Ancient tomb of Hebrew prophet under threat from ISIS advance
The 2,700-year-old tomb of an ancient Hebrew prophet in one of Iraq’s last remaining synagogues is at risk of destruction by the rapidly advancing Islamic State – as the family who has maintained the crumbling site for three generations pledged to keep guard over the crumbling site for a dwindling number of Jewish pilgrims.
The tomb of Nahum the Elkoshite – named as a minor prophet in the Hebrew bible – is said to have attracted thousands of pilgrims each year, mainly at Shavuot, before the Jewish exodus from Iraq between 1949 and 1953. A local Assyrian Christian family have served as the custodians of the site since the last Jews left Al Qosh, and now the dozen annual pilgrimages that might have been expected have been cast into doubt – with Iraqi Kurdish fighters staving off ISIS attacks only ten miles away.
The hand-built synagogue has fallen into disrepair, though remains mostly intact despite two walls having partially collapsed. It is surrounded by barbed wire and a metal awning erected by the Iraqi government, and its Christian caretaker Asir Salaam Shajaa – who is confident that ISIS will fail to capture Al Qosh – says that “no one can decide what to do with the place”.
Shajaa, whose grandfather was asked “to watch over the tomb, to keep it safe” by the last Jews to leave the city, added that fighting in the region meant that plans made by “wealthy Jewish people” to rebuild the temple have been put on hold indefinitely.
His desire to leave Iraq – like many Christians in the country – adds further uncertainty to the future of Nahum’s tomb, which the family have looked after under their own auspices for decades.
He said: “I keep an eye on this place. My wife comes and sweeps the floors every week, and when we have a visitor who wishes to see or worship at the tomb, they are told to come to my house, I open the gates for them and let them in. We don’t get many visitors, though.
“I’m not sure how long my family will continue to stay in Iraq, we want to leave, most of the Christians want to leave.
“My brother says he will stay though, if my family gets to leave Iraq my brother and his children will look after the tomb. It will stay in the family, God willing.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
