Pogrom & mass departure · Iraq · 1941–1951

The Farhud and later state measures ruptured a community’s security and citizenship.

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1941–1951

Pogrom & mass departure · The festival becomes a moment of terror

The Farhud and later state measures ruptured a community’s security and citizenship.

The Farhud, June 1941

On 1–2 June 1941, during Shavuot, violence struck Baghdad’s Jews after a pro-Axis political crisis and the collapse of immediate authority. Jews were killed, wounded and robbed. Anti-Jewish incitement helped make the community a target, while some Muslim neighbours intervened to protect people.

Citizenship becomes the price of leaving

In 1950, Iraq permitted Jews to emigrate if they relinquished citizenship. Many registered to leave amid insecurity and pressure. The decision was not an ordinary move between countries: departing people gave up the legal membership through which they had belonged to their home.

Assets are frozen

In 1951, the state froze the assets of Jews who had relinquished citizenship. Large-scale departure transformed Iraqi Jewish life. Loss of property and legal status followed people beyond the journey itself. The Farhud and the departure laws were separate events whose combined consequences narrowed the possibility of a future in Iraq.