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Current Exhibit: Jewish Kurdistan
More than six Decades after Iraq’s Judeo-Kurdish community left en masse, a team of Diarna researchers returned to discover what, if anything, remained of their once-vibrant heritage. Ezyara: A Journey to Jewish Iraqi-Kurdistan is an homage to the elaborate pilgrimage that Kurdistan’s Jews once made to the al-Qosh shrine of the Prophet Nachum. This was an event that, according to a popular Judeo-Kurdish saying, was unrivaled in the happiness it conferred upon participants.
Ruins of a Jewish home: Akre, Iraqi-Kurdistan
“Ezyara” can also refer to visiting the graves of deceased relatives or, in this case, all that remains of the community in its former land. Diarna’s exhibit marks the first time that the places and memories of Iraqi-Kurdistan’s Jews are being put on the map. In addition to photographs, we present an array of virtual documentation–summaries, video tours and interviews, immersive 360-degree panoramas, Google Earth tours–to provide an exclusive window onto a life that is now forever lost. We invite you to experience something of the happiness of the original Ezyara — made possible with the generous support of the Cahnman Foundation.
Begin exploring the exhibit by clicking on the map icons, which will transport you to dedicated pages for each of the documented communities.