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Cemetery at Kuwait City, Kuwait

Description

The Jewish Community of Kuwait: The Jewish Community, established by Jews from present day Iraq, dates from about 1776. By 1914, there were about 200 Jews but the community declined following the First World War and ceased to exist by the 1920's. However, the government of Kuwait had approved on building a new city called Madinat Al-Hareer, which will include skyscraper that will, among other things, house a mosque, a synagogue and a church under a single roof.

History of Jews in Kuwait: Most of the Jews of Kuwait originally came from Iraq after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 A.D. In 1776 when Sadeq Khan captured Basra, many of the inhabitants left the country; among them were Jews who went to Kuwait. Around 1860, their numbers increased and trade flourished. The Jews were mostly wholesalers and worked with India, Baghdad, and Aleppo, in addition to exporting goods to Europe and China. Before 1914, there were about 200 Jews living in Kuwait. Most of them went back to Baghdad and few went to India. There were two wealthy Jews in Kuwait but the rest were middle class, being jewellers or material traders. Among the wealthy Jews were Saleh Mahlab who owned the first ice factory in 1912, and Gurgi Sasson and Menashi Eliahou who were traders and financiers. When Sheikh Salem al Mubarak came to power in February 1917, he wanted the Jews to stop selling and dealing with alcohol and spirits, and so he called them and warned them. There is no evidence that the Jews were kicked out of Kuwait. The truth is that they went back to Iraq when King Faisal the first came to rule Iraq. The King had Jewish acquaintances such as Wiseman and Sasson Heskel who became the Minister of Finance in Iraq. The Jews' Community welcomed the King on 18th July 1921 and offered him a Torah covered with gold, which he accepted. Upon his arrival to Baghdad, King Faisal lived in a house along the Tigris river in a house that belonged to a wealthy Jew, Shaoul Shashoua. After the floods in 1926, the King moved to another house that belonged to Menahem Daniel who was a member in the Iraqi Parliament. After the British invasion of Iraq in 1917, Iraq's economy flourished. Most of the trades were in the hands of the Jews, and many became very rich. In 1920, the population of the Jews in Iraq was 100,000. In Kuwait, the Muslim Brotherhood was taking control and the trade of pearls started decreasing. This coincided with the Great Depression, which hit the entire world in 1929. During the twenties, all the Jews left Kuwait.

Kuwait City, Kuwait

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