Jewish community of Erbil
הארבלים | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 3,109"In Erbil, Iraq's few remaining Jews cling to a fading heritage". The Times of Israel. (1947, Descendants of Jews exiled by Assyrian kings) Descendants of Jews exiled by Assyrian kings (including those of ancestral descent) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq | |
| Languages | |
| Jewish Arabic, Aramaic, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iraqi Jews, Kurdish Jews |
The Jewish community of Erbil, known as "the Arbili Jews," is a Jewish community from the city of Erbil in Kurdistan Region. This community was one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. According to tradition, the community members are descendants of Jews exiled from Israel and Judah by the Assyrian kings. The Jews living in Erbil primarily spoke Jewish Arabic in the local dialect, and about a third of the community also spoke Aramaic, with some also knowing Turkish due to the city's proximity to Turkey.