“Iraq ’n’ Roll”: Rediscovering Iraqi Jewish Roots

Samantha Ellis

2025

Feeling sad about keeping, saving or remembering objects, I came across the idea of intangible cultural heritage. I lost hours to browsing UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, exploring everything from Syrian shadow-play puppetry to camel racing in Oman. [ . . . ] It was a whole world of culture that was…

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British playwright Samantha Ellis explores her Iraqi Jewish roots in her memoir Always Carry Salt (UK: Chopping Onions on My Heart). She reflects on the fading Judeo-Arabic language, traditional foods, and family artifacts while tracing cultural memory through Iraqi Jewish writers like Sami Michael, Eli Amir, and Samir Naqqash. In her essay “Iraq ’n’ Roll,” Ellis highlights musician Dudu Tassa’s art as a way to “knit back the broken hearts” and reconnect a fractured heritage through music and memory.

Discussion Questions

Ellis writes about the ability “to carry culture that was portable,” and the American title of her book also suggests the importance of carrying. What does it mean to “carry” culture?
How does Dudu Tassa inspire Samantha Ellis, and how can he be seen as a model of hope more broadly?
What do you think about efforts to preserve “lost” cultures? Do you think they’re still relevant or important?

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“Iraq ’n’ Roll”: Rediscovering Iraqi Jewish Roots

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“Iraq ’n’ Roll”: Rediscovering Iraqi Jewish Roots

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Creator Bio

Samantha Ellis