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An American Jew who settled in Iraqi Kurdistan and dedicated himself to preserving its Jewish history has been expelled from the country. Levi Meir Clancy said officials told him he was a security threat, but that he believes the real reason for his expulsion is his outspokenness about those in the region who falsely claim…
For nearly 30 centuries the tomb of the prophet Nahum was an important pilgrimage site for Jews in what is today Kurdish Iraq. But after the founding of Israel in 1948, all its Jewish caretakers began leaving the region, and in more recent years, the Islamic State embarked on its campaign to destroy holy sites…
In Israel, there is often a singular narrative told about immigration and the creation of the Jewish state: Ashkenazi pioneers came from Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century and built the country. They established kibbutzim, moshavim, and cities like Rishon LeTzion, and created pre-IDF militias. Streets in every city in Israel bear…
The aftermath of World War I had left the world’s 30-45 million Kurds split between four countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Since then, they have been clamoring for independence amidst oppression, marginalization and violent persecution at the hands of these four countries. The collapses of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq and Bashar al-Asad’s in…
NEW YORK (JTA) — Police increased security at a Jewish museum here after the Islamic State reportedly suggested it as a target for attack for hosting an event about Kurds fighting the terrorist group. The threats against the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust are unsubstantiated, but security was increased Sunday and…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader in the U.S. Senate, has called on the Trump administration to recognize the Kurdish bid for independence, a position embraced internationally virtually only by Israel. “Monday’s historic vote in Iraqi Kurdistan should be recognized and respected by the world, and the Kurdish people of northern…
“We have no friends but the mountains,” is an old Kurdish saying. No friends but the mountains — and Israel — is the reality. There is a deep affinity between Israel and the Kurds. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was alone among world leaders when he endorsed Kurds preparing to vote in an independence referendum….
(JTA) — President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey threatened to halt steps being taken toward normalization with Israel if it does not end its support for an independent Kurdish state. “If Israel does not reconsider its support for Kurdish independence, Turkey will not be able to take many steps we would have with Israel, too,”…
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