The Farhud, which means 'violent dispossession' in Arabic, refers to the series of violent antisemitic riots that took place in Baghdad during a period of political turmoil in Iraq. In 1941, a pro-Nazi coup led by Rashid Ali al-Gailani attempted to overthrow the British-supported government. As tensions escalated, a wave of nationalist fervor swept through the streets of Baghdad. On June 1 and 2, mobs targeted the Jewish population, which had lived in Iraq for over two millennia. Reports indicate that around 180 Jews were killed, and over 200 were injured, alongside extensive property damage as Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were attacked. The local police largely stood by, leading to accusations of collusion with the perpetrators.

The pogrom resulted in a significant erosion of the Jewish community's trust in the Iraqi government and their sense of safety in their homeland. Following the Farhud, many Iraqis of Jewish descent began to take steps toward emigration. Quickly, a vast number of Iraqi Jews fled, primarily to Palestine, facilitated by a tightening grip on Jewish life and an increasingly hostile atmosphere against them. This mass exodus continued in the ensuing years, culminating in the migration of nearly 120,000 Jews from Iraq to Israel in 1949-50 during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.

The Farhud is a pivotal moment in the history of Jews in Iraq, symbolizing the end of centuries of coexistence between Jews and Muslims in the region. Its aftermath saw a dramatic shift in the demographics of Iraq’s Jewish community and precipitated a larger Jewish exodus from Arab countries in the mid-20th century. Many families who had built their lives in Iraq for generations suddenly found themselves displaced, altering the cultural landscape of both Iraq and Israel significantly.