Daijiworld Media Network- Baghdad

Baghdad, May 28: In a remarkable cultural revival in the heart of Baghdad, the long-forgotten shrine of Rabbi Isaac Gaon, a revered Jewish religious figure, is witnessing a transformation. Once a derelict site filled with garbage, broken windows, and stained walls, the ancient tomb now gleams with marble tiles and bears a large inscribed tombstone—a testament to Iraq’s deep-rooted Jewish history.

The restoration effort, initiated and funded by Iraq’s tiny but determined Jewish community at a cost of $150,000, marks a significant step toward preserving the vanishing heritage of Jews in the region. The site now also features a silver menorah, reinstating its spiritual identity.

“This was once a garbage dump—we were not allowed to touch it for years,” said Khalida Elyahu, the 62-year-old head of Iraq’s Jewish community. “Restoring this site brings a sense of revival for our community, both here and abroad.”

The Jewish population in Iraq, once a thriving community that made up nearly 40 percent of Baghdad’s residents during Ottoman rule, has dwindled drastically. Today, only a handful remain, with one synagogue left in the city—sans a rabbi—and dozens of abandoned Jewish homes and sites.

Not much is known about Rabbi Isaac Gaon, who died in the year 688. Historians suggest he was a prominent religious figure during the Gaonic era, possibly heading a Babylonian rabbinic academy. A 10th-century tale mentions him leading 90,000 Jews to meet Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Islamic caliph, in central Iraq—a story scholars treat with skepticism due to a lack of corroborating evidence.

“The tale likely emerged in the 10th century when Jewish communities crafted such narratives to emphasize their loyalty to Muslim rulers, which often determined their rights and taxation,” explained Prof. Simcha Gross of the University of Pennsylvania.

Despite political upheavals, Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, wars, and mass exodus post-Israel’s formation in 1948, Iraq’s Jewish sites—about 50 of them—still stand, though many are in ruins. Rabbi Isaac’s shrine once included a synagogue and school, now reduced to a single restored room housing his grave.

“It took us two months just to remove the garbage,” said the site’s restoration supervisor, who preferred to remain anonymous. Since the cleanup, requests have begun pouring in from abroad to visit the shrine, he added.

Residents recall the shrine as a place of spiritual solace. “Women would soak themselves in water from the shrine’s well, hoping to conceive,” said Mussa Hayawi, 64, a local resident. “People came here to pray for the sick, for babies, and even for prisoners’ release. Rabbi Isaac was a revered man.”

The site’s revival not only rekindles memories but also offers hope that more of Iraq’s Jewish heritage can be preserved for future generations—with dreams that, someday, the silence around Baghdad’s Jewish past may once again be broken by prayers, chants, and candles lit in faith.