The Farhud

About The Farhud

The Farhud: Roots of the Arab-Nazi Alliance in the Holocaust, written by investigative journalist Edwin Black, provides an in-depth analysis of the June 1941 pogrom against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq. The book situates this violent event within the broader geopolitical landscape of World War II, specifically focusing on the intersection of British colonial interests, Iraqi nationalism, and Nazi Germany’s strategic ambitions in the Middle East. Black details how the pogrom occurred during a power vacuum following the collapse of the pro-Axis government led by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and the flight of the Golden Square officers.

The narrative examines the ideological influence of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, who sought a formal alliance with the Third Reich to oppose British influence and Jewish migration to Mandatory Palestine. According to the text, Nazi propaganda and the dissemination of Arabic translations of Mein Kampf played a significant role in radicalizing local sentiments, leading to the two-day outbreak of violence known as the Farhud. During this period, hundreds of Jewish residents were killed, many more were injured, and significant amounts of property were looted or destroyed.

Furthermore, the book explores the strategic importance of Iraqi oil and the Berlin-to-Baghdad railway in the context of the global conflict. Black argues that the Farhud was not an isolated incident of communal strife but rather a localized manifestation of the Holocaust’s reach into the Arab world. By tracing the historical roots of these alliances, the work documents the systematic displacement of Iraq’s Jewish community, which had existed for over two millennia, and analyzes the long-term demographic shifts that followed in the region.