With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, a new class of modern intellectuals was to emerge in Iraq, notably in Baghdad. In the public sphere, they progressively replaced the traditional intellectuals from religious backgrounds, by promoting secular and nationalist ideas. Consequently, print capitalism has played a role of major importance in spreading the words and ideas of these Iraqi literati. This impetus – whose pinnacle was reached in the period following the 1932-independence was part of a wider phenomenon--the formation of a strong nationalistic Iraqi middle class. The effects of these social changes were thus remarkable on the Baghdadi urban scene. The impact would be significant on all religious communities, though in different ways such as for the Jewish community. While the Iraqi Jews traditionally lived in the old city (Taht al-Takiyya, Qanbar Ali, and Suq Hanun), the richer among them started to move out eastwards, from the 1930’s onwards and settled in new residential areas (Bustan al-Khass, Battwin, and ?Alwiyya). This important territorial movement altered the perception of vicinity, the social function of the house, and the relation to the city, among other things. More specifically, the strong social division that rose between the poor classes living in the old city and the middle and upper classes settled in the residential areas such as of Battawin awakened a solid social consciousness in the minds of the Jewish Iraqi intellectuals living in Baghdad. This paper thus proposes to examine some of these aspects through the eyes of its actors, thanks to the very prolific literature these modern Jewish intellectuals produced between the 1920’s and the 1950’s. It will analyze the perceptions of these authors in the documents produced at the time, such as the press, novels, short stories and poetry.