Description
These are archival documents from the Baghdadi Jewish community. The item includes fundraising letters for the establishment of the Jewish Lay Council’s School Relief Committee, invoices for construction materials for repairs and utilities; budget estimates, guides for school administrators, test administration instructions, student rosters, and documents pertaining to teachers and employment issues. Correspondence is in Arabic, English, and French, and comes from Switzerland, Bombay, England, and Shanghai. There is one birth certificate from 1946.
AI en Translation, Pages 776-800
Page 776
The Lay Council
School Inspection
November 12, 1933
Fifth Report
Regarding Rachel Shahmoon School
Very Urgent
I visited Rachel Shahmoon School today, and therefore I request consideration for implementing this
urgent proposal:
(1 The second grade at Rachel Shahmoon School contains 85 students.
(2 The teachers complain about the large number of students in this class because it is impossible for them to teach this
large number crowded into one classroom.
(3 Since the number of fourth-grade students at Al-Karam School is only 18 students,
(4 and this number is considered small compared to the students in the rest of the classes in the same school
and in other schools,
(5 and since the administration of Al-Karam School itself complains about the difficulty of conducting lessons for this class
due to the lack of competent teachers there,
I propose:
(1 Abolishing the fourth grade at Al-Karam School and distributing its students among the fourth grades in
the community schools (Note: Rachel Shahmoon School alone is ready to accept 10 of them).
(2 Transferring 33 students from the second grade of Rachel Shahmoon School to
Al-Karam School and establishing a second grade for them there.
(3 Among these 33 students, 21 are free of charge, 8 pay less than a quarter of a dinar each,
and 4 pay 300 fils.
(4 The matter of settling the school fee accounts between the two schools that will result from
these changes shall be entrusted to the directors of the two schools.
(5 It is also decided that any objection from the parents of the students regarding this solution shall be met with total
rejection. In any case, the matter is for your Excellency to decide.
⟦illegible⟧
The Secretary
Approved
Write accordingly
⟦illegible⟧
Page 777
The Lay Council
School Inspection
November 15, 1933
The Sixth Report
on Rachel Shahmoon School
Honorable Mr. Vice President,
Further to my fifth report on Rachel Shahmoon School, I set out below the remaining
other observations:
(1) You will find enclosed with this report a copy of the transfer certificate used in our schools and the other
used in official schools. I would like to draw Your Excellency's attention to the fact that the information
found in the latter is very necessary for the school to which the student is transferring.
The brevity in the transfer certificate specific to our schools has caused more than one
student to be admitted to a grade higher than the one they failed in, because only the word (Grade) exists
without any clarification as to whether the student passed or failed in that grade.
Therefore, I hope you will order the extraction of a new model from the official school transfer certificate
to be printed and distributed to our schools for use instead of the current forms.
(2) I have learned that some students who failed the sixth grade at Rachel
Shahmoon School or others were admitted to the first secondary grade at Shamash School. Accordingly, I hope
you will order an investigation into this and reprimand those responsible (if necessary) for this
irregular behavior which greatly affects the value of the final examinations.
(3) The President of the Lay Council, Nunu Effendi مکمل, had issued an order requiring the separation of
the three afternoon lessons with a ten-minute break for student rest. This
year, some schools have omitted this break, while Rachel Shahmoon School still applies
the order. I have been asked to mention this to Your Excellency to cancel this order, which some adhere to
while others do not.
(4) The cleanliness and organization of the school are satisfactory, and I was very pleased that the percentage of dirty students
in this school is almost non-existent, something I have not found in any other school I have
inspected. As for the instructions issued by the esteemed Council, they are being
applied here with extra care.
(5) I preferred to postpone giving an opinion on the new teacher, Naji Effendi Dori, until another
inspection cycle.
With respect to Your Excellency;
⟦signature⟧
The Secretary
Page 778
School Form No.: 3
Iraqi Ministry of Education
Transfer Form
P
46
Name of the school transferred from: Annex to Amarah Intermediate School
The student Ibrahim son of Munshi from Al-Qadiriya neighborhood
and the city of Amarah entered the fourth grade of our school in October
year 1922 transferred from Al-Kahla School and attended lessons until the date of
7 June and reached the fifth grade and obtained the following grades in
the final exam which was held on June 22, 1927
Subjects | Grade | Subjects | Grade | Subjects | Grade
Religion | 8 | Conduct and Preaching | 8 | |
Arabic Language | 9 | Physical Education | 9 | Psychology |
English Language | | Composition | 9 | Economics |
History | 9 | Principles of Science | | Practical | 10
Geography | 8 | Physics | | Drawing | 9
Arithmetic | 6 | Chemistry | | |
Algebra | | Natural History | | |
Geometry | 9 | Health | | |
Test Result | 7 | Total | | Total | 101
Amount deducted from conduct grades during the year
Amount paid for school fees
School Principal's Remarks: The student Ibrahim Munshi passed to the fifth grade
and his character was good during the year
Date 18 Jumada al-Awwal 1346 Principal's Signature ⟦illegible⟧
Al-Najah Press - G - 20000 - 26 - 5 - 32
Page 779
Rahel Shahmoon School
RAHEL SHAHMOON SCHOOL
Baghdad
Baghdad
⟦line⟧ ⟦ornament⟧ ⟦line⟧
Date:
Transfer Certificate
Name:
Grade:
Annual Fee:
Conduct:
Dear Sir,
Greetings,
The student wishes to transfer to your school.
Our administration sees no objection to this. Respectfully yours,
Principal
. Any paper not stamped with the school seal is considered forged.
Page 780
2219
November 19, 1933
Urgent
Principal of Rachel Shahmoon School
It was stated in the Secretary's report submitted to us on 11/15/33 that some students
of your school who failed the sixth grade have been accepted into the first secondary grade of the Shamash
School. We request that you confirm this for us and write the names of these students if possible.
⟦illegible⟧
Vice President
⟦mark⟧
Page 781
2221
21 November 933
Urgent
Directorate of Shamash School
It is requested to submit a list of the names of the students who were admitted to your school this
year by transfer from other schools, stating the names of the schools from which they were transferred and attaching the transfer
certificates they presented to you.
⟦illegible⟧
Vice President
4
Page 782
The Physical Council
School Inspection
November 20, 1933
Confidential
The Seventh Report
On Physical Education and Games
Honorable Mr. Vice President
I promised Your Excellency in a previous report to discuss the issue of physical education in our schools in detail.
And here I am submitting my seventh report on (Physical Education and Games), and I will dedicate another report to (Scouting, Anthems, and Extracurricular
Activities).
I do not wish here to elaborate on the importance of physical education in this era, for even the simplest
people realize this importance that the world attaches to sports through the images of matches and sporting events
whose stream never ceases and which are shown in cinemas every week. As for the backwardness of our schools, I also do not need
to prove it; it is enough here to mention that no school has participated in a scouting or sporting celebration for nearly
four years; in fact, some of our schools do not have a physical education teacher at all. If we remember well that the
sports and scouting movement was serious and satisfactory more than five years ago, we would know that our schools are moving backward
and not forward as the law of God dictates.
1) Physical Education
What draws sharp attention and causes surprise is that all the schools possess only two teachers
for sports, who are Moshe Effendi Aziz and Naji Effendi; the hours of the first are in the National School and the second in the Shahmoun
School, and there is no one between the two who can claim to be a capable, specialized teacher who can raise physical education
to the required level.
Physical education is now occupying intense efforts in the Ministry of Education, considering that it
constitutes an important part of general education. The new formations carried out by the Ministry of Education,
sports courses, scouting trips, competitions, games, and missions all clearly indicate to us
that. This is happening at a time when physical education in the community's schools is reaching the stage of death.
Neglecting sports to this extent I cannot call anything but a crime affecting more than 7,000
male and female students. Therefore, I hope that my following suggestions will be taken into consideration and implemented seriously, which are:
A) The following suggestions
A) Recommending school directorates on the necessity of giving physical education the necessary care
Page 783
2 ⟦line⟧ Other suggestions
a) Referring those who claim to be sports teachers in our schools to teach other subjects
with only one exception, who is Naji Effendi Sa'at, the teacher at Rachel Shahmoon School, as he is active
and can be a sports teacher on the condition that he regularly attends training at the Teachers' Institute.
b) Appointing other capable and specialized sports teachers, one of whom would be a responsible inspector
for sports and scouting in all schools in addition to his regular job.
c) At that point, there will be three sports teachers in our schools; these individuals can carry it out
as required.
d) Bringing a specialized female sports teacher from France to teach at Laura Kadoorie School.
e) We can obtain the teachers required in paragraph (b) from the Jewish
teachers employed in Education, and I personally know that the inspector of physical education and scouting
in Kirkuk Province is Jewish.
2) Games
The games movement has become active in our schools in the last two years thanks to some of the youth
teachers who were employed in the community at the beginning of this period, such as Munir Effendi Zakaria, the director of
King Faisal School, and Shaul Effendi Haddad, the teacher at the National School. It is one of the primary duties
of the esteemed Council at present to support this movement so that its foundation becomes firm and established.
What I hope to draw Your Excellency's attention to is that these games are not a substitute for physical education
at all because they are violent and limited to a small group of students, whereas the physical education I mentioned earlier is
what is prescribed in the curriculum for all students.
To encourage the games movement, I request approval for the following:
1) Mandating the game of basketball and the game of volleyball in all schools without exception.
2) Establishing two cups in the name of the Physical Council, the first for basketball and the second for volleyball,
for which schools will compete according to the attached regulations I have organized after studying the regulations of the Education cups
and others.
3) Setting a date for a Field Day in which all schools participate.
4) Appointing a committee consisting of the secretary of the community administration, the director of King Faisal School, and Shaul Effendi
Haddad, the teacher at the National School, to organize this day.
5) Renting or purchasing a large field to serve as a playground for all schools, in which two basketball courts,
two volleyball courts, and two courts for tennis and badminton will be established.
The existence of this field would greatly encourage the sports movement on one hand, and since most of
our schools' courtyards are unsuitable for playing, they can be replaced by this field on the other hand.
In any case, the matter is for Your Excellency to decide.
Harun ⟦illegible⟧
Secretary
To the Honorable Inspector General of Schools
I agree with what is stated in this report, so I request
⟦illegible⟧
Page 784
Line
⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧ Schools of the Israelite Community ⟦illegible⟧
Four Riyals
(1) These competitions shall be between ⟦illegible⟧ primary schools of the Israelite community in ⟦illegible⟧
Ras al-Qarya official Israelite on the two cups of the Israelite Community Administration for basketball and for ⟦illegible⟧ ball
(2) Play shall be on a league basis.
(3) Each school pays one hundred and fifty fils for medals and ribbons, and the collection of these mon⟦illegible⟧
is handled by the Editor-in-Chief of the Community Administration in his capacity as Secretary of Competitions.
(4) No player is allowed to participate in these competitions unless he is in the school register as a student from
the beginning of the year, and whoever violates this, his rights are forfeited and his team loses.
(5) All competitions are held in each of the courtyards of the Shimon National and Shamash schools, and it is not permissible
to change these courtyards except after agreement with the referees and the Secretary of Competitions.
(6) Each school whose name is mentioned previously in the competition schedule must mark the court and note the size
of the ball, which must be approved by the referee before starting play.
(7) The referee's decision is final and his orders must be executed on the field of play.
(8) Each school has the right to object, provided that this is before the game or after it within 24
hours.
(9) Any school that is late for the game by more than five minutes and has not informed the Secretary of Competitions
of that 24 hours prior in writing, its rights are forfeited and it loses.
(10) The duration of play in the basketball competition shall be 24 minutes, played in four periods of 6
minutes each; after the first period, a two-minute rest period is given, in the second 6 minutes (or 3
minutes according to the referee's wish), and in the third two minutes as well.
(11) The team is considered a winner ⟦illegible⟧ the volleyball competition consists of three games, each game being 15 points.
(12) Laws and penalties are applied literally as they are in the organized games book.
(13) Anyone who commits four personal fouls shall be immediately removed from the field of play, or anyone who speaks profanity
or behaves in a manner indicating an unsportsmanlike spirit shall be removed from the field of play if his presence is harmful in the referee's view.
(14) Each school has the right to enter substitute players in the basketball period or during play, and one player
for the volleyball game, if one of the players is injured, after informing the assistant, the timer, and the scorer
of that.
Page 785
(21) To implement this system and issue final rulings on objections that ⟦...⟧
and to organize race schedules, an annual committee shall be formed consisting of a member appointed by the Directorate of Physical Education in the Ministry
of Education and a member appointed by the Presidency of the Jewish Community, and the competitions secretary shall be an ex-officio member of
this committee, whose headquarters shall be the administration of the Jewish Community in Baghdad