Page 1
Telephone 8883531 President of the Jewish Community BAGHDAD. No.: 404/77 Baghdad: 2/8/1977 To: His Excellency the Minister of Information, Baghdad, Iraq. Dear Sir, We are very glad to comply with the request of Iraqi Embassy in London by sending to the Community of Spanish & Portuguese Jews in England (Sepher Torah), the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament on Scroll, as a gift ---- a request which was initiated by Mr. Mike Ashley. At the same time, we wish to express our thanks and gratitude to your Excellency, for your help in arranging for this Bible Scroll to be sent with the Diplomatic Bag to the Iraqi Embassy in London. We pray Almighty God to bless the Seventeenth of July Revolution and to preserve our leader, Al- Mahib Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr, the President of the Republic of Iraq, together with the Vice- President of the Revolutionary Command Council, Mr. Saddam Hussein, the great fighter for the cause of the Revolution. Thanking you, we beg to remain, Respectfully yours [Signature] ⟦R. N. Elias⟧ [Signature] Rouben Naji Elias [Signature] President of the Jewish Community, [Signature] Baghdad. Copy to: ----- The Iraqi Embassy in London --- Requesting you kindly to hand the above mentioned(Bible Scroll) over to the Reverend Dr. S. Gaon, Haham of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews, 4 Ashworth Road, Maida Vale, London, W.9. ----- The reverend Dr. S. Gaon, Haham of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews, London - We request you kindly to contact the Iraqi Embassy in London so as to receive from them the above- mentioned ( Bible Scroll). This (Sepher), inscribed on Scroll, was written by hand in the year 5661, Hebrew Calendar, agreeing with the year 1901 A.D., and was given as a trust for the repose of the Soul of Shelomo Hay Bezaleil Obadiah, deceased in Baghdad, Iraq, on the 28th of Siwan in the year 5660, Hebrew Calendar. You are kindly requested to arrange for the (Sepher) to be received with the usual religious rites and ceremonies and also to arrange for prayers to be read for the repose of the Soul of the deceased on the same date of his death every year. We hope that you will also write to the Iraqi Embassy in London, expressing thanks and gratitude of all concerned, to Al- Mahib Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr, the President of our beloved Republic. ----- Mr. Mike Ashley --- We wish to extent our thanks to your good self and we request you kindly to contact Dr. S. Gaon, in this connection.