The Kurdish Jews

Kurdish Jews represent one of the oldest continuous Jewish populations in the world, with a documented presence that goes back more than 2,500 years. Biblical accounts and regional oral histories track the roots of this community to the Assyrian captivity in the 8th century BCE. During this period, the northern tribes of Israel were forcibly relocated to parts of Media and Assyria—territories that overlap with what is known today as Kurdistan. Settled throughout the mountainous terrain of northern Mesopotamia, which now spans parts of modern Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, these Jewish populations remained isolated from other global communities for centuries[1].

This physical isolation allowed the community to preserve its specific religious customs, cultural habits, and its language over many generations. Kurdish Jews spoke various dialects of Jewish Neo-Aramaic, a linguistic survival directly derived from ancient Aramaic. The population worked primarily as farmers, weavers, craftsmen, and merchants, living alongside Muslim, Christian, and Yezidi neighbors. Their history under various regional rulers included alternating periods of heavy taxation, instability, and persecution, balanced by intervals of peaceful cohabitation under local Kurdish chieftains. The community maintained a deep religious attachment to the land, regularly traveling to pray at the tombs of biblical prophets, such as Daniel in Kirkuk, Jonah in Mosul, and Nahum in Alqosh. At the turn of the 20th century, as Zionist ideas gained ground in the region, small groups of Kurdish Jews began migrating toward Ottoman Palestine[2].

The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 fundamentally altered the security of the community. The rise of Arab nationalism led to the introduction of anti-Jewish legislation in Iraq. These escalating tensions culminated in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, a massive airlift organized between 1950 and 1952 that evacuated the vast majority of Iraqi Jews. More than 25,000 Kurdish Jews left their homes during this migration, abandoning their long history in the region to relocate to Israel. Upon arrival, the community settled heavily in and around Jerusalem, eventually integrating into wider Israeli society. Today, they maintain their specific cultural roots through traditional music, dance styles, food, and the annual Seharane festival, keeping their Mesopotamian heritage alive despite their total displacement from their original homeland[3].

The Seharane is the primary cultural gathering for Kurdish Jews, serving to showcase their regional traditions, connection to nature, and history. Originally celebrated back in Kurdistan, the festival was later reintroduced and adapted to life in modern Israel. The musical backbone of the event relies on the heavy, rhythmic patterns of the Dohola (a large traditional drum) paired with the sharp, high notes of the Zurna (a woodwind instrument). Attendees participate in the Govend, a fast-paced, synchronized dance performed in interconnected lines and circles. Participants frequently dress in brightly colored, heavily embroidered traditional Kurdish outfits. Food is a central element of the gathering, with families preparing traditional dishes such as Kuba (stuffed dough dumplings) and Yaprach (stuffed grape leaves)[4].

Today, the population of Kurdish Jews and their descendants living in Israel is estimated to be between 200,000 and 300,000 people. Approximately half of this population lives in Jerusalem, with notable concentrations in specific southern sectors of the city, such as the Katamonim neighborhood. Over the decades, members of the community also established more than 30 agricultural villages (moshavim) throughout the Israeli countryside. The majority of these residents are descendants of the roughly 50,000 Kurdish Jews who arrived during the emergency airlifts of the 1950s. While Hebrew has become the primary language for the vast majority of the community, a shrinking population of older individuals still speaks regional Kurdish dialects and Judeo-Aramaic[5].