A sequel to his book "The Jews of Arab Lands" (1979). Discusses the last 150 years, divided into two sections - "History" (pp. 1-180), and "Sources" (pp. 181-555), containing documents relevant to the seven chapters of the history section. European colonialism was perceived as a threat by the Muslims while the Jews used it to rise above their traditional subordinate status. Describes the penetration of antisemitism in Arab lands between 1929-39 due to the growth of Arab nationalism, Arab association of Jews with the colonial powers, the desire to emulate German or fascist nationalism, and the exacerbation of Arab-Jewish tensions in Palestine. The undermining of the Jews' position during this period was followed by a total collapse in the ensuing decade - as the Baghdad pogrom of 1941, the widespread rioting between 1945-47, and the preference of colonial or mandatory authorities not to antagonize the Arabs attest. Militant Arab and Islamic nationalism showed the Jews that there was no place for them in Arab society and led to their mass migration after the founding of the State of Israel. ǂc (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism).

Despite considerable research on the Jewish diaspora in the Middle East and North Africa since 1800, there has until now been no comprehensive synthesis that illuminates both the differences and commonalities in Jewish experience across a range of countries and cultures. This lacuna in both Jewish and Middle Eastern studies is due partly to the fact that in general histories of the region, Jews have been omitted from the standard narrative. As part of the religious and ethnic mosaic that was traditional Islamic society, Jews were but one among numerous minorities and so have lacked a systematic treatment. Addressing this important oversight, this volume documents the variety and diversity of Jewish life in the region over the last two hundred years. It explains the changes that affected the communities under Islamic rule during its "golden age" and describes the processes of modernization that enabled the Jews to play a pivotal role in their respective countries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The first half of the book is thematic, covering topics ranging from languages to economic life and from religion and music to the world of women. The second half is a country-by-country survey that covers Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, the Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

Describes the situations of the long-established Jewish communities of the Arab world, the forces that led them to immigrate to Israel, and the conditions that shaped their new lives in a Jewish state led by Jews of a different heritage

Norman Stillman has produced a comprehensive and articulate history of the turbulent and complex relationships in the Middle East that brilliantly captures the people and the history.

Rachel Shabi was born in Israel to Jewish Iraqi parents. When she was a child her family emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1974. Their leaving reversed the spiritual trek of the Jewish Diaspora, around the world whose members wistfully repeat at the Passover tables, "Next year in Jerusalem." Years later, in fact, Shabi went back to visit and to live for an extended period, but her attitude toward her former homeland is conflicted by the longstanding discrimination suffered by Arab Jews in Israel. Shortly after its creation, Israel accepted close to one million Jews from Arab lands-from Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jews now make up around 50% of Israel's population. Yet Ashkenazi Jews have traditionally disparaged the Mizrahi as "backward" and have systematically limited their opportunities in the classroom and the workplace. "There is a class split," writes Shabi, "that runs on ethnic lines." She traces the history of how the Jewish Disapora lived alongside Muslims and Christians for centuries, and how the dream of Jewish solidarity within Israel in the mid-20th century was fractured by ethnic discrimination as pernicious as racism in the United States, Great Britain, and other parts of the world. Shabi combines scholarly research with intimate oral history to shed light on ethnic injustice, and her personal story and passion make We Look Like the Enemy a stunning, unforgettable book.