"Bridging Identities": Kurdistani Jews

“Bridging Identities” is a permanent online exhibition created by the Oriental Museum at the University of Durham. It tells the poignant narrative of Kurdistani Jews and their migration to Israel.

The project shows how Kurdistani Jews and their descendants navigate their diverse religious and ethnic identities while establishing a vibrant transnational community within Israel.

This exhibition is the product of field work conducted by Dr. Bahar Baser, Dr. Duygu Atlas, Guliz Vural, and Mesut Alp in Israel, May 2023. The team interviewed and photographed members of the Kurdistani Jewish community, digitized family photographs, and participated in communal activities such as Kurdish dance classes, street performances and traditional cooking.

The stories in this exhibition shed light on community members’ past through the lens of their memories and their ties to the homeland they left behind. It reveals whether and how markers of Kurdishness are transmitted to the next generations.