Watch Forget Baghdad

Forget Baghdad is a documentary film directed by Samir, released in 2002. The film explores the history of Iraqi Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1950s and their cultural conflicts with the Israeli Ashkenazi establishment. The film provides an in-depth look into the lives of several Iraqi-Jewish intellectuals and writers who had a significant impact on Israel's cultural and political landscape.

The film is centered around interviews with four prominent Iraqi-Jewish intellectuals: Shimon Ballas, Sami Michael, Samir Naqqash, and Moshe Houri. All four were raised in Baghdad and migrated to Israel due to political instability and discrimination against Jews. After settling in Israel, they encountered a cultural shock and felt alienated from the European Ashkenazi majority, who dominated Israeli culture at the time.

The interviewees reminisce about their childhoods in Baghdad and how the Jewish community lived in harmony with Muslim and Christian neighbors. They describe Baghdad as a center of Arab culture, home to a vibrant literary scene and intellectual community. The interviewees contrast this with the racism and discrimination they encountered in Israel, which they felt was a betrayal of the principles of the state as a Jewish homeland.

The film is structured around the personal stories of the interviewees and archival footage of Baghdad and Israel, which provides a visual narrative of the history of the Iraqi Jewish community. The film explores the contradictions of Israeli identity, which is based on European Jewish traditions but built on the foundation of Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries. The Israeli establishment perceived Iraqi Jews as primitive and uneducated, which marginalized them from the mainstream of Israeli culture.

The film culminates in a roundtable discussion between the four interviewees, where they reflect on their experiences, analyze the political situation in Israel, and discuss the necessity of a new, more inclusive Jewish identity that incorporates the diverse cultures and traditions of the Jewish people. The conversation is both enlightening and heartwarming as they bond over shared memories of Baghdad and struggle to come to terms with their conflicting identities.

The documentation of the history of Iraqi Jews in Israel through personal stories and interviews is what makes Forget Baghdad stand out. The film is emotional and informative and provides a unique perspective on the complexities of Israel's identity and the cultural conflicts of its diverse populace. The documentary is not only valuable for its account of Jewish history in the Middle East but also relevant to broader discussions on diaspora, identity, and assimilation.

In conclusion, Forget Baghdad is an exceptional documentary film that recounts the experiences of Iraqi Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1950s. The personal stories of the interviewees provide a unique insight into the complexities of Israel's identity and its cultural conflicts. The film is informative, emotional, and relevant, and should be a must-watch for anyone interested in Jewish history and identity.