334: The Farhud (June 1-2, 1941)

The Farhud (Arabic for "violent dispossession") was a two-day pogrom against the Jewish community of Baghdad on June 1-2, 1941, the festival of Shavuot. It killed at least 180 Jews (some estimates ~600), wounded over 1,000, and destroyed hundreds of Jewish homes and businesses. It marked the violent end of more than 2,500 years of Jewish life in Babylon and became the psychological trigger for the mass aliyah of Iraqi Jews in 1950-1951 (Operation Ezra and Nehemiah). This lesson covers the political context (Rashid Ali al-Gaylani's pro-Nazi coup, the Mufti's influence), the events, the casualties, the aftermath, and the ongoing debates about commemoration and Holocaust integration.

Historical note, The Farhud is the missing chapter in many Holocaust narratives. It happened the same week as the Mufti of Jerusalem fled Baghdad to Berlin, where he would later broadcast Nazi propaganda in Arabic and recruit Muslim SS divisions. For Mizrahi Jews, and especially Iraqi Jews, the Shoah is not only a European story. The Farhud severed an ancient Jewish community from its land, and the Israeli Knesset officially recognized June 1 (Yom HaFarhud) as a memorial day in 2015. Understanding it is non-negotiable for anyone making aliyah and engaging seriously with Israeli history.

Pre-Farhud Context (Rashid Ali, Mufti)

The Two Days (June 1-2, 1941)

Casualties & Damage

Aftermath & Survivors

Memory & Commemoration

Survivor Testimony: A Baghdad Family During the Farhud

A composite testimony based on documented Farhud survivor accounts collected by the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center and Yad Vashem. The family lived in the Jewish quarter (al-Taht) of Baghdad. Shavuot eve 1941. The British army was 8 km outside the city, and did not enter for 36 hours.