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Three Worlds

Memoirs of an Arab-Jew

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Three Worlds

By: Avi Shlaim
Narrated by: Neil Shah
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About this listen

In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, only five, and his family were forced into exile, fleeing their beloved Iraq to the new state of Israel.

Today the once flourishing Jewish community of Iraq, at one time numbering over 130,000 and tracing its history back 2,600 years, has all but vanished.

Why so? One explanation speaks of the timeless clash between Arab and Jewish civilizations and a heroic Zionist mission to rescue Eastern Jews from backward nations and unceasing persecution.

Avi Shlaim tears up this script. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism surged in Iraq, the Zionist underground fanned the flames. Yet when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, their history was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative.

This memoir breathes life into an almost forgotten world. Weaving together the personal and the political, Three Worlds offers a fresh perspective on Arab-Jews, caught in the crossfire of Zionism and nationalism.

©2023 Avi Shlaim (P)2024 Tantor Royalty

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All stars
Most relevant  
I really liked the combination of personal and family history with a general overview of the recent history of the Middle East. His conclusion of one democratic state between the river and the sea for all its inhabitants confirms my view of the only way the Israel Palestine problem can be solved.

Moving and Impressive book

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An Arab Jew perspective on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict which beautifully combines family memoirs with historical research

Enlightening

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Brilliantly sad, hopeful and informative! I feel better informed after reading this account of an Arab Jew’s lived experiences. Here’s hoping for peace in the Middle East!
Thank you, Mr Schlam!

Three Worlds

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Honestly written, the book is a perfect combination of biography and sociology of non-Zionist Iraki Jews forced to leave their homeland and to establish themselves in a new nation that works to erase their culture.

A biographical and sociological history

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I found aspects of the story fascinating, and it was an engaging book. But what it misses out is equally important, and the author is fiercely biased, and seems surprisingly naive or perhaps just unconcerned about Israel in the context of the wider Middle East. Had a privileged life in Iraq and therefore views it with rose-tinted glasses, and despite family’s choice to move, seems to hold the Israeli government responsible for all of his family’s issues (rather than any of the countries in the region that have racistly rejected Jews, including his country of birth). He frequently appears spoilt, and appears to have the same ironic lack of intellectual intrigue that befalls many University professors who particularly fancy themselves.

Interesting and well written, whilst incredibly biased and possibly naive

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