AI en Translation, Pages 251-275
Page 251
Minister of Colonies - London
Secretary League of Nation - Geneva
The Jews of Iraq protest against the Zionist policy
and support their brothers the Arabs of Palestine. We
implore you to do them justice and restore peace
and tranquility to the Arab states.
Rabbi Sassoon Kadoory. Rabbi Benjamin Moshi
Rabbi Salman Hoogi. I. Elkabir. Eliaho Any. Ezekiel
Murad. K. M. Levy. K. Shukur. Dr D. Nessim. D. M. Saleh
S. M. Sassoon. Salim Isaac. Dr S. Koobi. S. Shelomo.
Dr G. Rabby. M. Mahlab. M. Gourgi. Dr Nourallah. N. Muk-
amal. H. Smoha. Yamen Murad. Yehooda Zeloof.
Dr J. Rosenfield. Ebrahim Hayim Isaac. E. Ades. R. Somech
S. Abboodi. Jacob Any. E. Mettanah. E. H. Tawfik.
E. Jury. M. Soffer. K. Tweg.
Page 252
Telegraphic address: NATIONS GENEVE
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
IN THE REPLY PLEASE RECALL:
PLEASE QUOTE REF. NO. IN REPLY:
NO.
NO. 6A/6450/668.
Geneva, October 5th, 1938.
Sirs,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your telegram, dated August 23rd, 1938, addressed to
the Secretary-General, concerning Palestine.
In conformity with the rules of procedure
with regard to petitions concerning mandated territories
this communication will be submitted to the Chairman
of the Permanent Mandates Commission.
I have the honour to be,
Sirs,
Your obedient Servant,
E. de Haller
Director
of the Mandates Section.
Rabbi Sassoun Kadoori,
Rabbi Benjamin Moshi,
Rabbi Salman Hoogi
and other signatories,
BAGHDAD (Iraq).
For filing
Rabbi Sassoun Kadoori
Rabbi Benjamin Moshi
Rabbi Salman Hoogi
and the rest of the signatories Baghdad (Iraq)
Sirs:
I have the honor to inform you of my receipt of your telegram dated August 23, 1938
addressed to the Secretary-General regarding Palestine.
And that according to the applicable regulations regarding petitions related
to the mandated territories, this communication will be submitted to the Chairman
of the Permanent Mandates Commission
I have the honor to be your obedient servant
Director of the Mandates Section
Geneva, October 5, 1938
Page 254
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Private Office
Number: 9/23 / 2564
Date: 19 Dhu al-Qi'dah 54
12 February 1936
Subject:
To His Excellency the Head of the Jewish Community
Baghdad.
⟦line⟧
In response to your letter No. 3600 dated 5 February 1936
Since the classes that correspond to the third intermediate classes in the schools
mentioned do not consist of students who meet the conditions stated in the General Education Law,
therefore we cannot fulfill your request in this regard. When the mentioned schools
filter their students according to the instructions issued to them, the necessary measures will be taken
to involve them in the implementation of the Futuwwa system.
⟦signature⟧
Minister of Education
Headquarters of the Jewish Community
Baghdad
Private Number 2787
Date 13 / 2 / 36
To be registered
For filing
AA
Page 255
2881
4 August 936
His Excellency the Minister of Education, the Respected
Baghdad
Reference to your letter No. 2569/9/23 dated 19 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1354 and 12
February 1936
I hope that you will take the necessary measures to involve the students of the intermediate classes from the schools of
Albert Sassoon and Shamash in the implementation of the Futuwwa system, given that the mentioned classes will consist
in the next academic year of students who meet the conditions stated in the Law of
Public Education;
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
⟦illegible⟧
M 51
Page 256
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Correspondence Department
Please refer to the full number
Number 11682
Date 24 Jumada al-Ula 1355
11 August 1936
12
⟦illegible⟧
Subject: Military Training
His Eminence the Head of the Jewish Community, Respected
Baghdad
Due to the impossibility of obtaining sufficient weapons and instructors to teach
the students, we unfortunately cannot agree to fulfill your request at the present time.
⟦signature⟧
Director General of Education
Head of the Jewish Community
Private Number 8117
Date 12 / 8 / 36
A. A.
Page 257
4028
20 / 11 / 36
His Excellency the Minister of Education, respected
After greetings and respect
In pursuit of the noble national goals aimed at by the Futuwwa Regulation No. 50
for the year 935, we hope that Your Excellency will order the participation of the students of our two schools, Shamash and Albert
Sassoon (both of which are considered intermediate schools for the purpose of the National Defense Law)
in military training, just like their brothers, the students of official schools. With respect to Your Excellency,
on behalf of
The Head of the Community
For filing
⟦illegible⟧
Page 258
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Directorate of Primary Education
Please refer to the full number
Number <del>18466</del>
Date 16 / 9 / 1355
1 / 12 / 1936
6
Archives
Subject: Military training for the schools of
Shamash and Albert Sassoon
To the Presidency of the Jewish Community in Baghdad
With reference to your letter No. 4033 dated 20 / 11 / 1936.
We have appreciated the national spirit manifested in your desire to involve the students of the Albert Sassoon
and Shamash schools in military training, and despite our sincere desire to grant the request, we regret that we are unable to
do so now, and we will look into the matter when a sufficient number of trainers is available.
⟦illegible⟧
Minister of Education
Presidency of the Jewish Community
Baghdad
Special Number 2079
Date 6 / 12 / 936
M. A.
Page 259
4206
8 March 937
4869/⟦illegible⟧
V
His Excellency the Respected Prime Minister
Greetings and respect
Last year, we requested the Honorable Ministry of Education to involve the students of
our two schools, Shamash and Albert Sassoon, in military training, just like their brothers, the students of
the official schools, but we have not succeeded in achieving our request until now. Our last letter in
this regard was on 20 November 936, and the Ministry's response to it was that it
would look into the matter when a sufficient number of trainers became available. Therefore, we have come to petition
Your Excellency to include our private schools in your kindness so that they are not deprived of these
valuable lessons that nurture the sense of patriotism and the qualities of manhood and sacrifice in the souls of
the students.
⟦illegible⟧
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
Page 260
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Physical Education Directorate Division
Please refer to the full number
Number 4869 / 3 / 25
Date 12 Muharram 1356
25 March 37
8
Subject: Military Training
To the Presidency of the Jewish Community in Baghdad
Reference to your letter No. 4306 dated 3/8/37 addressed to His Excellency the Prime
Minister.
Since the clothing and other necessary equipment are not available to the students at
the present time, and since procuring them requires a considerable amount of time, and in view of the passing of more than half
of the academic year, it is not possible in this case to involve the students of the two schools mentioned in
your above-referenced letter in military training in the current year. However, we have taken the necessary
measures to involve them starting from the beginning of the next academic year. His Excellency the Minister of Defense has agreed
to allocate the necessary instructors from officers and non-commissioned officers for their training.
⟦signature⟧
Director General of Education
A copy to:-
Secretariat of the Council of Ministers
(Reference to letter No. 347 dated 3/16/37)
Directorate of Physical Education and Military Training
For filing
A. Q.
Page 261
⟦452⟧
9
12 September 937
Urgent
His Excellency the Director General of Education, Respected
Reference to your letter numbered 4866/3/25 dated 12 Muharram 356 and 25
March 937
We hope that the students of the ⟦Al-Bersasoun⟧ and Shamash secondary schools will participate
in military training starting from the beginning of the next school year in accordance with what
was stated in your aforementioned letter, a copy of which we attach herewith;
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
Page 262
10
5454
17 May 939
24
⟦To⟧ Directorate of General Education
Baghdad
Reference to the communication ending with your letter No. 4869/3/25 dated 12 Muharram
356 and 25 March 937 and a copy of it to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and the Directorate of Physical
Education
We request that you order the application of the Futuwwa and Scouting system to our private schools in pursuit of the lofty
goals it aims for and in implementation of the promises you made to us;
⟦illegible⟧
On behalf of
Head of the Community
Page 263
5586
11
18 July 939
Directorate of General Education
Baghdad
Further to our letter No. 5454 dated 22 May 939
I am interested to know what the esteemed Ministry of Education has decided regarding my request
to apply the Futuwwa and Scouting system to our private schools, and therefore I repeat my request
aforementioned in the hope that I will receive your reply soon.
Lama'
On behalf of
Head of the Community
Page 264
Comparison table of Ministry of Education grants
between the years 1920/21 and 1927/28
School | Year 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 | 25/26 | 26/27 | 27/28
| Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils | Dinar Fils
Al-Briskon | 120 - | 118 500 | 110 - | 110 - | 80 - | - | - | -
Laura Kadoorie | 120 - | 118 500 | 110 - | 110 - | 80 - | - | - | -
Nu'aim | 27 500 | 27 500 | 20 - | 20 - | 60 - | - | - | -
Nuriel | 22 500 | 22 500 | 20 - | 20 - | 20 - | - | - | -
Shamash | 75 - | 75 - | 70 - | 70 - | - | - | - | -
Albert Sassoon | 150 - | 148 500 | 145 - | 145 - | 60 - | 85 - | 65 - | 60 -
Al-Wataniya | 122 750 | 122 - | 120 - | 120 - | 110 - | 85 - | 65 - | 60 -
Madame Kadoorie | 45 - | 45 - | 45 - | 45 - | 40 - | 40 - | 40 - | 35 -
⟦illegible⟧ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
Menashi Saleh | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
Sadir Al-Dawash | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
Total | 692 750 | 688 500 | 650 - | 645 - | 450 - | 210 - | 170 - | 155 -
Page 265
December 1, 1941
To His Excellency the Honorable Minister of Education
After greetings and respect.
1) The financial aid paid by your esteemed ministry to the private schools managed by
the community reached about 750 Dinars in the year 1930/31. Although this amount is not proportionate
to the budget of the community's schools, their level of success, and the number of their students, and despite our successive follow-ups
to confirm it and make it proportionate to the services provided by the community for the benefit of education in Iraq,
it began to decrease gradually until it reached 155 Dinars in the last year, distributed among the Rachel
Shahmoon School, the National School, and the Masouda Salman Primary School.
2) The community administration has made great sacrifices during recent years in order to advance
education and raise its level while following the curricula and teaching plans decided by the Ministry of Education.
It recently opened a preparatory school for boys and two intermediate schools, one for boys and another for girls.
It also replaced its teachers who did not meet the necessary conditions required by the General Schools Law
of the last year, and this cost it exorbitant expenses, whether as a result of doubling teachers' salaries or as a result of
giving compensation to teachers whose services were dispensed with after long service.
3) The efficiency of the schools in the community has increased to a degree that no fair person can deny, and the results
they produced. Below is the number of students who participated in the government general examinations for the last
academic year and their success rate:
Study Examination | Number of Examinees | Number of Successful | Success Percentage
Primary | 553 | 469 | 85.2
Intermediate | 178 | 165 | 93.4
Preparatory | 126 | 119 | 94.5
Total | 857 | 753 | 92.4
The eloquence of these figures spares us from commenting on them, just as the success rate in the years
that preceded this year was no less than them in terms of number and percentage.
Page 266
— 2 —
4) The private schools managed by the community today have reached 14 schools, including preparatory, intermediate,
and primary schools. The total number of students is 8,785, and the number of teachers is 998, of whom 112 are degree
holders. The total annual budget is 27,500 Dinars, and the average cost per student is
3 Dinars annually. This is shown in detail below:
Number | School Level | Number of Students | Total | Total Budget | In Dinars
1 | Secondary | 565 | — | 175 | 735 | 4450
1 | Preparatory | — | — | 270 | 270 | 2450
1 | Intermediate | 75 | — | — | 75 | 750
3 | Intermediates containing primary classes | 1806 | 518 | — | 2324 | 8859
8 | Primaries | 5376 | — | — | 5376 | 11000
14 | Total | 7182 | 1153 | 445 | 8785 | 27550
5) The cost per student in primary schools is 2,055 Fils per year, in intermediate schools
about five Dinars, and in preparatory schools about nine Dinars. It seems to us that this
cost is much lower than the cost per student in official schools, whether in the capital or outside it. This
encourages us to say that the annual cost borne by the Ministry of Education, should it
manage these schools, would be many times the cost to the community. This, of course, does not accept any
comparison with the meager grant it receives, which does not exceed 21 Fils per student annually.
6) The main source of the community's income involves fees on basic needs of
foodstuffs, namely meat. These fees barely cover a portion of the needs, while increasing them
is not possible given the resistance of the residents, as happened on a previous occasion. This is in addition to the fact that such
an increase is considered reprehensible due to its bad impact on living conditions, especially in the current crisis, on
one hand, and on the other hand, because these fees affect the poor on a large scale. It is not possible
to create new fees, and the high fees charged by schools have reached a level where it is impossible
to consider revising them. This is in addition to the necessity of clothing the students who were afflicted in the recent
disaster, who have become in need of assistance, whether educational or personal.
7) The community has useful services and institutions such as hospitals, clinics, and others that share in
the revenues obtained by the community, whether from meat fees or from other miscellaneous revenues.
Despite the importance of the services provided by the mentioned institutions and their connection to society, they do not receive
Page 267
— 6 —
3) The total number of students who took the final exams in primary schools reached ⟦1056⟧ students,
of whom 611 students passed, i.e., at a rate of approximately 58%. As for last year, the number of students who took
the final exams in the aforementioned schools reached 700 students, of whom 500 students passed, i.e., at a rate of approximately 71%.
Below is a table showing the results of the aforementioned exams in private schools:
School Name | Number of students who took the exam | Number of passing students | Number of failing students | Percentage of success
Alliance | 533 | 275 | 258 | 52%
Nouriel | 56 | 27 | 29 | 48%
Al-Wataniya | 57 | 27 | 30 | 47%
Total for private schools | 646 | 329 | 317 | 51%
Public schools | 410 | 282 | 128 | 69%
General Total | 1056 | 611 | 445 | 58%
4) The percentage of success in private schools is 51%, while in public schools it is 69%.
This result clearly indicates that there is a deliberate intention in the failure of private school students and that there is a drawn-out plan
to obstruct the progress of education in private schools, especially since private school students have proven in all exams
organized by the Ministry of Education in past years their superiority over public school students in all subjects,
especially in foreign languages and mathematics. Last year, the success rate in private schools reached
71%, while in public schools it was 62%. These poor results that appeared this year in private
schools have caused great concern among the parents of the students, who have begun to wonder about the real reasons for this failure.
5) The percentage of success in the Alliance school is 52%, while last year it was 78%.
This result clearly indicates that there is a deliberate intention in the failure of the students of this school in particular. What supports this
is that this school was always at the forefront in all public exams conducted by the Ministry of Education
in past years. It is worth mentioning that the students of this school passed in all subjects except the Arabic language,
in which they failed at astonishing rates. What supports the claim that there is a deliberate intention in the failure of this school's students in Arabic
is that the students who failed in Arabic are among the outstanding students in this subject in their school.
6) The percentage of success in the Nouriel school is 48%, while last year it was 72%.
This result clearly indicates that there is a deliberate intention in the failure of the students of this school as well. What supports this is that
the students of this school passed in all subjects except the Arabic language, in which they failed at astonishing rates as well.
Page 268
December 1, 1941
His Excellency the Minister of Education, the Respected
After greetings and respect,
1- The financial aid paid by your esteemed ministry to the private schools
managed by the community reached about 700 Dinars in the year 1930/31. Although this amount
is not proportionate to the budgets of the community's schools, their success rate, and the number of their students, and despite our
successive requests to increase it and make it commensurate with the services provided by the community for the benefit of education
in Iraq, it began to decrease gradually until it reached 155 Dinars in the last year, distributed among
Rachel Shahmoon School, the National School, and Masouda Salman Primary School.
2- The community administration has made great sacrifices during recent years for the sake of advancing
education and raising its level while following the curricula and teaching plans decided by the Ministry of Education. It
recently opened a preparatory school for boys and two intermediate schools, one for boys and another for girls. It
also replaced its teachers who did not meet the necessary conditions required by the recent General Education Law.
This cost it exorbitant expenses, whether as a result of doubling teachers' salaries or as a result of
giving compensation to teachers whose services were dispensed with after long service.
3- The efficiency of the schools in the community has increased to a degree that no fair person can deny, and the
efforts that created it must be appreciated. We have included in the attached table the number of students who participated in
the general examinations for the last academic year and their success rate. The eloquence of the listed figures
spares us from commenting on them, as the success rate in the years preceding this year was not less
than it in terms of number and percentage.
4- The private schools managed by the community today have reached 14 schools, including preparatory,
intermediate, and primary. The total number of their students is 8,780, the number of their teachers is 198, and the total of their annual
budgets is 27,500 Dinars. The average cost per student is three Dinars annually, as shown in detail
in the attached table.
5- The cost per student in primary schools ranges between 3,320 Fils and 1,716 Fils,
and in intermediate schools about six Dinars, and in preparatory schools about ⟦illegible⟧
Page 269
- 2 -
It seems to us that this cost is much lower than the cost per student in public schools, whether in the capital
or outside it, which encourages us to say that the annual cost borne by the Ministry of Education
if it were to manage these schools itself might be several times the cost to the community, and of course
no ratio is comparable to the meager grant we receive, which does not exceed 21 fils per male or female student annually.
6 - The main source of the community's income involves fees on basic necessities
of food, which is meat. These fees barely meet a fraction of the need, while increasing this
is not possible given the resistance of the residents, as happened on a previous occasion. In addition, such an
increase is considered reprehensible given its bad impact on living conditions, especially in the current crisis, on the one
hand, and on the other hand because these fees include the poor on a wide scale. It is not possible to create
new fees, and the high tuition fees charged by schools have reached a level where it is impossible to think
of reconsidering them. This is in addition to the necessity of clothing the students who were afflicted in the recent disaster and who
now need assistance, whether school-related or personal.
7 - The community has useful services and institutions such as hospitals, clinics, and others that share in
the revenues obtained by the community, whether from meat fees or other miscellaneous revenues. Despite
the importance of the services provided by the mentioned institutions and their connection to society, they only receive a portion
of the revenues obtained by the community, while the schools take the largest portion of these revenues.
In this regard, the education budget has diverted the community in particular and Iraqi society in
general from obtaining revenues that they are more entitled to than others.
8 - The recent disaster that struck the community created a class of residents in extreme
misery and wretchedness, and these people do not look at the school as an educational institute only, but as a shelter for their upbringing and a glimmer
of hope for their future. Their number is not small, and it would not be in the interest to neglect their children and leave them wandering
in the alleys and begging in the public streets.
9 - In view of the reasons mentioned, we specifically request consideration of the issue of the budget for private schools
belonging to the Jewish community, and to increase the grant that the Ministry of Education will allocate to them
in the current year's budget to a degree commensurate with their work and the results they have achieved. By doing so,
the venerable Ministry will have extended a helping hand to the community administration to enable it to carry out its arduous work
in the present and the future.
Head of the Community
Page 270
- 2 -
They have leased an old ⟦land⟧ in the northern spring and the capital. They have leased an old land from this world and it is not
within our power, the laws of our power, in an old time. We will not be satisfied with leasing from this easy land, O
our president, as the leaders of the Mulla were able to from the field, this northern land from the leaders of Al-Rawda north, O Prince
of our land opposite, O Excellency, a time for the year 1941 in our current time, an old time. They have leased an old time.
You have asked the truth, O President of the Council, and the committee has leased it officially and by title - 2
It is a historical biography. In its beginning, this land was a time and a fence for us, and far away, and it was found in the field.
This land was an old time, to the point that his saying is old in the occurrence of whoever owns it, as it was said, the just judge for himself officially
from the fact that it was old, it was in Al-Rawda long ago, a time, officially, he did not enter us into it. You have lived in abundance in the world
in the field because the parliament, and all that pertains to it, the field, a time and a fence of no direction, as we have asked an old husband
to house us, and we, as you have asked our neighbor north of the Mulla for the committee, a time they asked for a direction that the Mulla was old, and from
from the Mulla long ago, as we asked in the field from the students of the Mulla. The Mulla was found from those who were tasked that he has the Mulla long ago in
Al-Rawda, O North Qais, from long ago officially, none of us will lease.
And in the third position, you asked in your person, you asked for your stay up that the Sultan had said - 7
And in a minute you asked what is going on in O we arrived, not from this old easy land, O Hessa, it was a time for the Mulla
for the year 1941 in the field, and the Mulla leases for the committee. The leaders of the Mulla leased a land, a time, a time, it was some old
historically this was from the hand of who was and asked Al-Rawda north in the committee of the director, the leaders of the Mulla the easy, O Hessa, it was a time for the Mulla that he
found a time officially and the leaders of Al-Rawda lease, the leaders of the Mulla Sharifa in our field long ago from the time of its beginning as he told me
the biography in is not officially and in history a time, a time from his saying
and his biography in his colleague was that it belonged to the leaders of the Mulla honorably a long time ago as we asked - 8
He secured and housed us in the leaders of Al-Rawda and reached the Qais school to the north officially from those who belonged as the head of the Mulla for the committee supported
in the year one hundred and twenty and what the Mulla had asked of it that it was the Mulla and a fence from the field in and our president saw
we asked in any matter regarding the leaders of the Mulla in
And in the Mulla long ago, long ago in the Mulla, the leaders of Al-Rawda Yahya, his money was from the Mulla, the North Mulla - 9
In our power, the laws of our power in an old time in the field long ago, not as the leaders of the Mulla in the Mulla long ago
in one hundred and eighty the easy nine a time and the conclusion of the Mulla, the Mulla and a school for the committee of Qais from opposite the Mulla long ago and in
himself and in the easy Mulla and we were certain of who we leased long ago from the leaders of the Mulla, it was as if in a hundred long ago in the field
in the field the Mulla in the Mulla in
Leader of the Mulla President
Page 271
4718
13 January 938
17
His Excellency the Director General of Education, the Respected
Reference to your letter numbered 476 dated 5 January 938
The finances of the community have suffered a severe and unusual crisis as a result of the drop in the Gabella fee in
the past year from 20,000 Dinars to 15,000, and its granting for the current year for a sum of
approximately 12,000 Dinars, a matter which has paralyzed the community's administration in all its aspects and due to
the delay in paying salaries in schools and other institutions for several months. Various measures have been taken
to address the situation, but the extent to which their success will reach has not yet become clear.
There may be room for strong doubt regarding the ability of this community to bear the heavy
burden required for the administration of its schools, which accommodate 8,245 male and female students, in addition
to other institutions, if its financial situation continues at the low level it has been found in
from time to time until now, and if the community does not receive sufficient assistance to run its administration.
It is directly related to this subject to refer to the correspondence that
took place between the community administration and your esteemed Ministry regarding the grants allocated to private schools.
The situation you have observed provides sufficient evidence of the urgent need to make the grants
proportional to the need and to the public service provided by the schools, which are at this level
of expansion.
The grants used to amount to (693/750) Dinars in the year 30/931 and dropped
gradually until they became (155) Dinars in the year 37/938. At this rate,
each student's share of the government grants for the community's schools amounts to eighteen Fils
and eighty Centimes annually. If the total budgets of our schools are no less than (19,000) Dinars,
it also appears that the total government assistance to us in this arduous task that we are performing
amounts to about eighty Centimes ⟦meaning less than one percent⟧ percent of the total expenses that we must provide;
Please accept the highest respect
Head of the Community
⟦illegible⟧
Page 272
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Date: 10 Rabi' al-Thani 1354 and 11 July 1935
Sh - Kh - - - S
His Excellency the President
I have read the letter from the head of the Jewish community addressed to Your Excellency, which Your Excellency kindly requested my observations
on its contents, and I state the following:
1) The Ministry of Education's policy toward private schools has not changed from the past; it still requires
private schools to pay attention to the Arabic language and the history of the country, and it monitors the movements of teachers who spread harmful
propaganda and works to remove them. Perhaps the Ministry's strictness this year in this monitoring and its cooperation with
the police in removing some teachers who are not citizens of this country and whose dissemination of Zionist propaganda
among the youth of this country has been proven, is a cause for complaint. The Ministry, in cooperation with the police, has indeed discovered this year
some instigators in certain schools that serve as centers for Zionist propaganda and has already worked to purge them. This
intervention may be called opposition to the aforementioned schools, but in reality, it is the removal of a danger within them. The Firdous
al-Atfal school is one of the centers, as is the Shamali school which employs Zionist advocates, and the French Alliance, as well as the Laura
Kadoorie school attached to it. The Ministry intends no harm to these institutions, but rather aims to reform the spirit in
these schools and has expressed its desire to cooperate with the leaders of the Jewish community for this purpose.
2) It was stated in the letter that the Ministry's curriculum is unstable, but the truth is that no
change has occurred in the curricula that can be called a change since the year 1928. The only modification occurred three years ago
in the last two years of secondary education, where the branches of study were diversified. We do not know how the idea leaked into the minds
of the group that the curricula are unstable. The truth is that the entire country is anticipating the expected change, and we do not know of any specialists or
experts in Jewish private schools regarding matters of curriculum and education so that we might benefit from their opinions.
3) Opening official schools in areas inhabited by Jewish residents in the capital - the Ministry has not ceased
opening schools, and it is not permissible to proceed on the basis of favoritism. The Ministry did not intentionally avoid opening schools in
specific areas, but rather opens schools where nearby schools exist. We have begun to take into consideration the distances
between schools and the proximity of residents to them, and the mobilization in the capital, as in all provinces, will be on a single basis. All
schools in the capital are not devoid of Jews, and in some official schools they constitute the majority. They enjoy
in Iraq's official schools many times more than what other communities enjoy in terms of population ratio, should we discuss
the sectarian basis which this Ministry does not consider at all. This is not limited to the capital's schools alone,
but applies to the schools of all provinces. The Mosaic community has its ample share in our official schools in all provinces of
Iraq. We do not concede to them at all in this claim of theirs, just as it is not permissible to proceed with opening schools on a sectarian basis. Jews,
like the rest of the inhabitants of Iraq, have their rights and their duties, and what can be said about Jewish children who are outside
of schools can be said more broadly about the children of the rest of the communities.
4) Financial Aid - Financial aid for private schools was established when official schools
were rare and when private schools were almost everything in providing general culture. Now that they have increased
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The number of public schools has increased rapidly and has begun to require massive expenditures, so it is no longer within the capacity of this
Ministry to lend sufficient amounts to private schools. The education budget is buckling under the burdens of the costs of public institutions, so how
can it meet the needs of private schools? Therefore, it agrees with the committee that the aid is insufficient if
the intention is to meet the needs of private schools, but the Ministry does not feel the responsibility of providing for these
schools while it is moving with rapid steps in expanding public schools. Financial aid can be considered as a symbol
of this Ministry's appreciation for the good services performed by private schools in spreading culture. The distribution of
aid was not based on the number of students only, but rather on the basis of spreading the national spirit and serving the country's culture. As for
schools that spread a foreign culture, this Ministry is not obliged to assist them financially. Furthermore, if we looked at this
issue from a sectarian perspective as well, as the group does, we would find that the financial aid received by the
Jewish schools is more than the aid received by members of other sects if the population size is taken into
consideration, let alone that some Jewish schools do not serve the national culture sufficiently.
5) Examination System - The amendment of the examination system cannot be applied to Jewish schools for the following
reasons: (a) most of the teachers are not of the required level, and this Ministry has drawn the attention of the Body
Council to the weakness of the teachers' level and their inadequacy for teaching. The council replied that it would work to remedy that when
sufficient money is available and gradually in the coming years. (b) The teachers in these schools are not subject
to the state employees' discipline law, and it is not possible to punish a teacher in a Jewish school or remove him by the Ministry if
it is found that he manipulates or is lenient in giving grades. (c) These ⟦illegible⟧ schools do not apply our curricula
and systems exactly so that averages can be obtained in them on the same basis as those obtained in our schools. For these reasons
and others, averages in private schools cannot be taken into consideration. Moreover, the nations of the world in their diversity, except for those
that are exceptional and rare, do not give any official status to private school examinations and certificates, so for this reason we do not recommend taking
averages from Jewish private schools into consideration.
6) The status of private schools in the new Education Law draft - The new draft of the
Education Law has not yet been decided upon, and it is still under study in this Ministry. What is important in the new draft that we hope will be established
is the emphasis on national culture in private schools and not considering schools filled with directors appointed by
foreign governments or bodies, or those that receive allocations from foreign governments, as private schools, as they undoubtedly lose
the national character required in a truly private school. It is true that the government employs foreign teachers, but these are subject
to a national authority and have no connection to foreign governments. What matters is the authority that selects and appoints the director, not the director
himself. In this regard, foreign authorities and institutions that appoint directors or grant aid are undoubtedly
driven by apparent or implicit political factors, and in these cases, a school subject to
these influences may not be considered a national private school.
7) Academic Missions - The basic condition for sending a student who is dispatched for study outside Iraq in
the view of this Ministry is not his knowledge of a foreign language or his obtaining an English Matriculation or French Baccalaureate
certificate, but rather his being saturated with national culture and his upbringing being a purely national upbringing. As for private schools that provide
a foreign culture and do not pay sufficient attention to national culture, they should not hope that the Ministry of Education will dispatch any of
their graduates. The important means by which we aim to examine the student's knowledge of national culture is the general ministerial exam.
Whoever passes it and excels among those who pass has the right to the mission, and this Ministry cannot consider any other certificate
besides the official certificates obtained through the general exam as a basis for academic missions. Therefore, we do not favor ⟦line⟧
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at all to answer the committee's demands in this regard.
(8) Summary. We are at the beginning of a new era in the implementation of national education in the country, and the Israeli schools
had their excuse if they were providing foreign culture alone in the past, but today it is not possible for the Ministry of Education to recognize
these schools unless they gradually change their direction and take a new national direction, and this Ministry is ready to
extend a helping hand to the bodies that manage these schools if they show a readiness to transform their curricula and atmospheres into
national curricula and atmospheres with no foreign character in them.
Fadhil Al-Jamali
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Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number 531
Number :: 5692
Date :: 27 September 1939
Subject .:
To His Excellency the Respected Prime Minister
Baghdad
After greetings and respect -- duty calls me to present some serious matters to
Your Excellency, with my firm belief that you will handle them with the wisdom and knowledge with which you have steered the ship of
the state in its most critical moments.
A group of young men approached me recently regarding some matters related to their academic achievement, and
I felt that they are suffering under despair and despondency regarding their fate and the future of their academic lives.
The community administration does not have the means to enable it to help them continue their studies,
and it also believes that it is not in the interest for them to remain in this state, which inevitably leads them to
resentment toward the environment in which they live.
All those who have contact with these matters have begun to clearly feel the extent of the difficulties that have begun
to face the Jews, especially regarding their relations with the education authorities. We, as Iraqis,
having the same rights and duties as others, feel that overlooking these matters will inevitably lead to
creating a rift between the sons of one homeland, something which we do not doubt is not in the interest of Iraq at all.
Throughout the past years, we have tried to convince the administration in the Ministry of Education of the necessity of changing this
direction, but we did not succeed in our attempt, and the result was quite the opposite, as matters
began to go from bad to worse year after year. Therefore, we found no choice but to resort to Your Excellency
now, by virtue of what you feel is a duty of cooperation with the government, to create understanding and remove what may
be stuck in minds regarding matters that do not agree with the national goals aspired to by those working for the good of
Iraq.
The matters we wish to present to Your Excellency are:
(1) In addition to the allocations and restrictions existing in the admission of Jewish students to higher
schools and in their participation and benefit from academic missions outside Iraq, the difficulties and obstacles
placed before Jews who want to join other official schools have become
hidden from no one.
A- The enrollment of a Jew now in an official secondary or intermediate school, for example,