The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa The Impact of World War II

Incorporating published and archival material, this volume fills an important gap in the history of the Jewish experience during World War II, describing how the war affected Jews living along the southern rim of the Mediterranean and the Levant, from Morocco to Iran. Surviving the Nazi slaughter did not mean that Jews living in the Middle East and North Africa were unaffected by the war: there was constant anti-Semitic propaganda and general economic deprivation; communities were bombed; and Jews suffered because of theanti-Semitic Vichyregulations that left them unemployed, homeless, and subject to forced labor and deportation to labor camps. Nevertheless, they fought for the Allies and assisted the Americans and the British in the invasion of North Africa. These men and women were community leaders and average people who, despite their dire economic circumstances, worked with the refugees attempting to escape the Nazis via North Africa, Turkey, or Iran and connected with international aid agencies during and after the war. By 1945, no Jewish community had been left untouched, and many were financially decimated, a situation that would have serious repercussions on the future of Jews in the region. Covering the entire Middle East and North Africa region, this book on World War II is a key resource for students, scholars, and general readers interested in Jewish history, World War II, and Middle East history.

INTRODUCTION I. PROLOGUE Chapter 1. The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa on the Eve of World War II Chapter 2. The Issue of Racism and Opposition to Nazism Chapter 3. German and Italian Policy and the Issue of Palestine II. THE WAR BEGINS Chapter 4. The War Begins: The War in the Levant Chapter 5. The Threat to Palestine Chapter 6. Iraq and the Farhud in Baghdad Chapter 7. Vichy in Syria and Lebanon Chapter 8. Iran and the "Tehran Children" III. THE WAR CONTINUES Chapter 9. The War Continues: The North African Campaign Chapter 10. Egypt and the Panic of 1942 Chapter 11. Bombings and Deportations in Libya Chapter 12. Algeria and "Operation Torch" Chapter 13. The Nazi SS in Tunisia Chapter 14. Morocco, Labor Camps and Refugees Chapter 15. Turkish Neutrality and Refugees IV. EPILOGUE Chapter 16. The War Ends: Epilogue

Reeva Spector Simon served as Associate Director of the Middle East Institute, Columbia University, and Professor of History at Yeshiva University. She is the author of Iraq Between the Two World Wars and co-editor of The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times.