|
Kurdish Jewish
9.1.2010
By Nyaz Kirkuki
|
|
|
January 9, 2010
Nyaz Kirkuki (ekurd.net)
Kurdistan is a unique synthesis of several cultures
and ethnic groups. In the past, it bordered the
great Assyrian-Babylonian and Hittite empires; later
it adjoined Persian, Arabic, and Turkish
civilizations. Kurdistan embraces a great variety of
sects, ethnic groups, and nationalities. Apart from
the Kurdish tribes that form most of the population,
there are various Muslim Arab and Turkish tribes,
Christians of various denominations (Assyrians,
Armenians, Zestorians,), as well as Yazidis
(followers of an ancient Kurdistani religion),
Mandeans (a Gnostic sect), and Jews. The Jews
had—albeit at times quite limited—cultural ties with
the Jews of the larger urban centers of Iraq (Mosul,
Baghdad), Iran, and Turkey, and especially with the
Land of Israel (Judaism).
|
Nyaz Kikuki, USA |
Many Kurdish Jews had
relatives who sought employment in the larger urban
centers. Individuals, families, and sometimes all
the residents of a village had been immigrating to
the Land of Israel since the beginning of the
twentieth century. These trickles culminated in the
mass emigration of the entire Jewish community of
Iraqi Kurdistan to Israel during 1950—1951.
According to their oral tradition, Kurdish Jews are
the descendants of the Jews exiled from Israel and
Judea by the Assyrian kings. Several scholars who
have studied the Jews of Kurdistan tend to consider
this tradition at least partly valid, and one may
safely assume that the Kurdish Jews include, among
others, some descendants of the ancient Jewish
exiles, the so-called Lost Ten Tribes. Christianity
was successful in this area, partly because it was
inhabited by Jews. Christianity, which usually
spread in existing Jewish communities,www.ekurd.netwas
accepted in this region without difficulty. The
first substantial evidence of Jewish settlements in
Kurdistan is found in the reports of two Jewish
travelers to Kurdistan in the twelfth century. Their
accounts indicate the existence of a large,
well-established, and prosperous Jewish community in
the area. It seems that, as a result of persecutions
and the fear of approaching Crusaders, many Jews
from Syria-Palestine had fled to Babylonia and
Kurdistan. The Jews of Mosul, the largest town, with
a Jewish population of about 7,000, enjoyed some
degree of autonomy, and the local exilarch
(community leader) had his own jail. Of the taxes
paid by the Jews, half were given to him and half to
the (non-Jewish) governor. One account concerns
David Alroy, the messianic leader from Kurdistan who
rebelled, albeit unsuccessfully, against the king of
Persia and planned to redeem the Jews from exile and
lead them to Jerusalem.
Stability and prosperity, however, did not last
long. The reports of later travelers, as well as
local documents and manuscripts, indicate that
Kurdistan, except for some short periods, suffered
grievously from armed conflicts between the central
government in Turkey and the local tribal
chieftains. As a result, the Muslim, as well as
Jewish and Christian populations declined. Many
localities that had earlier been reported to have
large Jewish populations were reduced to a few
families,www.ekurd.netor
none at all. The U.S. missionary Asahel Grant
visited the once important town of Amadiy in 1839.
He found hardly any inhabitants: only 250 of 1,000
houses were occupied; the rest were demolished or
uninhabitable. In more recent times, Amadiy has had
only about 400 Jews. Nerwa, once an important Jewish
center, was set on fire by an irate chieftain just
before the outbreak of World War I, destroying,
among other things, the synagogues and all the Torah
scrolls therein. As a result, with the exception of
three families, all the Jews fled the town and
wandered off to other places, such as Mosul and
Zakho. In modern times, the latter has been one of
the few places in Kurdistan proper with a
substantial Jewish population (about 5,000 in 1945).
Nyaz Kirkuki is Atlanta-based freelance writer.
Kirkuki works in human rights for 12 Years he
representative Kurdish non-profit independent
organization in USA. You may reach the author via
email at: nyazkirkuki (at) hotmail.com
Copyright © 2010 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
®
