Shafiq Ades

Shafiq Ades (شفيق عدس; c. 1900 – 23 September 1948) was a Syrian-born Iraqi-Jewish businessman widely recognized as the wealthiest and most influential member of Iraq's Jewish community. A successful merchant based in Basra, Ades built his fortune through trade and connections with British authorities during the mandate period, amassing significant assets including a lavish mansion. In 1948, amid the Arab-Israeli War, he faced trumped-up charges in a military tribunal of smuggling surplus British military equipment to support Israel's independence effort, leading to his swift conviction and public execution by hanging outside his own residence before a celebratory crowd. The case, often likened to a modern Dreyfus affair due to its perceived injustice and political orchestration, precipitated widespread fear among Iraqi Jews and accelerated their mass exodus from the country in subsequent years.