Iraq launches project to renovate Ezekiel's shrine

The Jerusalem Post ^ | May 1, 2009 | Staff

[forkinsocket]

The Iraqi government has launched a project to renovate the interior of the prophet Ezekiel's shrine in the small town of Kifl, south of Baghdad, and the country's Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities says it hopes to eventually repair and renovate other Jewish sites across the country.

"The ministry is concerned with all Iraqi heritage, whether it is Christian or Jewish or from any other religion," ministry spokesman Abdelzahra al-Talaqani told AFP. "The present plans do not include the synagogues in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Fallujah and other places because of lack of funding, but I think they will be included in future plans."

Iraqi Jewry was once one of the largest and most prominent Jewish communities in the Middle East.

But after Israel's establishment, more than 120,000 Iraqi Jews moved to Israel in the 1950s in a clandestine operation dubbed Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.

Outside the shrine of the prophet - who followed Jews into the Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC - is a 14th-century brick minaret, while the inside is shaped like a synagogue, with old wooden arks that used to contain Torah scrolls and the remains of a Mehitza - a separation for men and women.

On the walls inside appears Hebrew script under a dome with medieval Islamic floral designs.

Until the mid-20th century, up to 5,000 Jews used to visit the tomb during Passover. Muslims believe the tomb to be that of Dhul-Kifl, considered by some to be a prophet of Islam and by others to just be a righteous man mentioned in the Koran.

It had been protected by Saddam Hussein as a holy site.

The tombs of the prophets Daniel, Ezra, Nahum and Jonah are also purported to be located in Iraq.

[forkinsocket]

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[BCW]

I know exactly where this is at - it’s a mosque now - and like most mosques in Iraq - it’s used for other purposes...

Even the locals used to tell us up in Hillah about the Jews in this area. What the story leaves out is that when Israel declared its’ independence - most Jews in the area where killed and they were leaving. Not so nice - doesn’t leave one with a “warm and fussy” like the story would make one believe...

Thanks for posting this - always nice to see places mentioned - after they have been forgotten for so long...

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. Iraq to renovate tomb of prophet Ezekiel Iraq launches project to renovate Ezekiel's shrine Reports: Iraq De-Judaizing Ezekiel's Tomb Iraq To Build Massive Mosque Over The Tomb Of The Prophet Ezekiel Iraq to Build Massive Mosque Over the Tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel Erasing Ezekiel's Jewish identity [aka let's build a Mosque on Ezekiel's tomb!] related: Iraq Reclaims A Jewish History It Once Shunned [actually the stuff, not the Jews or history] To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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