The following interview has been conducted by Hussein Al-alak with Carol Isaacs, whose project the Wolf of Baghdad, tells the unique and remarkable story of Iraq's lost Jews. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in Iraq's Jewish heritage and Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra) would like to thank Carol for speaking with us.
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Carol Isaacs and I am a musician, playing piano, keyboards and accordion. I have worked mostly in the pop and world music fields, recording and touring with artists such as Indigo Girls (USA) and Sinead O’Connor (Ireland).
Recently I have begun to learn more about my own community’s musical heritage of maqam and Middle Eastern music, especially the Judeo-Arabic tradition.
I am also a cartoonist working under the pen name The Surreal McCoy.
My cartoons have been published in the New Yorker, Sunday Times, Spectator and many other places. My first graphic memoir The Wolf of Baghdad will be published by Myriad Editions in January 2020.
Can you tell us more about the history of the Iraqi Jewish community?
It’s one of the world’s oldest and most historically significant Jewish communities, dating from 586 BCE. Babylon was a major centre for Jewish learning, producing some of the Jewish world’s most learned scholars.
Depending on the ruler at the time, Jewish fortunes were mixed but generally they flourished and contributed much to the country. For example Iraq’s first finance minister, Yehezkel Sasson, was a Jew.
When Iraq became an independent state in 1932 the Jews played an important role in its setting up. By then a third of Baghdad’s population was Jewish, and overall in Iraq numbered about 120,000.
But with the rise of Nazism and Arab nationalism they began to suffer discrimination and persecution, and in 1941 the community was shocked when, after a power vacuum, two days of rioting led to the deaths of many Jews and the destruction of homes and businesses. They no longer felt safe.
By 1950-51 most of the Jewish population had left Iraq and continued to do so in waves over the next few decades. As of today it is thought that only five Jews remain in Baghdad.
Can you tell us why Iraqi Jewish history is important for us today?
To acknowledge that at various points in history Jews co-existed peacefully with their Muslim counterparts.
They were proud of their Iraqi heritage and contributed greatly to the culture in terms of music and literature.
One of the most important composers of the Arab world in the last century was an Iraqi Jew, Saleh al-Kuwaiti, who wrote many songs that are still popular today.
Can you tell us more about the project The Wolf of Baghdad and what do you hope to achieve with it?
This project began with the simple intention of telling our family story. I drew it as a graphic memoir but it is also a semi-animated work; pages and panels from the book are projected onto a film screen and accompanied by musicians (including myself on accordion) playing Iraqi and Judeo-Arabic repertoire.
The book will be published next year but we will also record the soundtrack to make a DVD of the motion comic soon.
People are already aware of the history of European Jews but it seemed to me that not many knew about the story of Jews in the Middle East.
Gratifyingly, live performances of The Wolf of Baghdad have provided wonderful opportunities for the opening of dialogue between different communities and all the feedback so far has been incredibly positive.
Why is this story important to people now?
To know that there are other countless unknown stories out there that need to be heard. Listen out for them!
Once The Wolf of Baghdad is complete, how can people get involved?
People can still pre-order copies of the DVD and CD music soundtrack, along with limited-edition prints from the book, at my Kickstarter page here.
Other rewards are also on offer, including a chance to have your name in the liner notes with a special thank-you. The Kickstarter campaign ends on Monday 17th July so there’s still time!
If you miss out on this opportunity they will be available for sale later in the year via my website www.thesurrealmccoy.com
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