The Jewish community of Cizre is attested by Benjamin of Tudela in the mid-12th century, and he noted the city was inhabited by 4000 Jews led by rabbis named Muvhar, Joseph, and Hiyya. J. J. Benjamin remarked on the presence of 20 Jewish families in Cizre during his visit in 1848. Jews of Cizre spoke Judaeo-Aramaic and Kurdish. There were 10 Jewish households in Cizre when visited by Rabbi Yehiel Fischel in 1859, and were described as very poor. 126 Jews inhabited Cizre in 1891, as recorded by the Ottoman census. The community had grown to 150 people by 1906, and the synagogue was renovated in 1913. In 1914, 234 Jews inhabited Cizre. The Jewish community of Cizre emigrated to Israel in 1950–1951. The Israeli politician Mickey Levy is a notable descendant of the Jews of Cizre.