Collecting testimonies from the Jewish community of Mosul

Mosul once had a thriving Jewish community with roots dating to the 8th century BCE. However, beginning in the second half of the 20th century, the Jewish community left due to social, political, and economic reasons. To ensure the preservation of the memory of the former Jewish Community of Mosul, the project employed an interdisciplinary approach to document and make accessible the community's historical and cultural heritage.

Seventeen video interviews were conducted with individuals connected to the Jewish community to collect first-hand accounts of their history and customs. Archival materials, such as photographs and documents, were collected and digitized while the 1834 Ottoman Registry of the Jewish Population of Mosul was translated and edited.

The project was led by the cluster of excellence "Pasts in the Present" of the University of Paris Nanterre, a scientific and cultural program dedicated to making memories and erased heritage visible and accessible.