Last Days in Babylon

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. "I, too, had come to the Old City in search of the past, my family's past, colored by fond memories I'd been spoon-fed down the years." How would you compare Benjamin's expectations for Baghdad with the reality of what she encounters on her first visit there in 2004? Why are Benjamin's walks through Rashid Street and the Shorja, the open-air souk in the Jewish Quarter, especially frustrating? What prompts her to write that her grandmother Regina would find herself a stranger in Iraq, were she to visit today? 2. At one point, Baghdad's citizens included Jews, Sunnis, Shias, Kurds, Turkomans, Assyrians, Armenians, and Yazidis. How has nearly a century of Arab-Zionist conflict impacted the city's ethnic diversity? What religious, social, and political phenomena help explain the presence of a vibrant Jewish population in Iraq in the early twentieth century? 3. "[M]y grandmother never lost sight of the fact that her married life had begun as it was meant to continue -- with a test." In what respects was Regina's betrothal to Elazar typical of the era? How would you characterize their marriage, and what role -- if any -- did their age difference seem to play in terms of their obligations and expectations? 4. How did Iraq's gain of independence in 1932 serve to formalize the indirect rule of the country by the British? In what ways did the emerging forces of Arab nationalism and Zionism that coalesced around this time come to threaten the stability and security of the Jewish minority population in Baghdad? 5. "Thefarhud[of June, 1941] was pivotal to the consciousness of this generation, for which it functioned as a kind of awakening." Why did thefarhudserve to polarize brothers Nessim and Solomon Sehayek in terms of their political philosophies? How did this act of violence against Jews by Iraqis underscore the complex nature of political and religious affiliation in the Middle East? 6. What effect did the shifting international allegiances during World War II have on the Jews in Iraq? To what extent were Jews perceived by Iraqis as affiliated with the British? How did the rioting and widespread mayhem during thefarhudaffect the relationship between the Jews and the British in Iraq? 7. In what respects did the Iraqi policy of denaturalization and the Israeli government's Law of Return alter the political landscape for Jews in Iraq in the 1950s? How did Regina and her family's flight from Basra to Bombay reflect the challenges faced by ordinary people to keep their families intact during times of political upheaval? To what extent did her experiences on board theDumraseem typical of the time? 8. According to Benjamin, some 124,000 Iraqi Jews fled Iraq between 1948 and 1953. How did their treatment in Israel differ from the treatment of European Jews fleeing persecution? How significant was their inability to emigrate with their assets to the success of their assimilation? To what extent was their assumption into the Israeli state a convenient solution to the nascent country's need for cheap labor? 9. "This was how the last Jews of Baghdad viewed themselves, as quasi-tragic, quasi-romantic figures, isolated, stranded, immobilized." How do many of the Jews that Benjamin encounters living in Baghdad in 2004 feel about their decision to stay in Iraq? How would you characterize their plight? What keeps them in Baghdad? 10. How does the author's use of personal anecdotes and experiences from her family's history enhance your appreciation of the story of Iraqi Jews? What aspects of the narrative ofLast Days in Babylondid you find especially surprising or illuminating, and why? ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB 1. Marina Benjamin smuggles vast quantities of kosher meat to the Iraqi Jews she meets in Baghdad, as a kind of "calling card" that will give her access to their secretive community. If you lived in isolation, with limited accessBenjamin, Marina is the author of 'Last Days in Babylon' with ISBN 9781416572046 and ISBN 141657204X.