When the monarchy was overthrown in 1958, things took a turn for the worse.
More & more restrictions were placed on the Jewish community.
📸One of the last photos taken of me in Iraq-My friends & I at a school function in 1967 shortly before the 6 Day War.
#JewishRefugeesDay
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We had tried to remain optimistic over the years, but the Six Day War made it clear that our life in #Iraq was over.
Shortly after the war, our home which was owned by my grandfather was confiscated by the government and we were forced to move and give up our property.
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The rhetoric against the Jewish community was becoming increasingly dangerous.
We were referred to as a "fifth column". Our loyalty was questioned. We were accused of helping Iraq's enemies.
And then in 1969, nine innocent Iraqi Jews were executed for treason.
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Overnight we became hostages.
Tens of Jews were rounded up. Fake trials of the Jews who were executed were broadcast on TV.
I watched half a million Iraqis celebrate the Jewish deaths and the death of my community.
📸Israeli memorial remembering those who were executed.
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We lost all our faith in our neighbors & friends. Anyone could call the secret police, the Mukhabarat & have us arrested.
In 1970, my mother began planning our escape from Iraq. My father was against leaving, as a lawyer who believed that the judicial system would protect us.
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That December on a Thursday someone came to our house and told my brother and I that there was a short window for us to escape the following day.
We took nothing but a small suitcase with us. I was disguised as an Arab woman with an Abaya & we fled through Kurdistan to Iran.
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My mother, sister & father stayed behind.
My father used his influence to bail out 132 Jews who were caught by local authorities while trying to escape Iraq.
My father was arrested and freed twice for his activities.
This is the last photo we have of him.
#JewishRefugeesDay
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My mother & sister fled to Israel in 1971.
On the eve of Yom Kippur in 1972 my father was kidnapped in #Iraq. We never heard from him again.
You can watch the documentary Shadow of Baghdad which chronicles my journey to learn what happened to my father.
shadowinbaghdad.com/
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After arriving in #Israel, I spent the next few years trying to rebuild my life & acclimate to a new country.
It was a struggle to say the least, but eventually Israel became home.
I became a Middle East correspondent & journalist, bridging between Israel and the Arab world.
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Today I am a senior consultant at @IsraelArabic, creating digital content that connects Jews and Arabs around the world.
One of the projects closest to my heart is our virtual embassy Facebook page IsraelinIraqi which focuses on Iraqi culture and our Jewish community's history.
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I may have left Iraq, but Iraq has never left me.
I don't know what the future will hold, but the hundreds of messages that I & our @IsraelArabic accounts receive from Iraqis, give me hope.
Who knows? Maybe one day I'll find myself back in Iraq as Israel's first ambassador.
Nov 30, 2020 · 1:52 PM UTC
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We'd like to thank Linda for sharing her story. You can listen to a full episode of our podcast with Linda here:
soundcloud.com/personagrata_…
From Yemen, to Iraq, to Syria, to Iran, we remember the 850,000 Jewish refugees expelled from their homes.
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