UN Special Representative, the French Ambassador, met the Jewish community in Iraq

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the head of the UNAMI mission in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the French ambassador in Baghdad, Éric Chevalier, visited the last open synagogue in the Iraqi capital.

In a statement, UNAMI said that Plasschaert and the French Ambassador visited Baghdad's last functioning synagogue and met Jewish community representatives.

"Many cultural and religious sites dotting this ancient land are a testament to Iraq's diverse heritage: a treasure that must be preserved and cherished." The statement added.

Jewish roots in Iraq go back some 2,600 years.

A turning point for Jewish history in Iraq came with the first pogroms in the mid-20th century. In June 1941, the Farhud pogrom in Baghdad left more than 100 Jews dead, properties looted, and homes destroyed.

In 1948, Israel was created amid a war with an Arab military coalition that included Iraq.

Almost all of Iraq's 150,000 Jews went into exile in the ensuing years.