An engaging autobiography written in three sections by a Jewish woman born and raised in the southern Indian state of Kerala. In the first section Ruby describes her family history and her own life history which concludes with her move to Israel. The second section is a description of the structure of the Cochin community - its synagogues and relationship to the British. Finally, the third section is devoted to family holiday customs and legends, photographs and the texts of songs preserved by the women of Cochin.

Written by one of Israel’s most important anthropologists and well known specialist on Libyan Jewish life, the author presents a picture of Jewish life in Libya from the late Ottoman Empire to the middle of 20th Century through the author’s  interpretation of historical texts, interviews with Libyan Jews and reviews of their  written texts. The result is a nuanced picture of Jewish life within the context of a traditional Muslim society.

”Iraq’s Last Jews is a thoroughly researched, riveting account of the last generation of Iraqi Jews. The editors have identified some of the most remarkable stories about this community, and in doing so have brought to light the rich, sometimes sad, always interesting history of the oldest Jewish diaspora in the world. This book will be a great value to all who care about the history of the Middle East, Iraq in the twentieth century, and the saga of the last Jews of Arab lands.”
David Landau, former editor-in-chief, Ha’aretz