AI en Translation, Pages 276-300
Page 276
Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number 531
Number ::
Date :: 2
Subject ::
It requires great efforts, if not impossible, and those who complain about this among the graduates of
primary and intermediate schools are many.
B - Those Israelites who were accepted into intermediate and secondary schools are no longer
confident of remaining in their schools because they often find themselves outside the school
for any reason whatsoever.
C - Among these instances is that when there is a dire need to reduce the number of students in classes in some
official schools to a certain limit, the students who are dismissed from the schools as being in excess of
the prescribed number are Israelites.
D - The latest incident of this kind is that the Israelites, who number fifty in
the intermediate school in Adhamiya, were informed that their remaining in the school is no longer possible due to
its relocation to the building of the House of Religious Sciences (Dar al-Ulum). They were provided with transfer certificates, but they did not benefit
from them because other schools rejected them, and they became threatened with the loss of the years they spent in
intermediate studies in vain.
If the future of these students were of sufficient importance, it would have been possible to find another location
for this school other than the Dar al-Ulum building. Furthermore, we do not know what prevents the
Israelite students from remaining in Dar al-Ulum itself. Whatever the case, we were hoping that the education authorities would instruct
the distribution of the aforementioned students among its various schools to secure their right to study after they were accepted
and spent a portion of their time in intermediate studies.
2) In view of the lack of teachers, building, and furniture necessary to open daytime secondary classes to accept a portion
of the many students whose admission was refused by government secondary schools, the Ministry of
Education permitted us last year to open an evening fourth secondary class in the Shamash School; however, in this
year, it did not agree to open the evening fifth class for these students except on the condition of not re-
opening the fourth class, so that evening studies end at the end of the current academic year.
Thus, the doors have been closed in the faces of the Israelite students from all sides; they are neither accepted in
government schools nor permitted private evening studies, even though we learned that such a permit
Page 277
Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number 531
Number:
Date: 3
Subject:
given to another private school, and thus the grant has become limited to
Jewish schools only.
3) This administration had approached the esteemed Ministry of Education at
various intervals years ago regarding the opening of official schools in neighborhoods inhabited
by Jewish residents, which remained deprived of official schools unlike others.
After much effort, we were able to convince the education authorities in 1929 and in
1936 to open the (Ras al-Qarya) and (Al-Samawal) official schools. Since it was
expected that the majority of students in the two aforementioned schools would be Jewish
due to their proximity to their neighborhoods, the Ministry of Education stipulated that the Community Administration
participate in the expenses of these two schools by paying the rent, the salaries of the religion teacher,
and the furnishing costs. These two schools continued regularly, and we were hoping that
the esteemed Ministry would open other schools of this kind to achieve the dissemination of general culture
according to the official curriculum.
However, we learned with great regret that the education authorities - without seeing a need
to inform this department - have decided to turn these two schools into kindergarten schools
by transferring a portion of their students to other schools and replacing them with child students from
other schools, while it was expected that the esteemed Ministry of Education would expand these two
schools given the dire need for them and the excessive demand for them, and by opening other
schools in nearby Jewish neighborhoods where there is no official school at all,
and which we have often approached the Education Ministry about, and they promised us to open them year after year - they
have, contrary to expectations, turned them into two kindergartens, and thus deprived the Jewish neighborhoods of
two primary schools that were fulfilling a small part of the need.
4) We mention here with great bitterness that the Ministry of Education has remained for three
Page 278
Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number 531
Number ::
Date ::
Subject :: 4
For years we have pledged every year to apply the Futuwwa and Scouting system to our private schools
and the last request of this kind was signed by us on May 22, 1939, and we confirmed this to the Ministry
on July 18, 1939. However, no response has reached us until now.
The purpose of Futuwwa and Scouting is to accustom boys to a rugged life, enduring hardships,
proclaiming and spreading the military spirit, qualities of manhood and chivalry, and the subsequent traits of loving
order and obedience through military training of various kinds. It was expected
that the esteemed Ministry of Education would assist us in spreading these noble goals among our private school students,
but we do not know anything about the reasons that led to the neglect of our request in this manner.
5) The draft of the General Education Law that was submitted to the Parliament for ratification has
contained articles that would prevent our private schools from continuing their progress, and we submitted
our important observations about it to the Ministry of Education on August 15, 1939, but we have not received
a response until now. Attached is a copy of the aforementioned letter for Your Excellency's review.
We fear that these matters and their like are still influenced by factors that are not in
the interest of the country, so we hope that Your Excellency will give these issues your well-known attention to achieve
the interest of the Iraqi homeland, which is now in need of fighting the factors of division more
than at any other time.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of our highest respect.
⟦signature⟧
Head of the Community
A copy to His Excellency the Minister of Education
Page 279
August 30, 1935
Private
My Dear Excellency,
We have reviewed the statements of the former Director General of Education submitted to Your Excellency in response to our letter
dated July 4, 1935, regarding the Jewish schools.
As we have presented to Your Excellency, the purpose of submitting our aforementioned letter was to remove the injustice that
the community feels exists as a result of the treatment by the education authorities toward the schools under its management.
It pains us greatly to say that the tone of the response and the serious observations contained therein only increase this
feeling and reinforce its weight and disturbance. It began by investigating the reasons for the grumbling and its dissemination, perhaps
in a strange manner intended to disparage the men of the community and their ill intentions, while those reasons are clearly explained
in the report. After this introduction, it depicted the Jewish schools as centers for foreign propaganda that do not serve
the national interest at all. It is necessary that such serious opinions be based on correct information and established
facts, and not on emotion and intuition, especially since they were issued by a responsible authority tasked with planting the seeds
of unity in the youth and spreading the spirit of brotherhood among its members.
We present below our observations on the points mentioned in the response, from which it becomes clear that the
aforementioned opinions are nothing more than abstract statements not based on established facts and that they often
do not agree with the laws and regulations in force.
1) The Jewish schools pay special attention to the Arabic language and history and exert great efforts
to raise their standard. The success rate in public examinations is the greatest evidence of the superiority of the Arabic language
in some Jewish schools over many official schools. As for the Al-Firdaws school, it is a private school
with which the community has no connection; it is managed - or was managed - ⟦by⟧ a man of known
tendencies and characteristics, and if there is responsibility, it falls on the Education Administration which authorized its opening and the continuation
of teaching in it. The Shamash school is directly linked to the community administration and was created through material
sacrifices, the purpose of which was and still is to educate the student according to the education curriculum and at the same time
prepare him to join the ranks of trade and related businesses, and it is very keen on its head
and on the quality of culture in it. We do not know how and from where the alleged Zionist character was fabricated. And if
the Education Administration has serious information about the presence of individuals spreading the Zionist idea in it, why did it not inform
the community of that, in accordance with the spirit of cooperation that it claims it expressed a desire to carry out with the men of the community.
The report described the ⟦Albert Sassoon⟧ school as foreign, and we do not know why and how this description was used. This
school was established 75 years ago and was managed by the Alliance Israélite Universelle, and this charitable association
has a prescribed and known curriculum, and among the foundations on which its curriculum is based are education and spreading the spirit of patriotism
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in the country in which it operates. Since its founding, a large group of
men from various classes have graduated from this school, and it is proud to count among its graduates and former teachers a large number of
prominent Jews, including prime ministers, ministers, directors general, and others. Despite the recent introduction of Arabic
instruction in it, it has provided Iraq with a large portion of men of literature and journalism, in addition to those who served
the country with sincere service in public offices, liberal professions, trade, and so on. Furthermore,
the administration of the school was transferred to the community since 1921 and was considered one of its public schools.
2) Teaching Curricula - The fact that no changes were made to the teaching curricula during recent years does
not necessarily imply the stability of the curricula, and on the other hand, it did not occur to us to freeze the curricula as they are
forever. However, we saw that it is possible to involve non-officials when laying down the foundations of teaching and education. We
do not know why this is not permissible in a vital issue, while the laws allowed the involvement of non-officials in issues of less
seriousness and importance. In this regard, we refer to Article 31 of the Regulation of the Ministry of Education, which allowed the invitation of
additional members to the General Education Council from those whose services have enabled them in matters presented to the Council.
As for the presence or absence of specialists among the Jews, the community has managed several schools for
dozens of years with brilliant results, and through this, some of its men have acquired some experience and practice in
local educational affairs that may be of importance if presented to the proponents of modern theories in the arts of
upbringing and education.
3) Opening Schools in Some Neighborhoods - The community does not wish to be autocratic on a sectarian basis in opening schools,
but it noticed that a large area of the capital is devoid of official schools, and the existence of this area is confirmed by
the education map itself. If the excuse for that is the presence of private schools in it, then it is necessary
to assist these schools financially and morally and to amend the general plans followed in education to meet them. It is no secret
that there are approximately fifty official schools in the capital, only two of which are located in neighborhoods
populated by Jewish residents, and that was as a result of the follow-up and persistence of the community's men and their contribution of a portion of its expenses.
Perhaps they are (the official schools) in which the Director General of Education is looking for an Israeli majority.
4) Financial Aid - The expansion in opening official schools does not necessitate withholding aid from
private schools as long as the Education Department has not opened enough official schools to meet the need, but rather as long as the
amount of aid increases for private schools that perform the same service at a very low cost. The law for distributing
aid to private schools specified the foundations that must be relied upon in giving grants, including
the grade of the school, the number of its classes, the level of teaching in it, the number of its teachers, its teaching curriculum, the degree of
its success in general examinations, and the amount of its expenses and revenues. The matter of disposing of grants was not left to
the will of the Education Department based on imaginary theories that cannot be justified. In this regard, it is noted that the budget of
the Education Department has doubled during recent years, while the allocations for private schools have decreased
or remained as they were, despite the noticeable expansion that occurred in their number and in the number of their students.
5) Examination System - The competence of teachers in the primary classes of Israeli schools is not bad;
if there is some weakness, it is in the early grades only. In any case, we do not see a relationship for competence
in giving grades, a matter which depends on the teacher's ethics and the degree of his appreciation for duty. The non-application
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3
The Officers' Law applied to the community's employees makes determining the authority regarding the mentioned teachers easier and perhaps
stricter than if they were subject to the aforementioned law. As for the alleged anomaly in granting such authority to private
schools, we are told that it is no more of an anomaly than granting schools - whether official or private - the right to add
private examination results to the results of public examinations.
6) Regarding private schools in the Education Bill, we did not find in the response any rebuttal to what was stated in
our previous observations concerning the receipt of financial aid from abroad. As for the appointment of foreign teachers,
we refer to our previous report where we demonstrated that the appointment of foreign teachers in the community's schools
is done directly by the Community Council or with its consultation and approval. We hope you will review our previous
observations and return a copy to the Schools Committee to express its opinion on the texts of the bill pertaining to schools
under its management.
7) Educational Missions - The Director General of Education believes that the community's schools do not send educational missions
and that they serve foreign interests, among other illusory matters that we do not wish to revisit. At the same
time, he says that those who pass the public examinations among students of private schools may be accepted
into educational missions. This participation is in accordance with Article Five of the Educational Missions Regulation
of 1934, but the method of its application does not enable students of private schools to benefit from its
explicit provisions. Article Two stipulated that success in public examinations for the purpose of participating
in educational missions depends on a grade in ethics, and this can only be obtained in official
schools, in accordance with Article One of the Regulation Amending the Public Examinations Regulation No. (14) of 1931
No. 21 of 1935.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest respect.
Sincerely,
⟦illegible signature⟧
Head of the Community
Page 283
July 4, 935
His Excellency the Respected Prime Minister
After greetings and respect
We list below a copy of the report submitted by the Jewish Schools Committee for your kind
perusal with an eye of sympathy and interest, and to take such measures as you see fit to address the
important points mentioned therein: -
It is no secret that private schools have taken upon themselves the education of a significant portion of
Iraqi youth, and in doing so, they assist the competent authorities in spreading knowledge among the classes of the people.
The opening of private and special schools is not a modern innovation in Iraq.
In many civilized countries, there are private schools established for purposes that differ fundamentally from
the curricula prescribed by the state regarding public education. As for Iraq, some private schools
opened their doors before the establishment of government schools and before the formation of the national government, and for nearly a century
they have prepared a large crowd of men who served the country with their talents in trade, industry, and other liberal professions
and state positions of various grades. No fair person can deny the glorious and commendable impact of these schools
in the expansion and spread of Iraqi trade in the farthest corners of the globe. If there is a slight
difference between the teaching curricula in these schools and the government curricula, it was found to urge students
and encourage them toward middle-class jobs, professions, and occupations, and to alleviate the rush for employment, that disease
which has become one of the problems that must be combated.
As for the religious teachings that the various sects lack and which their children receive in
these schools, there is nothing in them that contradicts the intended goal of the general education curricula in the country, and we
firmly believe that those in charge of managing the Jewish private schools are no less keen on securing the goals
aimed at by the state in its educational policy than the responsible education officials. If there is
any doubt or suspicion, the competent authorities can discuss the matter with those responsible for managing these
schools and take all possible measures to combat points of weakness, if any exist.
There is no doubt that charitable institutions such as these are worthy of being treated by the education authorities
with the spirit of sympathy, loyalty, and fairness with which schools engaged in educating a significant group
of Iraqi youth should be treated.
However, the first thing our committee noticed is that the education authorities did not take these facts
into consideration when deciding their plan toward private schools, a plan which we believe was not decided
as a result of studying and scrutinizing the real needs of the country and the services provided by private schools to Iraq
in general and to education in particular.
Therefore, we hope that the esteemed government will study this issue thoroughly while discussing it with the men
Page 284
( 2 )
the community if it sees a necessity for that, and it will adjust its plan towards private schools in the near future.
We have a observation regarding the curricula of the Ministry of Education, as we see that these curricula are unstable and have
undergone many modifications and changes. We do not wish to discuss this subject in terms of its branches,
but we believe that one of the reasons for the weakness is the Ministry's reliance solely on the opinions of its own men without consulting those who have had
long service in education, whether in public education or private education. In our view,
it is the duty of the Ministry to take the opinion of specialists of various tendencies when establishing the foundations that
affect the fate and future of the youth.
After stating our observations about private schools in general, we present below our observations
on some issues that concern private schools in particular.
1 - Opening official schools in neighborhoods inhabited by Jewish residents in the capital:
The Ministry of Education has not fulfilled its duty toward the Jewish community in terms of opening sufficient schools in the neighborhoods
where they reside, especially after adopting an unfriendly plan toward private schools. The Ministry's map
indicates a large area devoid of official schools, and we do not know the reasons that justify depriving this area
of its share of education. If the excuse is the existence of private schools, it was first necessary to encourage those
schools and secondly to ensure their adequacy to meet the need. It pains us to say that in the capital of the country, a
large portion of the youth still receives their education in private kuttabs (traditional schools) that seek livelihoods in the public streets
in various ways.
2 - Inadequacy of the financial aid allocated to Jewish schools: - The schools of
the Jewish community in the capital contain about eight thousand male and female students, and the total of their budgets exceeds
17,000 Dinars, while the grants allocated to them do not exceed 450 Dinars, or about 2.5 percent of the total.
Thus, the student's share is 561 Fils per year and no more. We do not know how this amount compares with the cost per student
in government schools, even the primary ones. These figures do not include private school students
who number 2,200 students, nor other charitable institutes that contain approximately 800 male and female
students.
3 - The Examination System: - The examination system that was recently issued regarding the addition of
the average grades in monthly and mid-year exams in order to help the student overcome the difficulty of
the general examinations. The students of private schools were deprived of this assistance for reasons we do not know.
If the Ministry of Education does not rely on private school teachers, ⟦graduates⟧ from among the teachers, whether they are
in government or private schools, are very keen on the success of their students, and there is no distinction between them from
this perspective. If the reason is the Ministry's supervision of examination procedures in its schools, we see no
reason for not conducting the same supervision in private schools after reaching an agreement with school boards on its type
and how to conduct it. Placing the student in private schools in a position of weakness relative to his peer in government
schools is a matter that fairness and logic do not justify, and its purpose can only be to complicate the situation of private schools.
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( 3 )
4) - The status of private schools in the Education Law draft: - It has come to our attention that
the Ministry of Education has drafted a new education law, and among its provisions is the classification of private schools that
have a foreign principal or that receive financial aid from outside Iraq as foreign schools that do not enjoy
the rights granted to private schools. We do not know the nature of the rights granted to private schools in
the aforementioned draft, and no opinion was requested in this regard from those responsible for the Jewish schools, but we
consider these provisions—if they are true—a fatal blow to many schools that have previously provided
great services to the Iraqi youth and the Iraqi homeland in general over several decades. We do not know the purpose of this
nor the reasons justifying it, for many teachers in official schools and some of their principals are foreigners, in addition to the foreigners
present in state departments of various ranks. If education is in need of outsiders despite
the existence of teacher training colleges for men and women, then this need is even greater in private schools, especially if
the teacher has trained abroad to serve in Eastern countries and is usually one of their sons. It is no secret
that the management of Jewish schools—despite the presence of a principal for each school—is entrusted to the Lay Council
by virtue of Article 7 of the Jewish Community Law No. 77 of 1931, and the Council has exercised this authority
for more than ten years before the law was issued. As for considering grants coming from abroad as reasons that diminish
the status of the school, we do not know how to justify that. Financial aid comes specifically from Iraqis
abroad or from foreigners who have a close or relative relationship in Iraq, or from charitable institutions
that assist schools by virtue of their established curriculum. In many cases, cash aid is provided
in exchange for endowment properties entrusted to them by Iraqis themselves, some of which are collected in Iraq
itself. In any case, whatever the amount of that aid, it constitutes only a small part of the budgets of the
Jewish schools.
5 - Participation of sectarian schools in scientific missions: - We do not wish to refer here to the
idea that arose as a result of the non-participation of some young men in scientific missions in past years,
knowing that the government well appreciates the country's need for reassurance and the individual's sense of enjoying his
public rights without any discrimination. However, we would like to draw the authorities' attention to the principle of accepting some students from
private schools who have special aptitude or special knowledge for the required mission, and that they should not be deprived
merely because they graduated from private schools. If the need arises in the future to send a student to
French or English institutes, one who has obtained a Matriculation or Baccalaureate degree in private schools
should not be deprived if he meets the required conditions, as the government would have saved the preparatory expenses
while selecting from among the young men those who have a great chance of entering the teaching institute and succeeding in it.
With highest respect and honor to Your Excellency.
Head of the Community
Page 286
⟦4710⟧
13 January 938
His Excellency the Director General of Education, respected
Reference to your letter numbered 476 dated 5 January 938
The community's finances 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 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 attempts have been made
to address the situation, however, the extent to which their success will reach is not yet clear.
There may be room for strong doubt regarding the ability of this community to bear the heavy
burden required by the administration of its schools, which gather 8,245 male and female students, as well
as other institutions, if the financial situation continues at the reduction it has been found in
from time to time until now, and the community does not receive sufficient assistance to run its administration.
It is directly related to this subject to point out 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
proportionate to the need and the public service provided by the schools, which are at this level
of expansion.
The grants used to amount to (750/693) Dinars in the year 30/931 and dropped
gradually until they became a mere (155) Dinars in the year 37/938. At this rate,
each student's share of the government grants for the community's schools is an amount of 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 difficult year we are currently
undergoing amounts to about eighty centimes per hundred of the total expenses we must provide.
Please accept the highest respect
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
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863 on the second of April 61
And when you bestowed the honor upon our army to provide leaders for the army of ⟦...⟧
863 on the second of April 55 until October 674 and on this date and before it
Reports were found from Syrian army officers who carried out a training mission in our country within the previous joint defense agreement
These reports were submitted by the commanding officers to the Ministry of Defense 00054 and on the date 00006 we find a report for this officer
Under the name of the Syrian Army training project at the summit of the cold regions in the Hermon Mountains, the answer was 00061 on the date
The direct results of these findings and a general rule was found for these and the experience of the Syrian Christian machines for each other and the status of the Syrian army at that
time, the Equipment Authority was affiliated with the General Staff, and the Staff controlled this authority and the combat and administrative actions
while the Staff was managed by this authority and still follows it organizationally, and we have documents that support that
Regarding the leadership of the armored vehicles 5468 to the degree of status, and this Syrian army is in that the groups in our defense and our audit
according to an incident that took place in Damascus and the municipalities, and based on our convictions, it has not been proven until now that the third Syrian Christian group
it has not been proven that the forces were affiliated with the army commanders, and based on our previous convictions, and because it was behind this or that, we find that
the Syrian Chief of Staff, despite the fact that the fighting forces and some others and their formations for our army there
have recorded the first successful experience in our work and ensuring profit in our operations, and we are the ones who said previously that we are keen to
benefit from the experience and build previous convictions, and building our convictions was firm regarding the manhood and courage of the Syrian army and that it has
sanctity in performing the duty and defending our Arab land in this brotherly country, and that our duty today is to avoid sedition
and build our convictions
In the year 71/169 it was the desire of the army (057/632) and we have a document proving that
Considering that what occurred 76/863 was the desire of the army (551), we find at the same time that the document of the Syrians in the year
was not able to prove its convictions in a year, and the view of the Syrian leaders themselves towards our Syrian army, we find from it also on the same day
In the year (00021) we find a document in the Syrian army for this day and we find in that the Syrian army possesses an experience that did not fall
into another Syrian hand, and this conviction that we presented, we find a desire for us in this previous conviction, and we find from the officials in Syria
at the time when desires are available for our army, and we find from our leaders also a desire to relinquish this mission to others
our duty as your Lord wanted us to enjoy
Section: Syrians
Page 288
— 2 —
( 6 )
Reply of His Excellency the Minister of Education No. 18466 dated 16 / 9 / 455 and 5 / 12 / 936 to
The Presidency of the Jewish Community
⟦line⟧
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.
( 7 ) Letter from the Presidency of the Community No. 4206 dated March 8, 937 to His Excellency the Prime Minister
⟦line⟧
Last year, we requested the esteemed Ministry of Education to involve the students of our two schools, Albert Sassoon
and Shamash, in military training, just like their brothers, the students of official schools, but we have not succeeded in achieving
our request until now. Our last letter in this regard was on November 20, 936, and the Ministry's response
to it was that it would look into the matter when a sufficient number of trainers is 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
which nurture the feeling of patriotism and the qualities of manhood and emulation in the souls of the students.
( 8 ) Reply of the ⟦General⟧ Director of Education No. 4869 / 3 / 25 dated 12 Muharram 356 and March 25, 937
to the Presidency of the Community, with a copy to the Secretary of the Council of Ministers (referring to letter No. 347
dated 16 / 3 / 37) and another copy to the Directorate of Physical Education and Military Training.
⟦line⟧
Since clothing and other equipment are not available to the students at the present time, and since
procuring them requires a considerable amount of time, and given that more than half of the school year has passed, it is not possible
under these circumstances to involve the students of the two schools mentioned in your letter referred to above in military training
in the current year. However, we have taken the necessary measures to involve them starting from the beginning of the
next school year. His Excellency the Minister of Defense has agreed to allocate the necessary teachers from officers
and non-commissioned officers to train them.
( 9 ) Reply letter from the Presidency of the Community No. 4536 dated September 12, 937 to His Excellency the Director
General of Education
⟦line⟧
We hope that the students of the Albert Sassoon and Shamash secondary schools will be involved in military training
starting from the beginning of the next school year in accordance with what was stated in your letter mentioned above, of which
we attach a copy herewith.
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- 3 -
(10) Letter from the Community Presidency No. 5454 dated May 22, 939 to the Directorate of General Education
⟦line⟧
We request that you order the application of the Futuwwa and Scouting system to our private schools in pursuit of the noble goals it aims for and in fulfillment of the promises you made to us.
(11) Letter from the Community Presidency No. 5566 dated July 18, 939 to the Directorate of General Education
⟦line⟧
It is important to me to learn what the honorable Ministry of Education has decided regarding my request to apply the Futuwwa and Scouting system to our private schools; therefore, I repeat my aforementioned request in the hope of receiving your reply soon.
⟦line⟧
( 12 ) On 10/2/939, His Excellency the Minister of Education, in the presence of His Excellency the Prime Minister during the meeting held between His Excellency and the President of the Community, Ezra Menachem Daniel, Ibrahim Hayyim Moallem Nassim, and Ibrahim Nahum, stated the following:
"The Futuwwa and Scouting system has not yet been applied in any of the private schools, and when it is applied, it will be applied to all of them equally."
( 13 ) On October 5, 939, the President of the Community met with His Excellency the Minister of Education and presented the following to him:
"The students of Al-Tafayyud Private School were included in the Futuwwa system last year, and they were trained by instructors from the official schools."
His Excellency promised to study the issue of applying the Futuwwa system to private schools and to issue orders either to apply this system to all private schools or not to apply it to any of them.
Page 290
Number
373 / S / 939
The Grand Court of the Basra region was formed on 10/29/1939 in its appellate capacity, presided over by
President C. A. Goud and the membership of both judges Anderson and Nuri al-Qaraghouli, authorized
to adjudicate in the name of His Majesty the King of Iraq, and issued its following decision: ⟦line⟧
Appellant ⟦line⟧ The convict Hesqail Dawood, his representative Lawyer Makki Jamil
Appellee ⟦line⟧ Public Right ⟦line⟧
The Criminal Judge of Basra decided on 10/23/939 to convict the criminal Hesqail Dawood according to Article
13 of Chapter Twelve of the Baghdad Penal Code for insulting the government and the army.
Based on the appeal submitted by the convict's representative, all case files and its branches were brought,
and a day was set to consider the appeal.
On the appointed day, the convict was brought, and his representative, Lawyer Makki Jamil, attended, while the representative
of the police did not attend despite being called, as it turned out he had been transferred to another station. The trial proceeded in camera.
The appellant's representative repeated the contents of his appellate brief and added, saying that witness Nadir Khan and witness
Lala Sak denied the presence of the witnesses Sayyid Najm and Alwan during the discussion, and that he was standing at the door. Furthermore, the
criminal intent is absolutely negated, just as the words attributed to my client—assuming they are true—do not constitute the crime of insult.
My client has been an employee for seventeen years; it is inconceivable that he intended to insult the government as claimed by the prosecution witnesses and the informant. This
is the first time he has been brought before the court.
As a result of the appellate trial and scrutiny, the court found that this case was opened based on what
was stated in the report submitted by Haj Alwan in the case. It was stated in the aforementioned report that the words
the informant claimed were uttered by the defendant were: (How can you send fifty thousand soldiers? If
they were able, they would silence the tribes and stop their fighting in Baghdad. They have only five thousand soldiers). As for the phrase
that the prosecution witnesses detailed in their testimonies before the court as having been uttered by the defendant, it was mentioned in the testimony of both
Sayyid Najm and Haj Alwan, the informant himself: (The government does not have fifty thousand soldiers and they do not possess more than five
thousand soldiers, and the army is busy with the tribes, and if there were any good in them, one wouldn't be killing the other in Baghdad).
Sayyid Najm stated that he did not know who the defendant intended in the last phrase he said, while Haj Alwan
concluded that the defendant intended the ministers. Despite the fact that these two witnesses testified that the defendant did not name specifically
who he intended in his phrase, one of them, Haj Alwan, concluded that the defendant intended the ministers. We see witness Ibrahim
claiming that the defendant said your ministry is killing one another, and this point was not supported by the testimony of the two aforementioned witnesses
previously.
In addition to the contradiction in the testimonies discussed above, the court considered the summary of the phrases
that the witnesses claimed the defendant uttered and found that they do not include expressions of insult or contempt for the government
or the army in the sense intended by these two words, especially as it was stated in the testimony of witness Ibrahim Abdul Latif
that the defendant had not stated anything leading to defamation of the army in terms of weakness or lack of capability.
( To be continued )
Page 291
Number
373 / S / 939
- 2 -
and other things, and whereas in view of what was narrated above, the court found that the elements required to constitute a crime
to which the provisions of Article Thirteen of Chapter Twelve of the Baghdad Penal Code apply
were not met in this case, it was decided by consensus to overturn the ⟦conviction⟧ decision and rule the acquittal of the appellant
Heskel Daoud and his immediate release from prison if he is not detained for another reason, and it was issued according to Article
218 of the Amended Criminal Procedure Code and announced publicly on 10 / 29 / 1939.
Page 292
Number
373 / S / 939
⟦illegible⟧
The Grand Court of the Basra region was formed on 10/29/1939 in its appellate capacity, presided over by
President C. A. Cord and the membership of judges Anderson and Nuri al-Qarah Ghuli, authorized
to adjudicate in the name of His Majesty the King of Iraq, and issued its following decision:-
Appellant - The convicted Heskel Daoud, his attorney Makki Jamil
Appellee - The Public Right
The Criminal Judge of Basra decided on 10/23/1939 to convict Heskel Daoud according to Article
13 of Chapter Twelve of the Baghdad Penal Code for insulting the government and the army.
Based on the appeal submitted by the attorney of the convicted person, all case files and their branches were brought
and a day was set to consider the appeal.
On the appointed day, the convicted person attended, and his attorney Makki Jamil attended, but the Police
Commissioner No. 1 did not attend, as it was found he had been transferred to another center. The proceedings were held in secret.
The appellant's attorney repeated the contents of his appellate brief and added, saying that witness Nader Khan and witness
Lala Sa denied the presence of the witnesses Sayyid Najm and Alwan during the discussion if they were at the door, and that the
criminal intent is absolutely denied, and the words attributed to my client, assuming they are true, do not constitute the crime of insult.
My client has been an employee for seventeen years; it is inconceivable that he intended to insult the government as alleged by the prosecution witnesses and the informant, and this
is the first time he has been brought before the court.
As a result of the appellate hearing and scrutiny, the court found that this case was opened based on what
was stated in the report submitted by Hajj Alwan in the case. It was stated in the aforementioned report that the words
the informant alleged were uttered by the defendant are (How can you send fifty thousand soldiers if
you cannot support those silencing the tribes and stopping their fighting in Baghdad? You have only five thousand soldiers). As for the phrase
that the prosecution witnesses stated in their testimonies before the court that the defendant uttered, it was mentioned in the testimony of both
Sayyid Najm and Hajj Alwan the informant himself (You, as a government of fifty thousand soldiers, do not possess more than five
thousand soldiers, and the army is busy with revolutions, and they had news that one was killing the other in Baghdad).
Sayyid Najm stated that he does not know who the defendant meant in the last phrase he said, while Hajj Alwan
concluded that the defendant meant the ministers. Despite the fact that these two witnesses testified that the defendant did not state who
he meant in his phrase, and one of them, Hajj Alwan, concluded that the defendant meant the ministers, witness Ibrahim
claimed that the defendant said that your ministry, one kills the other, and this point was not supported by the testimony of the two witnesses mentioned
previously.
The Court
In addition to the contradiction in the testimonies presented above, the court considered the summary of the phrases
that the witnesses alleged the defendant uttered and found that they do not contain expressions of insult or contempt for the government
or the army in the sense intended by these two words, especially since it was stated in the testimony of witness Ibrahim Abdul Latif
that the defendant had not stated anything that would support a challenge to the army in terms of weakness or lack of capability.
(Continued on the next page)
Page 293
Number ⟦line⟧
373 / S / 939
- 2 -
And so on, and whereas in view of what was stated above, the court found that the elements required to constitute a crime
to which the provisions of Article Thirteen of Chapter Twelve of the Baghdad Penal Code apply
were not met in this case, it was decided by consensus to overturn the decision of ⟦conviction⟧ and the sentence, and to acquit the appellant
Heskel Dawood and release him from prison immediately unless he is detained for another reason, and it was issued according to Article
218 of the Amended Code of Criminal Procedure and announced publicly on 10 / 29 / 1939.
Page 294
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Number 19736
Date Ramadan 1358
30 October 939
To " - Directorate of Shamash Private School
Your letter No. 751 dated 26 / 10 / 939
You had urgently requested the opening of the fifth evening class, and it has recently appeared to us that you have not prepared
the teachers who will be teaching in the aforementioned class. Therefore, we request that you inform us urgently of the basis
that led you to request the opening of the aforementioned class.
On behalf of the Director General of Education
Shamash School
Number 753
Date 1 / 11 / 939
His Excellency the Director General of Education, Respected
With reference to your letter No. 19736 dated 30 October 939
The esteemed Ministry of Education had allowed our school to open a fourth secondary evening class, and
Your Excellency had agreed in your letter No. 22489 dated 3 December 1938 to allow some
⟦Education⟧ secondary school teachers to deliver lectures to the students of the aforementioned class. We
requested the opening of the fifth secondary evening class to teach the students who graduated from the
fourth secondary evening class last year. The reason for not preparing the required teachers for the aforementioned class
is our reliance on the fact that the teachers allowed last year to deliver lectures would do
so in the current year as well. However, we were surprised after the start of the academic year by the teachers' refusal
to deliver lectures this year because the new education regulations do not allow them to do so.
Therefore, we wrote to Your Excellency to assign lecturers for the aforementioned class as stated in our letter No.
751 dated 26 / 10 / 39. In any case, the matter is for Your Excellency, sir.
True copy
Page 295
Iraq
Ministry of Education
Personnel Affairs Division
Please refer to the full number:
Number: 19726
Date: ⟦..⟧ Ramadan / 1358
20 October / 1939
Subject: ⟦line⟧
To " -
Directorate of Shamas Private School
Your letter No. 751 dated 26 / 10 / 1939.
You had urgently requested the opening of the fifth evening grade, and it has recently appeared to us
that you have not prepared the teachers who will conduct the teaching in the aforementioned grade, therefore
we request that you inform us urgently of the basis that led you to request the opening of the aforementioned grade.
⟦signature⟧
Acting Director General of Education
For filing
B / 26 / 10
Page 296
Investigation Police Directorate
Number: 2828
Date: 11 / 12 / 939
Secret
To: The President of the Israeli Sharia Court in Baghdad
Hakham Sassoon
We have learned that the person named Munshi bin Nasser, known by the name
(Munshi Abu Shwi), frequents your court to follow up on some lawsuits there.
It has become necessary for us to understand his actions and behavior, so we request that you provide us
with sufficient information as to whether he is of bad character and makes false
reports in court to mislead high authorities
and the officials.
⟦signature⟧
Director of Investigation Police
Secret
The Answer: It has not been proven to us that the aforementioned Munshi bin Nasser has performed any
of the actions mentioned in your letter.
President of the Court
29 / 12 / 939
Page 297
/
To
The President of the Jewish Community Council in Baghdad
2812
29 / 12 / ⟦...⟧
We request that you kindly order ⟦...⟧ 2740 / 29 / 12 / ⟦...⟧ to the Directorate of Civil Status ⟦...⟧
⟦signature⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
Baghdad on ⟦1948/8/22⟧
Number: 8584
Urgent
Attention of the Honorable Baghdad Schools Inspection Committee
Subject / Al-Alliance School
To the Honorable Chairman of the Baghdad Schools Inspection Committee
We kindly request you to state whether an inspection has been carried out on
the aforementioned school to determine its suitability (its building) for opening
a secondary school in it, and in the event that this has not been achieved, we kindly request
dispatching whoever is necessary to conduct the necessary inspection to determine its suitability
or lack thereof, so that we can take the necessary action in light of that, with thanks.
Signature
Director of Education for the Baghdad Region
On behalf of the Director General of Education
A copy of it to:
Directorate of General Knowledge / Primary Education
Directorate of Education for the Baghdad Region
M/ 8 / 8 / 1948
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
Page 298
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Number: 2740
Date: 4 / 12 / 928
To the President of the Jewish Community Council in Baghdad
We have been informed of the existence of four ⟦boxes⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ the portfolio in the name of
for the Queen ⟦illegible⟧
The person named (Rubin Abulfoy) who frequents ⟦illegible⟧
and resides at the house of Yusuf al-Saddawi there, and that he is of bad
conduct and associates with many evil people, and he issues promissory notes with some persons
in the Kingdom of Iraq and takes advantage of the classes of the people, and since
your Excellency oversees the ⟦Spiritual Court⟧, please enlighten our investigations
with a detailed report accompanied by your personal opinion about the aforementioned person
regarding the statement of him being the aforementioned ⟦clerk⟧
⟦illegible signature⟧
Distribution Officer
Page 299
Mutasarrifate of Baghdad Province
Department: Editing
Telegraphic Address: Mutasarrif of Baghdad
Telephone: Baghdad 1105
Number: 727/K
Date: 18 / 9 / 1941
Secret
To His Eminence Mr. Sassoon Khadhuri
Head of the Jewish Community in Baghdad
Subject: Collecting Donations
With reference to the circular distributed to the members of your community to collect donations
a copy of which was sent to the Ministry of Interior.
Please inform us whether the aforementioned circular has been distributed, and in the event that you
have done so, we hope you will note not to broadcast such circulars in the future before obtaining
approval for their publication and distribution. Respectfully yours,
⟦signature⟧
Acting Mutasarrif of Baghdad Province
Page 300
6649
19 September 941
Secret
Mutasarrifate of Baghdad Province
Reference to your letter S/726 dated 18 / 9 / 941
The circular referred to in your letter has been distributed, and we have noted your remarks to be followed in
the future;
⟦Sassoon⟧
Head of the Community