A Call to the Jewish Community

Before the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, about 140,000 Jews lived in Iraq, primarily in Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul. In the summer of 1948, the Iraqi government declared Zionism a capital offense and fired Jews in government positions. Many were imprisoned, falsely charged with Zionist or communist activities; some then crossed the border into Iran, from where they were flown to Israel. Immigration to Israel was outlawed by the Iraqi government, and by 1949, an Iraqi Zionist underground was established to smuggle Jews out of the country. In March 1950, Iraq passed a law to temporarily allow immigration to Israel, limited to one year only, and to strip Jews who emigrated of their Iraqi citizenship.