The history of Iraq’s Jews dates back to more than five centuries before Christ. In its 1940s heyday, the community is said to have numbered some 135,000—but after decades of war, displacement and emigration, that number has dwindled to just four. 

Past glory days 

“At the end of the 19th century, Baghdad’s atmosphere could have been compared to a city like New York in terms of construction, economy, natural beauty, and cultural and literary diversity,’’ explains Saad Salloum, founder of the Institute for the Study of Religious Diversity in Iraq. “Jews played a notably prominent role in building this diversity, and their influence was clearly visible in the cities,” he said...