Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Community

‘We will win this war’ — Ruth Pearl, in her own words

This is an excerpt from “I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl” (2004), edited by Judea and Ruth Pearl. Ruth Pearl died July 20, 2021 at the age of 85.

Growing up as a Jewish child in Baghdad left me with recurring nightmares of being chased by a knife-wielding Arab in the school’s stairway while 2,000 schoolmates screamed hysterically. The screaming was a real and frequent occurrence triggered by sudden noise or a minor accident in a chemistry lab, a consequence of the trauma from the June 1941 looting and massacre of 180 Jews in Baghdad.

Ruth Pearl with Daniel (l) and Judea Pearl in 1995 in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of The Pearl Project

I also remember my parents’ night vigils waiting for my two brothers to come home after their outings. Indeed, one time my father had to bail them out of jail with a bribe after they were arrested not far from home, just for being Jewish.

All that changed when we left for Israel in 1951. My acclimation to Israel was amazingly easy and natural, though my nightmares continued for many years. In Israel, one does not have to be an observant Jew to feel Jewish, an atmosphere that suited me perfectly. By the time my husband and I arrived in the United States in 1960 for postgraduate studies, I was a proud and secure Jew and did not expect anti-Semitism to ever touch my life.

I was raised in a moderately religious home and community, and I absorbed many of the attitudes and values from my Jewish heritage, such as empowerment to question, zeal for honesty, reverence for learning, and deep commitment to create a better world for the next generation. I tried to pass along to my children my ethical Judaism: a guilt-free, pragmatic religion with open-mindedness at its core.

My security and sense of justice were shattered with the murder of my son, Daniel.

Like many generations before us, we are now embarking on a new war against anti-Semitism and fanaticism. More than ever before, I am conscious of my Jewishness and my obligation to contribute to its preservation, for I feel bonded to people who share my values and my commitments. Driven by the vision of Danny — a proud Jew who continues to inspire people with his values and dignity—we will win this war, as did our ancestors for many generations.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at editorial@forward.com, subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.

Exit mobile version