Exploring Roots: How Iraqis React to a Visiting Jewish Tourist

A recent social experiment conducted in Iraq, and shared on local social media, stirred considerable interest with its outcomes. The experiment aimed to gauge how the average citizen might react to Jews with an Orthodox appearance returning to their ancestral homeland, Iraq.

Named 'Benjamin's Return', the experiment assessed citizens' reactions to seeing an Orthodox-looking Jew 'returning' to Iraq to search for his grandfather's house in Basra.

"Then something unexpected happened," the video caption noted, providing context about the once-thriving Jewish community in Iraq from a century ago. "Jews were involved in commerce, partnerships in construction, and even state management," read a post on one of the popular Facebook pages frequented by young Iraqis. "However, due to government policies, Jews were forced to flee, leaving their properties behind."

For the experiment, an actor disguised himself as an Orthodox Jew named 'Michael Andrei Benjamin'. When talking with people on the street, he explained that he arrived in Basra as part of a heritage journey to trace his late grandfather's house. To those willing to listen, the actor revealed he was Israeli. Despite initial apprehensions, he was pleasantly surprised by the warm responses he received. "May Allah bless you, stay here with us," one resident told him.

"If your grandfather lived here, you could obtain citizenship and return," commented another person. When 'Benjamin' asked if it would be dangerous for Jews to live there, the response was, "There are always exceptions, but generally, everybody's in the same boat. We wouldn't have an issue with Jews returning here. In today's Iraq, coexistence exists."