an issue. and within weeks jewish passports were taken away. i was lucky i was a d.d. deathy. i live. in march to have a mosque 96 he said. everything changed in

67 when the 6 day war started. to clear remember coming home from school my mother picked us up. by look at her face. the traffic was stopped by police. convoy with lots of soldiers holding their guns. iran was one of 5 states fighting israel in the 6 day war in june 1967. i remember my brother distinctly say you know this is very bad for us if israelis win then they're going to come back and take their revenge on us and israelis know as well we're all going to us anyway. the israelis won. and the consequences were immediate for the 2000 jews still living in baghdad. people from the post office docked on the door opened the door myself they asked me

where the the colorful and so on and i just took them they pulled the cords from the wall and took all the instruments and they said i'm sorry but rules are rules jews are not allowed anymore the use of the telephone. my mother was placed immediately on the house to house arrest luckily she knew with the chief inspector of police back that she protected her. there was a lot of help from our muslim friends. in early $1969.00 the path leadership laid on an event in response to the 6 day war and its aftermath. saddam hussein now deputy leader was given the job of turning it into a national festival they rounded out a number of people mostly jews and they accused them of being spies for israel and

for the west when they said spy remember my dad's complection change he. was suddenly said. that doesn't sound good he knew that there probably meant the jews. show trial of the suspects was mounted in january. on the day of the trial i remember we were petrified all of us. suddenly we see them on television the doorbell rings and when the doorbell rings in the middle of the night even of for be a good night if look at the evening and for everybody the dog there is no reason for their doorbell to ring allege it's trouble and sure enough it was my art say. they've taken well because. they had come to ask you to check. no matter what we try to or how we tried we could not find out where he was.

for me it was like almost the end of the world. if you time when small. another one to jewish men banished from their family. then came use of danny's uncle. it was a notice like one of those adverts you sell an apartment on the 5th page of the side color. and his partner were found guilty yesterday after spy and they will be. tomorrow morning. that was my turn point i guess. it was only one thought which is the same thing as everybody had just $1000.00 left had to get out jews were not allowed to have passports so

they can leave the country. so there was no other option just. 7071 that year at school was the year you're going to school every morning you count and you look around who is left in your classroom. my mother we had an idea that she was planning to run away. but not at all of adventures for us and. very secure she tried to keep myself occupied. she was making dolls walk he men and women in customs. plans were to go on holiday as such to northern iraq his beautiful it's lovely.

plus we're in the kurdish areas we're pretty much safe because they didn't have any and i must it was us. we knew that this was a proper way to escape. over $71.00 my father brought the family to gather and told us that. in 2 hours we depart the house whatever. we have to go through checkpoints tried to be cool. pretending to be your holiday. jolie and you're looking at around that your sisters who are younger the grandmother who was praying it out of lee. is it possible this soldier i would suspect he has

a family that look like you know jewish they look frightened. so when we crossed the border between arab iraq and kurdish iraq and the guy turned around and said you're ok no you've made it. it was just it was amazing we knew that we we were free and we were just ecstatic. did used them. unity was now down to a few 100 to. the back but his attention drifted elsewhere. 11 years after alians passport had been taken away her application for a new one suddenly went true. so we're close into. we had a less suitcases with us where went to a friend's house and the next morning we're length of the f.

lot and left. 18 arrived in london on the 18th of december 974 leaving 280 jews in baghdad. once you leave the country and don't return within 3 months and all your property is confiscated. and you to see unless later with your nationality and all to consider the offer and you'll. in 2003 iraq was once again invaded. and non-doing american alliance wanted to be rid of saddam hussein. i'm going to be to edwin in northern iraq he's buying his house and have built the

capital of the kurdish area. he wanted to join the last 5 to still living in baghdad but it's too dangerous that. which is not to say at bayless safe islamic states frontline is just a short drive from that bill city center. past. the hour the only. problem with real close. eyeballed this house is a step in my dream. you know what maybe just maybe in 30405060 years time jews would

reconnect with their both place. you could die with me. but if i don't see that my dream in my lifetime i can least i know i set it in motion. of course i know i'm going for bit for the believer there i long for but it does my body that. i knew all morning for that it was so much room. but you don't go there. i don't want to go back. there's a lot of people who left baghdad in the good times so they have a nice nostalgic memory of it. i know that my memory is

just marred by loss of my uncle. iraq still in all blood. in. it's like and distant battle ringing in the back of a heads always reminding us where we came from. i still miss but. i wouldn't let the going out because it's all in the in. the places i know. i'm not the same. it's that to remember. everything as it is or is it well as it was.

i was dreaming. upgrades from modern living babies don't give a thought to updating their minds and bodies but manmade systems need constant attention and improvement. just ticks through traffic payment systems the internet. or in fact society as a whole there is always room for improvement to morrow to the. kind of minutes on g.w. . i'm

secure in that my work not hard and in the end is a me your not a lot of the year and more we will send you back. are you familiar with this. when the smugglers were alliance of the what's your story ready. i mean when i was a women especially of victims of violence in terms of take part and send us your story we are trying always to understand this new culture. another visitor another yes you want to become a citizen. in for migrants your platform for a while information. this

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