(Jewish Group) How a blind Jewish boy from Baghdad became a great musician

Avraham Salman (with dark glasses, center, bottom row) and the Israel Broadcasting Authority Orchestra rehearsing in the studio, circa 1959. Courtesy of Ezra Aharon

One night in Baghdad in 1932, a Jewish toddler looked up at the stars and saw nothing but darkness. He was totally blind.

The odds were that this boy would live a life of poverty and begging.

Instead, he became a renowned musician known as “King of the Qanun.” This is his story, exemplifying the enduring contributions of Iraqi Jewish musicians.

The House of Consoling the Blind
Ibrahim Shahrabani was born in 1930 to a family in Baghdad’s ancient Jewish community. At 5 months old, he contracted an eye infection that blurred his vision. As a toddler, he would look up and see a sky full of clouds when there were none. By age 2, his vision was gone.

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