Correspondence Between Jewish Community Committees, Iraqi Government, Baghdadi Schools
View interactive document pageThese are archival materials from the Baghdadi Jewish community. Contents and topics include: correspondence between the different community committees, the Iraqi government, schools in Baghdad, and the diaspora community – primarily the Jewish community in Shanghai, China. The Chief Rabbi receives a letter from the head of the American School for Boys in Baghdad rejecting a request for admitting a student on scholarship. There are letters about life insurance and insurance for the community as a whole. Other items include correspondence regarding travel to Iran; a chart with the names of Jewish schools and hospitals and their dates of establishment; a handwritten note requesting proof of service certification from the head of the Reemah Kadoorie Eye Hospital because of the financial hardship of the requester; and a letter from the President of the Jewish community in Baghdad congratulating a member of the Shanghai-Baghdadi diaspora community on receiving the “Order of the Brilliant Jade” award from the Chinese government.
14 February 1934 The honorable and virtuous notable Ezra Effendi Eliyahu Al-Ani Respected After greetings and respect In view of the importance of the case, I hope you will be so kind as to inform me whether you have received a reply from Basra or not I thank you very much and remain with respect; ⟦Ezra⟧ Head of the Community ⟦8⟧
Mutasarrifate of Baghdad Liwa Editing Department Number 1518 Date 16 / 10 / 1352 AH 1 / February / 1934 AD To - His Eminence the Honorable Judge of Baghdad His Eminence the Honorable Ja'fari Judge His Beatitude the Honorable Patriarchal Vicar of the Chaldean Community His Beatitude the Honorable Head of the Mosaic Community The Honorable Spiritual Head of the Armenian Catholic Community " " " " " " Old " " " " " Syrian " " In accordance with the provisions of Article (52) of the Liwa Administration Law for the year / 927, we request your presence at the office of this Mutasarrifate on Monday, corresponding to 5 / 2 / 934 at eleven o'clock before noon to conduct the election of half the members of the Liwa Administrative Council. ⟦signature⟧ Mutasarrif of Baghdad Liwa Copy to - Liwa Accountant } " " Liwa Tapu Director } We request your presence on the mentioned day. " " Liwa Editing Director } Headquarters of the Israelite Community Baghdad Incoming Number 8221 Date 11 / 2 / 34 81
Baghdad ⟦5⟧ ⟦Nisan⟧ ⟦5699⟧ To the honorable Material Committee, may God protect them, here After seeking your peace and blessing, I hereby inform you that I, your servant, worked at the Rama Kadoorie Hospital for seven years as a servant And until now I have not received a certificate testifying to my aforementioned service, and therefore I request of your honor to give me a certificate testifying to my service And my being a faithful worker all the time of my work in the aforementioned hospital, and in this you will do me kindness and charity and merit the commandments Your servant Mordechai Hezekiel Reuven 88
Number ⟦...⟧ Directorate of Monitoring, Telegraph, and Telephone Baghdad Archive Sir, His Eminence Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri, the Respected After much greeting and abundant respect - I have recently reviewed what was stated in the expenditure section of the last previous council account - the amounts allocated for the communal schools, especially the Israeli Alliance and Shamash schools. It goes without saying that regarding the abundance of these expenditures on these two schools, I personally believe that the actual benefit derived from them does not justify spending such amounts from the community's meager fund. Perhaps Your Eminence has recently noticed the extent of the rush with which the members of the community scramble to enroll their children in government schools, and the painful suffering and great difficulties they face for that purpose, and the many pleas and supplications aimed at registering a student in one of these schools despite the existence of these two aforementioned communal schools - there must be, therefore, in this situation, an important reason that justifies this inclination of the community's students' guardians to enroll their children in government schools despite the difficulties they encounter, which sometimes lead to failure and disappointment, and the lack of inclination to enroll their children in communal schools which are funded directly from their own pockets. The reason is clear, Your Eminence, which is that these two aforementioned schools - despite the many expenditures they require, and perhaps being at the forefront of ⟦...⟧ schools in Baghdad - have not equipped their students with the necessary culture and means for success in the future - for a student graduating from one of these two schools after studying for a period exceeding five years or more and obtaining the school certificate finds no path before him leading to the desired hope of the happy life he dreams of, as the certificates of these two schools are not recognized in the departments of the Arab authority. Furthermore, the stagnation of their administration and the failure to reconcile current requirements and interests has led to placing these two schools in isolation from the rest of the government and private schools, such that they no longer possess even a nominal honorary right. This is what has led, Your Eminence, to the students' anxiety about entering these two communal schools and their persistence in entering government schools, from whose certificates they hope for a broad hope and a guarantee of success in the struggle of their lives. Therefore, based on and in view of the above, and in view of the troubles the members of the community suffer in enrolling their children in government schools - if Your Eminence allows me - to study the issue of merging these two schools and making them one school comparable to the Central Secondary School, for example, and allocating the expenditures designated for the two schools to this school, while unifying the curricula with the government schools' curriculum and pressing the government to recognize its certificate. Then, I am fully confident that the students' guardians will rush to enroll their children in this communal school and will truly appreciate this effort of yours - and if an active administration is established for this school, we thank you as it will have a great name and status as the premier school in the mountain of ⟦...⟧ school 98
In my view, the obstacle that perhaps stood in the way of implementing this idea, namely the unification of these two schools, is the lack of approval from this administration for the purpose for which this school was founded during this time, which is to keep the situation as it is and not to lead the two schools toward progress and advancement as required by the circumstances. If we compare the private Alliance school and compare the state of its administration with the idea for which this school was founded, we see that the idea for which it was founded has faded and vanished over the days, and that the reputation this school once held is no longer as it was during the time when the Alliance school existed for a long period. Nevertheless, we mention and point out that after the great name it held in the early days in terms of progress and literature, and the described state it has reached today, I still remember when this Alliance school opened in the year 1924-25 and the great renaissance in its system and its progress compared to the Protestant school. I also forgot to mention that the idea of this school and its missionary purpose were visible to the eye through the chants and hymns that were recited to the male and female students every morning and evening, and the doctrines and beliefs that were instilled in the students through sermons and speeches - in that if we reflect on the situation of this school, its course, and its goal at the present time, we see that all of this is very far from the goal for which efforts were exerted. The meetings and ceremonies held by this school from time to time, the prominent certificates granted to it, and the moral encouragement it receives from the honorable authorities in the government, all require us to pay full attention to the state of our sectarian schools, which no one mentions nor remembers except during subscriptions and donations - This is what prompted me tonight to share with you your great interest in raising the mention of the welfare of the sect in general, and specifically with a determination that knows no boredom and humbles everyone. I hope, and am even confident, that your efforts will take this observation into account: the observation of caring for sectarian schools and making them suitable for the current situation and need. I take this opportunity to express my supreme appreciation for your efforts in advancing our dear sect - Please accept my highest respects. Sincerely, ⟦illegible⟧ Note: I once learned, when Mr. Siby was inspecting the Alliance schools in Baghdad, of a detailed report I noted regarding the reason for the decline of the Alliance school in Baghdad, which was sent at the time through the school director, and I do not know if ⟦illegible⟧ or not.
To His Eminence, the Head of the Israelite Community, the Honorable Hakham Sassoon Khedouri After offering due respect, the bearer of this petition of ours, Farha daughter of Yaqub, has a lawsuit in the Israelite Sharia Court against her husband, Haron son of Israel, and given that she is in the state she is currently in, I hope that an order will be given to return her belongings located with the husband or in another house, and that is for the purpose of ⟦confronting⟧ the husband due to their incompatibility. This, and please accept my respect, sir. Sincerely, ⟦signature⟧ 27 Elul 5706 23/9/1946 82
Khedhouri Aboudi Zilkha (Banker) Baghdad and Beirut Telegraphically: - Zilkha - Baghdad Telephone Number: - Baghdad 134 Memorandum Baghdad on ⟦18 / 1 / 1942⟧ To the Honorable Rabbi Aboud Shmuel The Jewish Community, Respectfully, Baghdad After greetings and respect, I present ⟦my honor in receiving⟧ the invitation card ⟦dated⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ my inability to attend at the appointed time ⟦...⟧ Due to some private circumstances, this is what was necessary ⟦...⟧ May God preserve you ⟦...⟧ 24 / 1 / 42 58
⟦illegible⟧ 16 Shawwal 1352 and 31 January 1934 His Excellency the Director of Health of the Capital, respected After greetings, Since the person named Ezra Daoud ⟦Beniri⟧ holds the religious certificate for practicing circumcision, We request your Excellency to kindly grant him the necessary license for that; ⟦illegible⟧ Head of the Community 58
2582 23 Shawwal 1352 and 7 February 934 Encroachment on the Shrine of our Master Al-Kifl His Excellency the Respected Minister of Interior After greetings and respect With reference to our oral conversation last Sunday, February 4, 934 It appears from the review of the custodian of the shrine of our Master Al-Kifl that the encroachment under discussion has not ended yet, and therefore I request Your Excellency to kindly take the necessary measures to stop it ⟦Encl.⟧ Sincerely Head of the Community 98
Baghdad, February 8, 1944 To the Honorable President of the Jewish Community in Baghdad Greetings and respect: It is submitted that, due to the lack of notification through the head of sports regarding the inspection of the slaughterhouse building, I have carried out the required assessment and saw that rainwater has surrounded the slaughterhouse and leaked into it due to the presence of high ground around it, which had been filled with waste and filth. As for the repairs it requires, they amount to approximately fifty dinars, and this amount cannot be spent from the community fund. Therefore, I suggest, if you see fit, to send a letter to the Secretariat of the Capital explaining the situation, and it may be advisable for the Secretariat of the Capital to fill the land around it. After the filling by the Secretariat of the Capital, it will be necessary to empty the blood basins and pave the surrounding area only, and that requires only approximately 15/000 dinars. If the Secretariat of the Capital does not do so, it is possible in a temporary manner to create a path for carts to the stable to transport blood and surround the fill around the slaughterhouse with tin sheets fixed with iron stakes because of the high pressure from the ground, to remove the damage that could occur during work intervals, as otherwise the community fund would incur exorbitant amounts. For your information and to clarify the situation, we have hastened to inform you. ⟦Hakim⟧ 98
21/10/22 ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ School Baghdad HADASSAH SCHOOL - BAGHDAD His Excellency, the Honorable President of the Jewish Community After greetings and respect We informed you in our letter dated 20/10/22 that we accept five students free of charge in the third grade only So if you wish to send us these five students from the community schools, and remain with respect ⟦signature⟧ The Director Note - we request a reply 88
Baghdad 22 / 11 / 694 To the Director General of the Capital Health Department at Rima Khedouri Hospital / I present in this ⟦my plea⟧ that I was a night officer at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital belonging to the Mosaic community, and since I am now in a state of extreme poverty and in dire need of assistance from your institution, I therefore request your kind approval to grant me a certification that I was an officer at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital and that I was performing the service to the fullest extent, as witnessed by the hospital doctor at that time, Dr. Daoud Gabbay, and I am now in a deplorable state of poverty So I ask you to kindly agree to give me a certification that I was an officer at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital so that I can present it to a charitable department to help me And to you belongs the command and appreciation The Petitioner ⟦Helou⟧ To be filed 89
6 March 934 ⟦21 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1352 and 6 March 934⟧ My dear Mr. Baqir I would be very grateful to your Excellency if you would kindly set an appointment for me and Yehuda Effendi Zalouf, President of the Lay Council, to have the honor of appearing before His Majesty the Great King to present the gift of the Jewish community to His Majesty on the occasion of his auspicious marriage, and that before His Majesty travels to the southern provinces. I hope to receive the answer with the bearer of this letter. Thank you, and may you remain in complete respect Head of the Jewish Community Baghdad 88
21 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1352 and 6 March 1934 His Excellency the Mayor of the Capital, the Respected ⟦His Excellency the Mayor of the Capital, the Respected⟧ After greetings and respect It is not hidden from Your Excellency that the road numbered 138 branching from the Shorja Market, in the middle of which is the Meir Sassoon Jewish School for Boys, is unpaved, and the abundance of mud on this road harms the students of this school and the female students of the Laura Kadoorie School for Girls and the rest of the nearby schools when they pass through it. Also, the road numbered 118 branching from Al-Rashid Street, in the middle of which is the administration of the Jewish Community, is likewise unpaved, and its mud and darkness hinder the meetings of the Jewish councils which are held in this administration, and it is also a main passage for visitors and for the girls who pass through it to (the Alliance), which is a Jewish school for teaching sewing for girls located on the same road. Therefore, we hope Your Excellency will be kind enough to give the necessary orders to pave the first road and to pave and light the second road. To Your Excellency, thanks and respect ⟦signature⟧ Head of the Community 98
2622 22 Dhu al-Qi'dah 352 and 7 March 934 His Excellency the Director of Health of the Capital, Respected After greetings Since the named Yusuf Hakham Eliyahu Barzani holds the religious certificate to practice circumcision, we request your Excellency to kindly grant him the necessary license for that; ⟦for⟧ Sassoon Head of the Community 95
262 14 March 1934 His Excellency the President of the Lay Council, the respected After greetings, I hope to inform Your Excellency that we have agreed with the goldsmith Munshi Effendi Halawi on the amount of twenty dinars to be received as his fee for making the golden box that will be presented by the community as a gift to His Majesty the King, ⟦Azzoun⟧ Head of the Community ⟦line⟧ 88 ⟦illegible⟧
⟦2620⟧ 20 March 934 To the Honorable General Representative of the National Products Association After greetings Reference to your letter dated 12 March 1934 I regret that health obstacles prevent me from participating in this blessed ceremony in person And I have assigned Shalom Effendi Darwish, Secretary of the Community Administration, to deliver a speech at the celebration I wish you permanent success ; On behalf of Head of the Community 98 ⟦illegible⟧
General Headquarters of the Association for the Encouragement of National Products Baghdad On March 6, 1934 To --: The Honorable Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri After greetings Our association (Association for the Encouragement of National Products) has decided to hold a grand ceremony to celebrate the feelings of the Iraqi nation on the birthday of His Majesty the King of the country, the Great King (Ghazi) falling on March 21, 1934, in which speeches and poems will be delivered by distinguished professors. Therefore, we invite you to participate in this blessed ceremony by delivering a (speech) provided it is brief out of consideration for time. The association has decided to print the speeches and poems delivered at its own expense in a special booklet with photographs of the speakers and distribute them for free. If you agree, please inform us so we may include you in the ceremony program. Please accept our highest respect. On behalf of the Committee ⟦illegible signature⟧ of the Association for the Encouragement of National Products Association for the Encouragement of National Products Baghdad General Secretary
18 March 934 ⟦National Cinema⟧ ⟦Baghdad⟧ His Excellency Arshad Bey al-Umari Respected Director of General Irrigation After greetings and respect I hope to remind Your Excellency of what you promised me regarding the employment of the bearer of this letter, Ishaq Effendi Samouha, and I would be extremely grateful if you would kindly employ the aforementioned person as soon as possible And to Your Excellency thanks in advance Sincerely ⟦Sassoon⟧ Head of the Community ⟦illegible⟧ 98
Presidency of the Jewish Community Baghdad Number 2645 Date 25 March 934 The Honorable Director of the ⟦National Cinema⟧ ⟦Investment Company⟧ ⟦Karrada Al-Sharqiya⟧ I request that you kindly attend the Jewish Community administration at four o'clock in the afternoon to discuss some matters With much respect to you Sassoon Head of the Community 81 25 March 934
Presidency of the Jewish Community Baghdad Number: 2697 Date: 9 April 34 Honorable Gentlemen Khedhouri Effendi Murad Shukur Gurji " Levi Moshe " Isha Isaac " Qaz'in Khabbawi " Munshi Sawdayee Central Cinema Selim Effendi Shohet National Cinema Moshe " Yaqub Hajji Royal Cinema I request your kind presence at the administration of the Jewish Community at four o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow (10 / 4 / 934) to discuss some important matters ⟦illegible⟧ President of the Community 98
Presidency of the Israelite Community Baghdad Number 2696 Date 9 April 934 His Eminence the Rabbi (Members of the respected Spiritual Council) After greetings and respect I request your presence along with the members of the Spiritual Council at the administration of the community at four o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow (10 / 4 / 934) for deliberation on some matters And remain with respect ⟦Sassoon⟧ President of the Community ⟦illegible⟧
Literary & sports society SHAMASH SCHOOL Baghdad The Literary and Sports Committee Shamash School Baghdad March 18, 1934 To the Honorable President of the Jewish Community After greetings: - The Literary and Sports Committee at this school is honored to invite you to the lecture that will be delivered by Mr. Ezra Haddad titled "Factors of the Modern Renaissance in the Arab East" on Monday, the 19th of this month, at six-thirty in the evening Please accept, sir, the assurances of our highest respect. ⟦signature⟧ Committee Secretary DRAMATIC & DEBATING SOCIETY Committee of Acting and Lectures Shamash School Baghdad 1933 BAGHDAD Note: - The lecture is in the Arabic language
Please attend the memorial service for the late young man Nassim Effendi Ishaq Al-Ani, which will be held at the Shamash School Synagogue on the evening of Sunday, March 18, 1934, at five thirty in the evening. Memorial Committee 98