Correspondence to and from Rabbi Sasson Khedouri
View interactive document pageThis archival material includes most correspondence with Rabbi Sasson Khedouri. Topics include: correspondence from Midrash Talmud Torah regarding educational and financial matters; election of members to a Management Committee for the Baghdad Brigade; letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Rabbi Khedouri’s testimony before a British-American Commission of Inquiry on the state of Israel; document of questions and Rabbi Khedouri’s answers on the following issues: Jewish status in Iraq, the state of Israel, equality of Jews on paying taxes, education, obtaining jobs, business, religion freedom, travelling, teaching Hebrew, and the number of Jews in Iraq; a form to collect factual information on the Jewish community to be published in the al-Rafidain Directory; a letter from Iraq Red Crescent Society to the head of Jewish community regarding the death of three Iraqis in Java, Indonesia prisons; a letter from a researcher; an invitation for a theater play from the Children's Protection Society; Shamash Company asking for help to distribute fabric to the poor; letter of complaint from a Muslim because some Jews entered the al-Kazmia holy place; a complaint regarding the Jewish community's girls behavior; letter asking for help on a forgery matter; letter asking for help from a Russian Jew who moved to Baghdad; letter asking for help to get papers from the Ministry of Supply to print the Jewish annual calendar for 5708; letter from the al-Jafería Schools Association asking for book donations to build a library; letters to the head of the Jewish community regarding obituaries for martyrs; letter to write an introduction for a book about Iraqi Crown Prince Abdullah; letters from the President of the Jewish Community asking for help on some matters.
Number 5988 14/7/19 To the Head of the Jewish Community That ⟦the named⟧ that Please ⟦provide⟧ Hassan Sassoon Hassan with a record proving the birth of his son Hassan according to the documents in their possession mentioned and we presented to the responsibility of his guardian Hassan mentioned above for review. His guardian Hassan mentioned above for review. The Employee ⟦signature⟧ Attachments 4 Civil Status Booklets ⟦stamp⟧ Baghdad
Volume 6 Issue 2 Main Office Al-Orouba Commercial Company for Representation and Cinema Subscription Receipt: Al-Orouba International Directory Contracting and Commission - Baghdad: Insurance Department for Funds, Life, Property, etc.: Registered at Baghdad Court of First Instance No. 46/66 and Baghdad Chamber of Commerce No. 2109: Fils: ⟦line⟧ Dinar: 3 Only: Three Dinars only The Managing Director of the company has received the amount written above from Mr. Haim Sassoon bin Khedhouri Al-A'am, Aqd al-Nasara quarter, for subscription to Al-Orouba International Directory Fils ⟦line⟧ Dinar Three, according to the policy numbered Al-Orouba International Directory Dated ⟦line⟧ / ⟦line⟧ / 194 and this receipt was given to him Second Manager ⟦signature⟧ Managing Director ⟦signature⟧ Company Al-Orouba Commercial for Cinema and Representation and Contracting ⟦illegible⟧ - Baghdad COMMERCIAL CINEMA DRAMATIC CONTRACTORING BAGHDAD
144 8835 31/11/35 Respected School Principal Greetings and respect We hope to be provided with a confirmation letter dated ⟦...⟧ for the purpose of transferring him to Al-Rusafa Primary School for Boys because he resides in the ⟦...⟧ area near the aforementioned school, with appreciation ⟦signature⟧ Student's guardian 1/12/35 No objection According to the procedures 2/12/35 ⟦stamp⟧ ⟦...⟧ School
Company Al-Urouba Commercial for Cinema and Acting Contracting and Commission - Baghdad AL-UROUBA COMMERCIAL CINEMA DRAMATIC CONRICTORING BAGHDAD Name and Surname: Place of Residence: Housing Number: Administration Number: Telephone Numbers: Job Type: Preference for what is written here:
120,000 One hundred and twenty dinars to the company 000 Fifty thousand copies to be issued in the Arab Directory International for Arabs and Kurds Company Al-Urouba Commercial for Cinema, Acting, Contracting and Commission - Baghdad AL UROUBA COMMERCIAL CINEMA DRAMATIC CONTRACTORING BAGHDAD A legal company certified in the Court of First Instance of Baghdad under No. 66 / 946 His Excellency Rabbi Sassoon Khadhuri President of the Israelite Community in Baghdad, Respected Greetings and Salutations, Al-Urouba Commercial Company is honored to submit herewith the subscription receipt for the Al-Urouba Directory International, which will be issued in Arabic and English in one volume, and fifty thousand copies will be printed to be distributed to all parts of the Arab and Eastern world. Our hope in your Excellency, and what is known of your sincerity to Arabism and the banner of Arabism, is that you assist the directory management with your honorable personal photo and your biography to be published. Pay three dinars and take a registered book by mail with the personal photo and the coupon attached herewith in the name of the Authorized Manager of Al-Urouba Commercial Company, check Mail Baghdad ⟦signature⟧ Authorized Manager
Nasiriyah Municipality Presidency Number 8979 Editing Date 23 / 7 / 947 To whom it may concern The bearer, Mr. Abdul Majeed Shukr, was an employee in our municipality in the position of ⟦...⟧ clerk typist, and he is proficient in typing on the mentioned machine, and his morals are good and his behavior is satisfactory ⟦...⟧ Based on his request, we have provided him with this document ⟦...⟧ Mayor of Nasiriyah
1/2/947 My dear friend, Mr. Abdul Majeed, the respected, I send you fragrant greetings and sincere salutations. I hope you accept my inquiry about your health and that you ask about me; I am in good health, lacking nothing except your dear absence. My dear, I received your letter and read it with joy, and I am sorry for what happened between me and you, but the fault is yours, my dear. If the promise had not been betrayed, it would not have happened like this before. And now I am very sorry and I ask for forgiveness. Do you agree now to marry me? I am ready to enter the religion of Islam and pay you an amount of 200 Dinars, and also you will receive a reward from God, and I am your old friend. So if you agree now to marry me, tell me immediately so that I may head over. And if you have another friend ⟦...⟧ and your intention is to take her, then I beg you to tell me so that I may cut off hope ⟦...⟧ with you, because now my thoughts are always with you. Remember that you want to move to Nasiriyah; is it true or are you lying to me? My dear, remember to send the letter by the hand of Saleh so that all gratitude and your command is obeyed, but letters, my dear, are of no use. So if it is true according to
Your words that you love me, so why did you not take me when I am ready to enter Islam. Fouad my dear, please if you desire to marry me tell me, and if you do not desire also tell me so that I may cut off my hope for you, and finally I wish you happiness and prosperity. Your friend Naima Then my dear, I ask for your excuse for the delay in the reply as I was busy, and there is in the ⟦Al-Yaqoubi⟧ hospital a nurse named Sabiha, she is also Jewish, I know her but she does not know me, please give her my greetings, and she is also a cultured and honorable girl, and I will send you a letter, and my greetings to your friend ⟦the glorious⟧ Saleh Naima
To the respected sister Sabiha Daoud The Station Very Urgent I offer you a fragrant peace and sincere greetings, and I hope you accept them, I have previously sent you four letters and I was waiting for your answer, but unfortunately I did not receive any answer from you, And on the date of 12/9, I also sent you a letter with a second letter inside it addressed to your servant Saleh so that it would be returned from him to my friend the official Abdul Majeed, the lines officer, as I told you in my letter that I am not able to send a letter to my friend directly through his department for fear that he might get upset because he told me to send the letters to him through your servant Saleh. And according to what I heard that you are working as a nurse in the hospital I sent you these letters for the sake of helping me, even though I have no relationship with you, but according to humanity and in your capacity as a Muslim girl, I thought that you would help me with the case, but I did not receive any answer from you, so my soul is troubled. Therefore, I will mention the story to you in detail: My aforementioned friend had promised to marry me after my entry into the honorable Islamic religion, and I agreed to that because he is an honorable young man and from an honorable and high-class family after I inquired about him, but he started giving me appointments and did not give me a firm word regarding marriage. However, on that day I visited his father and his family and informed them of the matter, and they welcomed that and said that our son will not marry anyone else but you, do not keep thinking, and indeed his father did not agree for my friend to marry his cousin, so they went out and gave her to a stranger, all of that on the account that my friend would take me. As a result of these actions, my friend got upset with his family and requested a transfer to Baghdad, but his father contacted the Governor to refuse his transfer, and indeed the Governor did not agree to his transfer, but my friend got annoyed and submitted his resignation from his job and traveled to Baghdad without the knowledge of his family and without ⟦...⟧ but after that his father filed a complaint against me claiming that the escape of my son from me is because of you, Naeema, and I have no one but this son, and I am a man of property and old in age and have daughters, who will perform my duties after me? So you must go yourself and search for him. So I immediately took a leave of one month and came to Baghdad for his fame but I did not find him, so I surrendered the matter to God, but I took mediation to transfer me to Baqubah, and indeed I moved to Baqubah, and I am in a bad state because of this case, so I started reading the newspapers. On the date of 10/6/1946 I found in Al-Hawadeth newspaper the promotion and appointment of officials, so I found the name of my friend among them; he was appointed as a lines officer in Baghdad with a salary of 14 Dinars plus the cost of living allowance, so joy and happiness took hold of me and I sent immediately
A telegram to his family informed them that your son is in Baghdad and I told them his address, but I did not send him a letter. On the date of 2/28, I took a leave and went down to Baghdad to see him, and indeed I found my friend. I comforted him and told him that I am sorry for what happened, and an agreement was reached a second time regarding marriage, and he gave me his previous certificate as a kind of word of honor for marriage, and here I am sending it to you inside the letter as well, in order to give it to Saleh so that it may be shown to him. Then I returned to Yaqub after I took from him the word of marriage that he would send for me, and he tasked me to send him letters through Saleh, from your servant. However, my friend refused my marriage a second time, and I do not know what the reason is, but according to what I heard he said, I do not desire to marry Naeema because she is not to my taste, but rather I desire to marry the daughter of Kamra, and indeed he is now in agreement with another Jewish girl named Salima, daughter of Murad, in the Al-Bataween neighborhood, and an agreement was reached, and according to what I heard also, he is going to the judge to bring the girl to him on 3/1/1942 for marriage, and according to what I heard also, he requested a transfer to his family in Nasiriyah in order to take the girl with him. Therefore, I feared for you, O beloved, your companion is a Muslim girl, and I am coming to you without the existence of any relationship with you, that you help me in any way possible, and you will earn a great reward from God, and as I mentioned to you, I rely on this friend because he is honorable, and this is his relationship with your servant Saleh, even though I am coming to you, your companion is a Muslim girl, you must help me, and this is the last letter from me, and I await your reply. The Petitioner Nurse Nafisa Hayawi Baqubah Nafisa
EXPORT DEPARTMENT CARMEL EXPORTERS & IMPORTERS LTD. "CARMEXIM" REGD. TRADE MARK EXPORTERS TO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD 5, PHILPOT LANE, LONDON, E.C.3. TELEPHONE: MANSION HOUSE 4931/6 TELEGRAMS: TEACARM, BILGATE, LONDON. CABLES: TEACARM, LONDON. CODES: BENTLEY'S SECOND. FACTORY & WAREHOUSES: "ELFIN WORKS," DURWARD STREET, E.1. DIRECTORS: VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS LEONARD STERN ⟦illegible⟧ 1st December, 1947. Dear Sir(s), We have pleasure in announcing that, due to an ever-increasing volume of business, we shall be operating, on and after the 22nd December, 1947, from our modern and spacious new offices at the above address, from which we shall be better able to give to our friends the courtesy and efficient and satisfactory service that they have learned to expect from our old established house. For the benefit of new, as well as of old friends, we would point out that our main organisation is sub-divided into four distinct divisions as follows :- DYESTUFFS DEPT. | CHEMICAL DEPT. | HARDWARE DEPT. | GENERAL MERCHANDISE DEPT. Dyestuffs | Chemicals. | Hardware. | Footwear. Colour Pigments. | Essential Oils. | Locks and Padlocks. | Paper and Stationery. Aniline Dyes. | Essences. | Chinaware. | Games & Toys. Industrial Chemicals. | Food Colours. | Aluminiumware. | Clocks & Watches. | | Elec. Acc. and Fittings | Radio & Gramophones The above is of necessity an abbreviated list but it will provide a fairly good indication of the many and varied articles we handle. It will be of great assistance to us and would also facilitate a more prompt reply to enquiries if letters could be clearly marked for the attention of the Department concerned. They would then be passed immediately to the correct Department and thus be answered more expeditiously. In conclusion we would emphasise that our whole organisation, with all its resources, is entirely at the disposal of our overseas clients whom we hope will never hesitate to ask for any assistance they may require. Yours faithfully, CARMEL EXPORTERS AND IMPORTERS LIMITED.
Name of the respected man: Marshi Shabo Occupation: Boy at Al-Jawahiri Nightclub Residence: Al-Kulat neighborhood, adjacent to Abdullah Jadu' Date of arrest: Thursday 11/2/947 ⟦line⟧ Wife: Marcelle Khadouri ⟦illegible⟧ those who accompanied him Al-Bahu Shlomo - Menashe Khayyat ⟦illegible⟧ And an amount of eight dinars was broadcast to Commissioner Rashid Barnawi ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧
1 / 1 / 1948 Respectful Mr. Director of Baghdad District Police After greetings We request the kindness of renewing the weapon carrying license No. (185) granted to Kol Muhammad, the guard of the sect's administration headquarters, for the year 1948. Please accept our respect ⟦line⟧ , ⟦Sassoon Khedhouri⟧ Head of the Community on behalf of
Baghdad - 9 / 1 / 1948 His Excellency the Minister of Education, the Respected After respect, We read in the local newspapers that your esteemed ministry has decided to close the school, kindergarten, and primary school (The National Institute) for a period of one year in view of the violations committed against the school regulations. This decision is a punishment for the school, but in reality, this punishment is borne only by the students whose number exceeds ((five hundred)) boys and girls, as they are in the middle of the school year and there is no school that will accept them given the passage of time and the lack of vacancies, in addition to the fact that we have paid the school fees to the institute, as well as the current situation surrounding this holy country. The harm caused to the students as a result of this decision is a grave harm that cannot be avoided except with the help of Your Excellency to look at their situation and condition with an eye of sympathy. If it is necessary to impose punishment on the school, then we, the parents and guardians of the students, request Your Excellency to replace the closure punishment with another that does not harm the students, and to order the continued opening of the school so that our children are not exposed to homelessness in the streets and what results from it of great harm. We are waiting for your kindness. A copy to His Excellency the Acting Prime Minister, the Respected ⟦illegible⟧ Daoud Alwan Aqeel Khalil Daoud Aslan ⟦illegible⟧ Abdullah ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ Fawzi Khadouri Elias ⟦illegible⟧ Daoud ⟦illegible⟧ Haroun Salawi ⟦illegible⟧ Daoud Farouk Shaul ⟦illegible⟧
1/14/1948 We hereby confirm our receipt of ten coats for women and ten trousers for boys from the Girls' Charitable Sewing Society for the purpose of distributing them to the office attendants of the De⟦line⟧partment. On behalf of.
ADVOCATE
Lawyer
Heskeil I. Murad
Heskeil Yaqub Murad
Tel. No. { Office 3924 Residence 7861 } Baghdad
Telephone Number (Office 3924 Residence 7861) Baghdad
Date ::
Date :: 20 / 1 / 1948
To the Honorable President of the Jewish Community
Baghdad
⟦line⟧
After offering respect
It is not hidden from you that the unfortunate events that occurred last week have bled
all hearts. I see that it is the duty of the Jewish community to hold a
major memorial service for the righteous martyrs who sacrificed their precious lives
for the sake of the dear homeland. I hope to present this proposal to
the honorable Lay Council to take its decision on this, as a demonstration of the feelings
of the Jewish community, which undoubtedly are no less than the feelings
of other communities. May you remain in great respect
Your obedient servant
⟦signature⟧
Lawyer
Note
I suggest that the memorial service be
held quickly and that it be on
next Monday, corresponding to 26 / 1 / 48
in the afternoon to enable state employees
to attend, and I also suggest the necessity of providing financial aid to the families of the martyrs.
⟦signature⟧
Lawyer
Above it
Baghdad, April 4, 1948 Respected His Excellency the Head of the Jewish Community May God guide his steps After greetings and respect: We offer your Excellency our great thanks and gratitude for the national duty you have performed towards the martyrs of the Iraqi army. We appreciate in you this noble feeling and we praise it with fragrant praise, and we pray to the Almighty to grant you success in what is good and right for the service of this entire nation. May you remain in glory and peace always. Students of Religion Beit Zulekha Religious School On their behalf ⟦illegible⟧
Baghdad, February 5, 1948 To the Honorable Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri President of the Jewish Community O Honorable President We have the honor to be proud of your noble person as the head of our Jewish community for the good work you have done, especially the Al-Fatiha service you held for the souls of the nation's martyrs. And when we visited your flourishing establishment and saw the order and arrangement you have provided with your care, it was truly great. Truly, the awe, the setting, the reverence, the children's hymns, and the candles attract the attention of other nations. Especially your noble self, who surrounded this ceremony with his care. Truly a remarkable scene. And I draw your attention to the fact that on the 4th of this month I was at the office of the Al-Ittihad Al-Masa'i newspaper and I noted the efforts of the community under your leadership in this regard. In truth, they were very pleased with your efforts and especially regarding the Al-Fatiha service you held. Finally, I ask the Almighty Creator to grant you success in serving this nation, with many thanks to the teachers and students. This and nothing else; please accept our greetings, and may you remain so. Hayawi Shaul Tweigman via P.O. Box No. (16) Baghdad. To be archived Special archive
Your Excellencies and Highnesses I ask your Excellencies to donate for the sake of the youth who were killed unjustly and treacherously for the sake of the honorable Iraqi people, for they are innocent martyrs. May your Excellencies have happiness. The Al-Bu Faraj tribe Long live the independent Arab nation Long live His Majesty King Faisal II ⟦...⟧ His Majesty the Regent of the throne of Iraq, and long live the honorable Iraqi people. I ask God to protect you and protect ⟦...⟧ Youth of the Al-Bu Faraj neighborhood For filing Memoranda
To his Excellency the respected Rabbi Sasson Khidouri After kissing your noble hands Sir, I am a young man who has been afflicted with pulmonary tuberculosis and the Ministry of Social Affairs ordered my referral to Lebanon at the government's expense Since I am poor, I began collecting donations from famous figures in Iraq, and His Excellency the Minister of Supply helped me, and all the ministers helped me Today I have come to request a donation and assistance through your grace It has increased our honor, and you, sir, as the head of the Israelite community, everyone has risen among the classes of the people as you are a man of goodness and kindness, and for this you have our heartiest thanks Your servant Abdul-Jabbar ⟦...⟧ May our Lord grant you success And preserve you ⟦...⟧ For archiving Miscellaneous
1948 Baghdad Thursday To His Eminence, my master Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri, President of the Israelite Community in Baghdad After kissing your hands, we pray to the Almighty Lord to raise your status and bless your patriotism before His Glory for the mentioned duties you have performed toward the righteous martyrs of the nation. This glorious work of yours will remain immortalized by every patriot, and may you remain a pride for the community under the shadow of His Majesty the Beloved King and the great victory. We wish to bring to your Eminence's attention what the young children of the Israelite community are doing on Saturdays, specifically on King Ghazi Street. They perform roles that are not without danger, and in this state they ride bicycles in an unbearable manner and eat lettuce, oranges, and seeds exactly as they appear during their holidays. It is not hidden from your Eminence that these feelings, even if they appear from young children, yet grief has overwhelmed their elders, and this is something that contradicts the glorious deeds performed by your Eminence. Therefore, we wanted to suggest to your Eminence (in my capacity as one of the community's youth) that you impose strict punishment, yes, strict punishment on everyone who does not observe the order. Here, a jealous patriotic youth suggests that you close the doors of the shops of the bicycle owners on King Ghazi Street—five shops—and the community shall pay the owner's wages for that day. This is the matter for your Eminence, and we are but servants of the respected President, my master. Sincerely, A Jealous Patriot For filing Proposals <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> ⟦signature⟧
To His Excellency the Head of the Community, Mr. Sassoon Khadhuri, the Respected By the grace of God, the imprisonment of our daughter Falakiya has been released, and she has served the term which was based on the children's confession and the children's living. I hope from God and from you and by your initiative together, a favor that will be a historic reward, and assistance in the name of and from you, and may you remain 9/2/948 ( 3 ) Decided by ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ Sincerely ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧
Appeal ⟦line⟧ On the occasion of the recent painful events, I call upon the honorable members of the community to limit wedding celebrations and festivities, and to refrain from outings and gathering on Saturdays in public streets, in mourning for the souls of the nation's martyrs ⟦line⟧ . Rabbi Sassoon Khadhuri Head of the Jewish Community ⟦illegible⟧ Outings
Hanoun Sarran Quarter 1 - Shaul Torah 2 - Dahan Torah 3 - Fina Torah 4 - Sartawi Torah 5 - Farha Ayed Torah Darb al-Qalu Quarter 6 - Masouda Eliyahu Rubin Torah 7 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah Bani Said Quarter 8 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah Al-Torah Quarter 9 - The Great Torah 10 - Midrash Talmud Torah 11 - ⟦illegible⟧ Zubaida Torah 12 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah 13 - Eliyahu ⟦illegible⟧ hu Banat Torah 14 - Meir Eliyahu ⟦illegible⟧ Torah 15 - ⟦illegible⟧ Saleh Torah - written in the name of a Sheikh Al-Qishla Quarter 16 - Ishaq Shalom Torah 17 - Ishaq Huwaym Torah 18 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah Taht al-Takiya Quarter 19 - Ghazi Torah 20 - Rubin Yehuda Torah 21 - Khedouri Salman Torah 22 - Sassari Torah 23 - Hayim Samuel Torah 24 - Rachel Shimon Torah 25 - Masouda Salman ⟦illegible⟧ Torah Abbas Effendi Quarter 26 - ⟦illegible⟧ Zalam Torah 27 - Ishaq Farha Torah Hanoun Kabir Quarter 28 - Sheikh Ishaq Torah Hanoun Saghir Quarter 29 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah (Ghazi Street) 30 - ⟦illegible⟧ Torah (Ghazi Street) Qanbar Ali Quarter 31 - Riqa Eliyahu Torah Al-Dahana Quarter 32 - ⟦illegible⟧ Karmi Torah Abu Saifayn Quarter 33 - Meir Rosael Torah Al-Bataween Quarter 34 - Masouda ⟦illegible⟧ Torah 35 - Ezra Daoud Torah 36 - Meir Daoud Torah Al-Haydarkhana Quarter 37 - Shamash Torah Al-Sinak Quarter 38 - Beit Samuel Torah ⟦line⟧ 39 - Ghara Quarter Torah 40 - ⟦illegible⟧ 41 - ⟦illegible⟧ 42 - Al-Alawiya 43 - Al-Hindiya Al-Diwani
Our vision in full health and strength to restore your home In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful The Respected His Eminence Rabbi Sassoon Khedouri Greetings, respect, and a fragrant peace from the bottom of a brief heart To the pure self and your soul, clear from the filth of foolishness May God protect you from every evil. An inquiry about your precious health Enjoying permanent health. I present to your Excellency I was honored to be in the Al-Amir neighborhood, but what I regret very much is that I was not successful in visiting you, and I requested from the polite brother known as your secretary [at] our house to present to your Excellency ⟦...⟧ so I hope from your sublime fatherhood that you would be kind to us and extend a helping hand