Meir Taweig Synagogue (), also known as Meir Tweg Synagogue or Me'ir Avraham Taweq Synagogue, is a large

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in the historic Jewish quarter of

Bataween Al-Bataween is a neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq. It is located in eastern region of Baghdad, on the riverside of the Tigris and is part of Karrada, Karrada district. Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was the main Jewish quarter (diaspora), Jew ...

, in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. The complex comprises the main synagogue, a

Jewish school A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiate sch ...

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, and community center. Established in 1942, it was one of the important synagogues in the city. The synagogue was impacted during the persecution of the Jews in Iraq and was also damaged during frequent occasions of unrest and wars. It was restored in 1985 by

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. The synagogue was further expanded in 1988. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the synagogue was in fear of getting targeted in the attacks. Today, a small group of Jews, accompanied by Muslims looks after the synagogue.

History

Early history

Meir Taweig Synagogue was built between 1942 and 1946. It is named after Meir Taweig, a Jewish businessman of Baghdad. During those times Iraq had a thriving Jewish community of 150,000 people, with majority of them living in Baghdad. It served as key place for worshiping of Jews of Baghdad. The synagogue is located in Bataween district, which was once the main Jewish quarter of Baghdad. Formed in the early 1930s, it was inhabited later after the events of Farhud in 1941. Named after Iraqi businessman Meir Taweig, the synagogue was built in 1942. Persecution of the Jews during the

Farhud The () was a pogrom carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq, Iraq, on 1–2 June 1941 (coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot), immediately following the British victory in the Anglo-Iraqi War. The riots oc ...

increased their fear in the area. This synagogue was one of the centers for registering Iraqi Jews who wanted to emigrate to Israel. In 1950, the Iraqi government issued a law revoking their citizenship and allowing Iraqi Jews to emigrate to Israel via Cyprus. In 1984, the synagogue was raided by the

Iraqi secret police The Directorate of General Security (DGS) () also known as Internal State Security was a domestic Iraqi intelligence agency.Hiltermann, Joost. ''Bureaucracy of Repression: The Iraqi Government in Its Own Words''. Human Rights Watch, 2015. Retr ...

. It was restored by the government in 1985.

Ba'athist period: 1968–2003

The

persecution of the Jews The persecution of Jews has been a major event in Jewish history prompting shifting waves of refugees and the formation of diaspora communities. As early as 605 BC, Jews who lived in the Neo-Babylonian Empire were persecuted and deported. Antis ...

decreased in Iraq, after the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

came to power. However, due to the anti-Zionist ideologies of the government, tensions remained high. During events such as

1969 Baghdad hangings 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

and anti-Zionist demonstrations, the synagogue was affected. By the 1970s, gradually the government began protecting the Jews. The international community also pressured the Iraqi government to preserve remaining community. A department within the Ministry of National Security was set up to ensure their safety and preservation of Jewish sites. In 1984, the secret police forces raided the synagogue and confiscated

Jewish Archives Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. The damaged synagogue was restored by the government. Saddam Hussein paid for the restoration works. The synagogue and the surrounding neighborhoods remained home to the rest of Iraqi Jews. The synagogue also contains a school, library and community office. An incident took place in 1998, on the day of the Jewish festival of

Sukkot Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

, when a Palestinian man opened fire, killing four people, including two Jews, at the Baghdad synagogue. Following the arrest of the perpetrator, the government pledged to ensure prompt justice. As a precautionary measure, police guards were stationed at the synagogue, and the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

released a statement denouncing the shooting incident. The cabinet emphasized that the Jewish community in Iraq are Iraqis that should not be associated with Zionist activities aimed at disrupting the political, economic, social, and health security of Arab countries. Saddam himself also condemned the attack. Later the Palestinian man faced trial in the court.

Current: 2003–present

The synagogue was closed in 2003, when the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

launched invasion on Iraq. The remaining Jews were scared of the future, when Saddam was overthrown after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. Throughout the Iraq War, the synagogue remained closed. Since 2003, the new Iraqi authorities have repeatedly promised to preserve and maintain the synagogue. There is also a sect of Jews called the Mousawi sect near Al-Nahr Street next to Al-Mustansiriya University, and this is also still working until now, and this is concerned with collecting real estate and money from Jews in Baghdad.

Location

The synagogue is located in Al–Bataween neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. The complex is situate between Al-Saadoun Street and Al-Nidal Street, close to

Firdos Square Al-Firdos Square () is a public open space in central Baghdad, Iraq. It is named after the Persian word ''Ferdows'', meaning 'paradise'. The site has been the location of several monumental artworks. Al-Firdos Square is located in the middle of ...

, near the riverbank of

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

. Al-Bataween has been the only neighborhood in Baghdad which is home to remaining Jews, living alongside Muslims and Christians. Al-Habibiya Jewish Cemetery is also located nearby, between Shia Muslim neighborhood of

Sadr City Sadr City (), formerly known as Al-Thawra () and Saddam City (), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, Abdul Karim Qassim and named Al-Rafidain Distric ...

and

Al-Shaheed Monument Al-Shaheed Monument (), also known as the Martyr's Memorial, is a monument designed by Iraqi sculptor Ismail Fatah al-Turk and situated in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It was originally dedicated to the Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran–Iraq Wa ...

. According to a report by '' The National News'', several buildings can be restored as heritage houses to be used for cultural and business activities.

Features

The Meir Taweg Synagogue also consists of a Jewish school, library and community center. It has been redecorated and carpeted with air-conditioning equipment installed. The central chamber contain the ark and bimah. A Jewish school is also part of the synagogue. At the top of the main facade of the hall, there is a wooden tablet of the Ten Commandments, above which is the name of God. Surrounding it are marble panels on which are engraved seven-branched candlesticks and Psalms in Hebrew, and in the middle is a luxurious cabinet containing ancient Torah manuscripts made of gazelle skin. There is also a large library in the synagogue, which used to have Iraqi Jewish Archive. The library consists of approximately one million books. In 1984, the secret police raided the synagogue and confiscated Iraqi Jewish Archives from the synagogue. During the battle of Baghdad in 2003, the coalition forces bombed the intelligence headquarters of Saddam Hussein. They discovered the bulk of Iraqi Jewish Archives in the building's basement, which were confiscated from the synagogue.

References

{{Jews and Judaism in Iraq, state=collapsed 1942 establishments in Iraq 20th-century attacks on Jewish institutions Jewish organizations established in 1942 Jews and Judaism in Baghdad Orthodox Judaism in the Arab world Orthodox synagogues in the Middle East Rebuilt synagogues Religious buildings and structures in Baghdad Sephardi Jewish culture in Asia Sephardi synagogues Synagogues completed in 1942 Synagogues in Iraq