AI English Translation, Pages 51-75
We have reviewed the statements of the Director General of Education submitted to His Excellency the Prime Minister in response to our letter numbered
and dated July 4, 1935, regarding the Jewish schools.
We had presented to His Excellency the venerable President that the purpose of submitting our aforementioned letter was to remove the injustice
which the community feels exists as a result of the Education authorities' treatment of the schools under its management. It pains us
greatly to say that the tone of the response and the serious observations contained therein confirm this feeling and increase it
with anxiety and turmoil. It began by investigating the causes of discontent and portraying them in a strange manner intended to disparage
the men of the community and the nobility of their goals, while those reasons are clearly explained in the report. Following this introduction, it portrayed
the Jewish schools as centers for foreign propaganda that do not serve the national interest at all. It is necessary to base
such serious opinions on correct information and established facts, not on emotion and intuition, especially since they
were issued by a responsible man tasked with planting the seeds of unity in the youth and explaining brotherhood among its members.
We present below our observations regarding 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 in many cases they do not comply 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 standards. 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 that has
no connection to the community regarding who manages - or used to manage - it, and the teaching there is by a man of known tendencies and characteristics. If
there is any responsibility, it falls upon 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 established as a result of great sacrifices, the purpose of which was and still is to refine
the student according to the Education curriculum and at the same time prepare him to join the ranks of commerce and related professions.
It is very keen on its progress and the quality of culture within it. We do not know how or from where it ⟦obtained⟧
the alleged Zionist character. If the Education administration has serious information about the existence of persons spreading the Zionist
idea in it, why did it not inform the community of that, acting in the spirit of cooperation that it claims it expressed a desire
to carry out with the men of the community. The report labeled the Albert Sassoon School as 'Frenchified,' and we do not know why or how
it deserved this label. This school was opened 75 years ago and was managed by the Alliance Israélite
Universelle. This charitable association has a prescribed and known curriculum, and among the foundations upon which its curriculum is based is
refinement and spreading the national spirit in the countries where it operates. Since its founding, a large
crowd of men from various classes has graduated from this school, and it is proud to count among its graduates and former teachers ⟦judges⟧
and a large number of non-Jews, including prime ministers, ministers, directors general, and others. Despite the recentness of
Arabic instruction in it, it has provided Iraq with a generous portion of men of literature and journalism, in addition to those who
served the country faithfully in public offices, liberal professions, commerce, and otherwise. Furthermore, the
management of the school was transferred to the community in 1921 and it was considered one of its public schools.
2) Teaching Curricula - The lack of changes in the teaching curricula during recent years does not
necessarily imply the stability of the curricula, and on the other hand, it never occurred to us to favor keeping the curricula as they are. However,
our view was that it is possible to involve non-officials when establishing the foundations of teaching and education.
And we do not know why this is not permissible in a vital issue related to the future of the youth, while the laws have allowed the involvement
of non-employees in issues of less gravity and comprehensiveness. In this regard, we refer to Article 31 of the Ministry of
Education regulations, which allowed the invitation of additional members to the General Education Council from those who have previous services in
the matters presented to the Council. As for the presence or absence of specialists among the Jews, the community
has managed several schools for decades 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 pedagogy and education.
3) Opening schools in some neighborhoods - The community does not wish to rely on a sectarian basis in opening
schools, but it has noticed that a large area of the capital is devoid of official schools, and this area
is confirmed by the education map itself. If the excuse for this is the presence of private schools in it, then
these schools must be assisted financially and morally, and the general plans followed in education must be modified to accommodate them.
It is no secret that there are dozens of official schools in the capital, only two of which were opened in
neighborhoods inhabited by Jewish residents, as a result of the follow-up and persistence of the community's men and their bearing of a portion
of their expenses, and they are (the official schools) in which the Director General of Education seeks the presence of an Israeli majority
therein.
4) Financial Aid - The expansion in opening official schools does not necessitate refraining from assisting
private schools as long as the Ministry of Education has not opened sufficient official schools to meet the need; rather, it must increase
the amount of aid to private schools that perform the same service at a very low cost. The law for distributing
aid to private schools specified the bases that must be relied upon in granting subsidies, including the school's
grade, the number of its classes, the level of teaching in it, the number of its teachers, its teaching curriculum, and its success rate
in general examinations, and the amount of its expenditures and revenues. The matter of disposing of grants was not left to the whim
of the Ministry of Education based on illusory theories that cannot be justified. In this regard, it is noted that the budget
of the Ministry of Education 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 connection
between competence and the giving of grades, a matter which depends on the teacher's ethics and the degree of his appreciation for duty. The
non-application of the discipline law to the community's employees makes determining the punishment for negligent teachers
easier and perhaps more severe than if they were subject to the aforementioned law. As for the alleged anomaly in granting such
authority to private schools, it seems to us that it does not exceed the anomaly in granting official schools—whether
official or private—the right to add the results of private examinations to the results of general examinations.
6) The status of private schools in the Education Bill - We did not find in the answer any response to what was stated in our previous
studies, especially regarding the management of schools by the Community Council directly and the taking of financial aid
from abroad. We see no reason for differentiation regarding the appointment of foreign teachers, as we have previously stated that the appointment
of foreign teachers in the community's schools is done by the Community Council directly or with its consultation and approval.
We request a review of our previous notes and to give an opportunity for the Schools Committee to express its opinion on the texts of the bill.
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which pertain to the schools under its management.
7) Missions - This paragraph, in addition to the fact that it does not comply with the Scientific Missions Regulation No. 34 of 1934,
contains vague observations and dangerous theories that may not be limited to scientific missions, and we do not see
it as our duty to respond to them because we believe that considering this is the responsibility of the government itself, which recorded
the following paragraph in its curriculum: (Awakening the spirit of brotherhood among the people and eliminating harmful prejudices and actions
leading to the division of the nation's word with all the means and power the state possesses)
The subcommittee met on the evening of Monday, August 7, 1939, and examined the draft of the General Education Law article
by article and compared it with the General Education Law No. 28 of 1929. Below are the observations that it deemed
necessary to consider, given their significant relevance to the future of the private schools managed by the Jewish
community in Baghdad.
1) Private schools, according to Article 4, "are those established, managed, and derive their finances from
Iraqis and from the government."
So, what is the status of a school that derives its finances from Iraqis only, without the government providing it with financial
assistance?
There is no doubt that the drafter of the law did not intend to exclude these schools from the scope of the definition. Therefore, to remove this
ambiguity, we believe that the mentioned paragraph should be replaced with the following: "⟦Private schools⟧ are those established and managed or derive
their finances from Iraqis or from Iraqis and the government," or be amended as follows: "Private [schools]
are those established and managed or derive their finances from Iraqis or from the government."
2) The same article defined foreign schools by saying, "they are those established and managed or derive their finances
from foreigners."
Defining the intended meaning of the word (managed) mentioned in this paragraph is necessary to distinguish foreign schools
from private ones. Is the intended meaning of management the school principal personally? If he is a foreigner, is it considered that
the school is managed by foreigners? Or is the intended meaning the body that oversees the school's affairs? If it is Iraqi,
then the school is considered managed by Iraqis, regardless of whether the person employed to manage it
is a foreigner or not.
3) Article 7 states that "Education in primary schools is free."
Since the term ⟦private⟧ schools includes both government and private schools alike, the ruling of the article is
to prohibit the collection of school fees in private primary schools, which we believe the drafter of the regulation
did not intend. Because prohibiting the collection of school fees from private primary schools managed by the community,
for example, inevitably leads to depriving these schools of the most important source from which they draw their income, which leads immediately to
their cessation and closure. From reviewing Article 8 of the General Education Law of 1929, we find that the same expression
was in the following form: "Education in state primary schools is free for all students." Therefore,
it is of the utmost necessity to re-insert the word "state" or "government" after the expression "primary schools,"
which apparently was omitted by mistake, or to add a new article to the chapter on private and foreign schools that grants
these schools the right to collect school fees from their students.
4) Articles 13 and 15 restrict admission to intermediate, preparatory, and higher schools only to those who pass
the selection exam for entry into the mentioned schools, among those who hold a primary, intermediate, or secondary
government study certificate, or its equivalent from certificates recognized by the Ministry of Education following
study outside Iraq.
We could not understand the purpose of this exam. Is the intended selection exam for entry into
intermediate schools, for example, a repetition of the exam in primary school subjects, or is it another exam in
other subjects? And if so, what are they?
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We know that enrollment in intermediate schools does not require special qualifications in the student such as those required, for example,
for enrollment in specialized schools, and therefore the selection exam mentioned in this article is something that needs
clarification.
5) Article Twenty-One states the following: "Teaching in primary schools is dependent on
graduation from teachers' training institutes, and in case of urgent need, graduates of secondary schools and their equivalents may be appointed as employees.
Teaching in intermediate and preparatory schools is dependent on graduation from higher schools, etc."
This article requires that the teacher in the primary school be a graduate of teachers' training institutes
or secondary schools or their equivalent. When looking at the lists of teachers employed in the private Jewish schools,
we find that a significant portion of them do not hold the required certificates, but they have served the teaching profession
for a long time and have experiences that qualify them to continue performing their duties in the required manner.
If the requirement of this article is to prevent them from practicing teaching, then this leads to a problem that is not easy
to solve, because it is not fair on one hand to deprive these employees of their means of livelihood as long as they
have proven their competence, and on the other hand, it is not easy to find their replacements all at once. There is no doubt
that it is necessary for our schools to restrict new appointments only to such a condition.
There is also the issue of male and female teachers delegated by the Alliance Society in Paris to teach
in the Albert Sassoon and Laura Kadoorie schools in both their primary and intermediate sections. The certificates they
hold are equivalent to the teachers' training institute certificate, which entitles its holder here to teach in primary schools
only. It may be possible to equate them with it, and accordingly, their teaching in the two intermediate sections
would be impermissible after the law is issued.
6) Article 27 of the regulation imposes on private and foreign schools the use of teachers
appointed or authorized by the Ministry of Education to teach history, geography, national lessons, and the Arabic language.
The application of this article is impossible for the private schools managed by the community for financial
and disciplinary reasons.
It is known that the level of teachers' salaries in our schools is much lower than the level of salaries
paid by the Ministry of Education to its teachers. The budgets of our schools in their current present state cannot
bear the salaries determined by the Ministry of Education for these teachers in proportion to the salaries of their colleagues in government
schools. The cost per student in the private primary schools belonging to the community is less than
two dinars annually, and this amount is undoubtedly much less than the cost of a primary student in a government
school. Nevertheless, our schools have been and still are giving good results in the official public examinations.
Furthermore, it often happens that the payment of teachers' salaries in our schools is delayed and accumulates for three
months or more due to financial hardship, and yet we were able to select teachers despite these
difficult financial circumstances from those who perform their profession well and carry it out in the best way.
As for the disciplinary reasons, they are that these teachers, who feel they are government employees,
are naturally not inclined to adhere to the system of the school in which they teach, nor to implement the instructions of the director
of the private school (especially the communal one), which undoubtedly leads to obstacles that preoccupy the Education Department and the administration.
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those in charge of the school together.
The goal of this article is to ensure the proper teaching of these subjects in private
schools by teachers whom the Ministry trusts, and this aspect can be secured by the condition ⟦that⟧ it is mandatory to obtain
prior approval from the Ministry of Education for the appointment of the teacher entrusted with teaching one of the aforementioned
subjects.
7) Article 30 states the following: If one of the directors or teachers of private and foreign schools violates
the provisions of ⟦...⟧ Article 5 of this law, the Ministry of Education may request the school authority
to dismiss them immediately.
This article concerns the fate of private school employees, and according to it, they have become threatened with dismissal
from their jobs at any time without being given an opportunity to know the reasons and defend themselves.
The most important thing an employee requires is to remain in his job and have stability in it as long as he is qualified and
ready to work, unless he commits what necessitates depriving him of it. There is no doubt that dismissing a teacher without giving him the opportunity
to defend himself is something that instills doubt in the hearts of all private school employees and destroys their hopes
and freezes their activity in a way that affects the progress and level of the schools. Therefore, we find it necessary to amend the mentioned
article on the basis of allowing the accused to defend himself before a body in which the institution to which
he belongs is represented.
8) Article 31 has stated the following:
If any private or foreign school does something that violates Article 5 of this law, it shall be closed
for a period of one year for the first time, and upon repetition of the violation, its license shall be permanently revoked.
The penalty of temporary closure and revocation of the license is reasonable when imposed on private schools
run by individuals for the purpose of material gain, because closing the school leads to their material loss.
As for private schools, they differ from that because they do not aim for personal gain; therefore, closing them
is contrary to the public interest, which is undoubtedly the goal of the law. What, then, will be the fate of the school's students
during the period of its closure? Perhaps it is the students' fault to bear this punishment.
We cannot imagine the violation occurring from the institution itself for the prescribed penalty to be decided
upon it. If the violation is proven to have occurred, it must have arisen from the act of an individual belonging to the institution,
and then the punishment must be imposed on his person, not on the institution. This is what was secured by the aforementioned Article 30, which
punishes the offender by dismissal from the job. Assuming such a violation occurred in a government school, there is no
doubt that the authorities would not resort to closing the school, but would instead suffice with punishing the responsible employees according
to the disciplinary law. So why is the same principle not applied to private schools?
We also note that the article did not leave those in charge of the institution any room for defense and to clarify the truth of
the violation attributed to the institution, upon whose fate several hundred students and their teachers depend.
9) Article 35 states:
Private and foreign schools must be subject to the examination systems of the Ministry of Education and must close on
official days and holidays on which government schools close.
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The first paragraph relates to the submission of private schools to the examination system of the Ministry of Education. Is the intended meaning
<del>⟦illegible⟧</del> of the Ministry of Education examinations the general examinations for primary, intermediate,
and preparatory studies in which private school students participate? If that is the case, we have no objection
because the general examinations for primary, intermediate, and secondary studies included private schools before
that, pursuant to Article 29 of the Law of 1929, which states the following:
The general examinations for primary, intermediate, and secondary studies include all government
and private schools, and certificates granted by private schools are not recognized unless their students participate in
the aforementioned general examinations and pass them.
However, if the intention is to submit to the examination system held by government schools in all
grades, then that is also feasible except in some matters, such as examination times, for example, as the dates on which
examinations can be held in the community's schools follow the dates of official religious holidays, which differ from
the dates of holidays in government schools.
As for the second paragraph of the article, it stipulates that private schools must close on official days and holidays
on which government schools close. This means that private schools belonging to the Jewish community
must close on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays, on which it is not permissible to open schools according to religious law.
The interpretation of 'days' might be expanded to include the spring break and summer break during which
government schools and others close.
The private schools belonging to the community have been and still are closing on official holidays on which
government schools close, and we therefore welcome the provision for that in this article. However, closing these
schools on other days, such as Fridays, is completely impossible given that these schools are religiously obligated to
close on Saturdays. In this case, it is not possible to close two days a week because of the waste
of time required to complete the annual lessons. Likewise, it is not possible to adjust the times of the spring and summer breaks
⟦to⟧ the closing times of government schools because that is not compatible with the status of the Jewish holidays, which we are keen
to have occur during the summer break to avoid wasting lesson time as well. If schools were opened in early
October, for example, it often happens that the Sukkot holidays fall at the beginning of the month, and thus we would be forced to
close the school for ten days shortly after its opening, which causes a waste of time and lack of benefit for the students.
Also, our schools close during the Jewish Passover holidays for a period of 15 days, which is considered the spring break, but
if we followed the Ministry of Education holidays, we would have to close our schools in the spring for a period that might total
nearly 30 days, and this is not consistent with the annual lesson curriculum.
Accordingly, we see the necessity of deleting the word 'days' from this article so that its implementation is possible without
disrupting the operation of the schools.
His Excellency the Honorable Prime Minister
After greetings and respect
We have reviewed a copy of the draft General Education Law submitted to the esteemed Parliament
for ratification, and given its significant relevance to the private schools managed by the Jewish community in Baghdad,
we referred its study to a ⟦designated⟧ committee. Below are the important observations submitted by this
committee, requesting you to kindly pay attention to them and take the necessary measures to amend the points
that require it ⟦in⟧ the law.
1) Article 7 states that education in primary schools is free "
And since the expression <del>private</del> primary schools includes both government and private schools alike,
the ruling of the article is to prohibit the collection of school fees in private primary schools, which
we believe the drafter of the regulation did not intend, because prohibiting the collection of school fees from private schools,
the private primary schools managed by the community for example, inevitably leads to depriving these schools
of the most important source from which they derive their income, which leads immediately to their cessation and closure. From reviewing Article
8 of the General Education Law for the year 929, we find that the same expression was in the following form:
"Education in public primary schools is free for all students." ⟦Therefore⟧ it is of extreme
necessity to add the word "Governmental" after the expression primary schools, which appears to have been omitted
by mistake.
2) Article 21 states the following: Teaching in primary schools is contingent upon
graduation from teachers' training colleges, and in case of urgent need, graduates of secondary schools and their equivalents may be appointed
as employees. Teaching in intermediate and preparatory schools is contingent upon graduation from
higher schools, etc. ----
This article requires that the teacher in the primary school be a graduate of teachers'
training colleges or secondary schools or their equivalents. When looking at the lists of teachers employed in
the Jewish private schools, we find that a significant portion ⟦of them⟧ do not hold the required
certificates, but they have served the teaching profession for a long time and have experiences that qualify them to continue
performing their duties as required. If the requirement of this article is to prevent them from practicing
teaching, then that leads to a problem that is not easy to solve because the schools' finances are not in a position
that enables them to employ all teachers with the certificates required in the article due to the high
level of their salaries. The financial distress of the schools is not something hidden from the esteemed government; several
attempts have been made with its approval by the Lay Council to collect donations from the public through
subscriptions and lotteries to cover the chronic deficit in the finances of these institutions, and until now,
overdue salaries for three months or more are still accumulating for teachers. In such a difficult situation,
schools cannot be restricted to employing only certificate holders as long as they have teachers
possessing the necessary qualifications with salaries that are not high. Therefore, it is necessary for the survival of these
schools to amend this article by excluding private schools from its scope.
3) Article 27 of the regulations mandates that private and foreign schools must employ teachers
appointed or approved by the Ministry of Education to teach history, geography, national studies,
and the Arabic language.
The application of this article is impossible for the private schools run by the community for the same
financial reasons detailed above.
It is well known that the salary levels of teachers in our schools are much lower than the salary levels
paid by the Ministry of Education to its teachers. The budgets of our schools in their current financial state
cannot bear the <ins>salaries</ins> set by the Ministry of Education for these teachers in proportion to the salaries of their colleagues
in government schools. The cost per student in primary <del>intermediate</del> schools is much
lower than the cost per primary student in a government school, yet our schools were and
still are producing good results in official public examinations.
In order to make the application of this article possible, we request consideration of one of the following two proposals:
A - That private schools be exempted from paying the salaries of these teachers, and the Ministry of
Education pays them, considering it financial aid to these schools so that <ins>the mentioned school</ins> can
manage its financial affairs.
B - That private schools <ins>themselves</ins> undertake the appointment of these teachers, provided that prior approval is obtained
from the Ministry of Education. Thus, the Ministry would have secured <del>their shares</del> the oversight required by the enactment of this article.
4) Article 30 states the following: If one of the principals or teachers of private
and foreign schools violates the provisions of Article 5 of this law, the Ministry of Education may request the school
authority to dismiss them immediately.
This article concerns the fate of <del>teachers</del> private school employees, and under it, they have become
vulnerable to dismissal from their jobs without being given an opportunity to know the reasons and defend
themselves.
The most important thing an employee requires is to remain in their job and have stability in it as long as it is available and
they are ready to work, unless they commit something that necessitates deprivation of it. There is no doubt that dismissing a teacher without
giving them sufficient space to defend themselves casts doubt in the hearts of all private school employees,
destroying their hopes and thwarting their activity in a way that affects the course of teaching and its standard.
Violating Article 5 is strictly prohibited in all schools, whether government, private, or foreign
alike. Why should the violator in a private school be subject to expulsion without trial
or defense <del>while</del> their colleague in a government school possesses these rights, which are considered among the
primary rights that must be granted to the accused? And why are the accusation and punishment in private schools not subject
to the same procedures followed in the Discipline Law, which are applied to government school employees
to ensure justice for all?
We request the deletion of this article and its replacement with one of the following two proposals:
1 - A provision subjecting principals and teachers of private schools to the Civil Service Discipline Law.
2 - Or establishing a special system for the trial of private school employees before a special disciplinary committee.
The mentioned school
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the community which
the body represents and manages their schools.
5) Article 31 has stipulated the following: If any private or foreign school commits what ⟦follows⟧
violates Article 5 of this law, it shall be closed for one year for the first time, and upon repetition of the violation
its license shall be permanently revoked.
The penalty of ⟦prohibition⟧ temporary closure and revocation of the license is reasonable when imposed on private
schools run by individuals for the purpose of material profit, because closing the school leads to
their material loss. As for private schools, they differ from that because they do not aim for personal
benefit; therefore, their closure contradicts the public interest, which is undoubtedly the goal of the law.
<del>Why</del> ⟦By what⟧ then, one wonders, will be the fate of the school's students during the period of its closure, and what is the fault of ⟦the students⟧ to bear
this punishment?
Assuming such a violation occurred in a government school, there is no doubt that the authorities would not resort
to closing the school, but would instead suffice with punishing the responsible employees according to the Discipline Law.
So why is the same principle not applied to private schools?
We hope for the deletion of this article as long as the law will ensure, in the previous article, the trial of
violators and the imposition of deterrent penalties against them, whether they are government employees or private school employees.
6) Article 35 states: Private and foreign schools must be subject to the examination systems of
the Ministry of Education and must close on official days and holidays on which government schools close.
The first paragraph concerns the submission of private schools to the examination systems of the Ministry of Education, and
we have no objection to that.
As for the second paragraph of the article, it stipulates the necessity of closing private schools on official days
and holidays on which government schools close. This means that private schools
belonging to the Jewish community must close on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays, on which it is not permissible
to open schools according to religious law. The expression "days" might be expanded to include the spring
and summer breaks during which government schools close.
The private schools belonging to the community have been and still are closing on official holidays on which
government schools close, and therefore we welcome the provision for that in this article. However,
closing these schools on other days such as Fridays is completely impossible given that these
schools are religiously obligated to close on Saturdays, so it is not possible in this case to close two days a
week because that would be a waste of the time necessary to complete the annual lessons. Likewise, it is not possible
to adjust the times of the spring and summer breaks according to the closing times of government schools because
that does not align with the timing of the Jewish holidays, which we are keen to have fall during the summer break
to avoid wasting the time necessary for lessons as well. If schools were to open in early October,
for example, it often happens that the Sukkot holidays fall at the beginning of the month, and thus we would be forced to close
the school for ten days shortly after its opening, which causes a waste of time and lack of benefit to
the students. Also, our schools close during the days of the Jewish Passover for a period of 15 days, which is considered
as the spring break, but if we followed the ⟦laws⟧ of ⟦school⟧ breaks ⟦at the Ministry⟧ of Education, we would have to close
our schools in the spring for a period that may approach some 30 days, and this is not consistent with the curriculum of the lessons
annual. Accordingly, we see the necessity of deleting the word 'days' from this article so that its implementation is
possible without disrupting the course of the schools.
Summary
1 - Amending Article 7 by adding the word (Governmental) after (Primary Schools)
2 - Amending Article 21 by adding the word (Governmental) after (Primary Schools) and after
(Intermediate and Preparatory Schools)
3 - Amending Article 27 either -
A - On the basis of paying the salaries of teachers of history, geography, national lessons, and the language
Arabic to be appointed or seconded to private schools by the Ministry of Education
considering these salaries as part of the financial aid provided by the ministry to schools
private schools stipulated in Article 40
B - Or that the private schools themselves undertake the appointment of these teachers, provided that they obtain
prior approval from the Ministry of Education
3 - Amending Article 30 either -
A - By subjecting the directors and teachers of private schools to the Civil Service Discipline Law
B - Or forming a special discipline committee for them in which the private body to which they belong is represented
4 - Deleting Article 31 because its objectives are secured by the existence of the previous Article 30
5 - Deleting the word (Days) from Article 35
Your Excellency
It is necessary here to assure Your Excellency that we, along with the community councils, welcome this draft in terms of
and we hope that its application will achieve the desired national interest, but on the other hand we hope
that our viewpoint explained above be taken into consideration, so we hope Your Excellency will take the measures
necessary to make the amendments summarized above because the draft remaining as it is means the elimination
of our educational institutions that have performed and are still performing great services for the country
If it is impossible for the esteemed government to accept this viewpoint of ours, we assure Your Excellency
of our sincere desire to cooperate with the education authorities - that it will not be in our power
to run these schools for the reasons set out in this letter of ours - and in this case
we request that these schools be placed under the control and direct management of Education and made among
the group of <del>official</del> governmental schools because of the means the government has necessary for that. The breadth of the budget
of Education and its formations will undoubtedly not be narrowed by this simple number of schools equipped
with all they need in terms of buildings and furniture
With this, to Your Excellency further respect and honor;
The goal | Head of the Community
which it aims |
at |
Monday 2 / 10 / 1939
His Eminence the Head of the Community, Ezra Menachem Daniel, Ibrahim Hayyim Moallem Isaac, and Ibrahim
Nahum met His Excellency the Prime Minister, who in turn requested the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Education, and the discussion took place in their presence
regarding the injustice felt by the Israelite community as a result of the education policy towards them.
And these are the results obtained:-
1 - The Minister confirmed that he had no knowledge of the expulsion of the fifty Israelite students from the Intermediate School
in Adhamiya on the pretext of transferring it to the College of Religious Sciences and the impermissibility of Israelites attending it,
and that he would look into the matter of keeping the mentioned students in the mentioned college or transferring them to
other schools suitable for them. He confirms that none of them will remain outside of school, and he also wishes
to be provided with the names of the students whose admission to the completion exam was refused on the pretext that they graduated from
the Adhamiya school and were not assigned to another school, in order to make the necessary corrections regarding them. He also
confirmed that limiting the number of students to forty only included the primary
classes for students who are newly admitted at the beginning of the school year and does not include the remaining
classes whose student numbers exceed forty and who are currently in the classes,
and that all schools will provide all possible facilities for the admission of Israelite students and that
he wishes to be informed if unreasonable difficulties are found in this regard.
2 - The Minister stated that the conversion of the two primary schools (Ras al-Qarya and ⟦Al-Samawal⟧) from primary
to elementary (and not to kindergarten as we said) is based on a general plan adopted by the Ministry in view of
the unsuitability of most rented houses for schools to what modern schools require in terms of
their suitability for public health requirements such as space, ventilation, and so on. And that in the capital
alone, they converted 36 elementary schools and transferred fifth and sixth grade students to other
schools more suitable than the rented houses.
As for our observations regarding the deprivation of neighborhoods inhabited by Israelites of the facilities that
result from the presence of official schools in their midst, as is the case in other neighborhoods, they were not taken
into account. When we pointed out that the Al-Tahira Primary School was not subject to this
rule, the Minister replied that he had no knowledge of that and would investigate it.
3 - We were unable to obtain the opening of an evening fourth secondary class, and when we pointed out what the administration of
Al-Tafayudh School announced regarding the opening of an evening fourth secondary class, the Minister stated that this was a mistake and the opening
of the mentioned class was not permitted.
4 - The Futuwwa and Scouts system has not been applied ⟦until⟧ now in any of the private schools, and when
it is applied, it will be applied to all of them equally.
5 - The Education Law will take into account the observations submitted about it when discussing it in
the Council Committee, and that one of the most important observations made by the respected Deputy Ibrahim Hayyim regarding the necessity
of maintaining the right to collect fees from students in private schools, its importance may be recognized, and he will propose
amending the specific article in the Council Committee for the desired purpose.
- 3 -
After this, a discussion took place regarding Article 206 of the Civil Code relating to compensation, and since the mentioned article
did not differentiate between the desire of the contracting parties and legal coercion, we found that this amount of 500 Dinars
is among the expenses that cannot be recovered.
The Schools Issue
1 - (The issue of official primary schools) It was decided to contact the Ministry of Education regarding this matter.
2 - School (The issue of private schools) (Frank Iny) School. It was decided to contact the Ministry of Education regarding this matter.
(Near the dam or behind the Schools Hospital)
3 - Article 26 of the Education Law
The Council's approval is obtained for the appointment of teachers and directors, and the discussion of the mentioned article - A
In ratifying the desire of those appointed by the school administration, and it is possible for the Council to object to
this appointment because she is the employee, and since the instructions issued by the Ministry of Education in this regard
3 - Article 26 of the Education Law
Regarding teachers and foreign language teachers, teachers and directors must be appointed from foreigners
in schools located in a specific area.
4 - Article 56 of the Education Law
The Council should clarify that this article relates to official and private schools - A
To state the Council's viewpoint on the mentioned article, and accordingly, it was decided to contact the Ministry of Education.
The decision of Article 56 of the Education Law states that Article 16 of the mentioned law - 3
56 of the Law (and Article 16) relates to - 5
The Council's approval of
Based on this, the issue of Jewish schools was discussed, and since there was no objection from the article, we found that
this article does not prevent the establishment of private schools, but rather its purpose is to preserve Arab nationalism in Iraq.
Since Jewish schools are Iraqi national schools, they cannot be considered foreign schools, and
the curricula taught in them are the same curricula prescribed in official schools, and the mentioned schools
are nothing more than Iraqi national schools in which the Arabic language and the Mosaic religion are taught, and accordingly
it was decided to contact the Ministry of Education to clarify the mentioned Council's viewpoint in this regard, and that the article
mentioned does not prevent the establishment of private schools for Iraqi citizens, and that the mentioned article does not apply to
the mentioned schools - The Council sees the necessity of contacting the Ministry of Education in this regard, and that this issue
is among the topics that must be discussed in the next Council, and to discuss the subject of private schools in general.
⟦It was decided that⟧ - ⟦contacting the Ministry of Education regarding this matter⟧ ⟦the mentioned schools⟧
The Council sees that Jewish schools are Iraqi national schools that do not differ from the rest of the schools in Iraq.
Therefore, it was decided that research be conducted in this regard.
And God is the granter of success, to Him is the destination, and He is the one whose help is sought.
On behalf of the Council
15/ 9 / 48
12
⟦line⟧ 2 ⟦line⟧
These discussions lasted about an hour and a half, and what His Excellency the Prime Minister and the Minister of
Education showed of sympathy and fairness in not discriminating between elements warrants all thanks.
6 - We pointed out to His Excellency the Prime Minister regarding the head of the community's appeal to the Minister of Defense about the failure of
thirteen students out of a total of fourteen Israeli students who completed the officers' course.
Ibrahim Nahum also reminded His Excellency the Prime Minister, rightfully, that he was the first to urge the encouragement of
our Mosaic students to enter the officers' school, so His Excellency showed us his increased interest in
the matter and his distress over its occurrence, and that he, along with the Minister of Defense, is interested in conducting the necessary investigations
and removing the injustice from those who were wronged.
10/3/939
A list of items that the Secretary of the Lay Council was tasked with investigating based on
the necessity that appeared for them after receiving answers from His Excellency the Minister of Education
in the meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on the 3rd of it, for the purpose of consulting His Excellency
the Minister of Education if the investigation reveals what necessitates a review.
1 - A list of the names of the children whose makeup exams were rejected in Adhamiya.
2 - " " students who were given transfer certificates and dismissed from their schools due to an increase
in the designated number of students in the classes.
3 - Investigation into the refusal of one of the intermediate school principals to accept Jewish female students definitively.
4 - A list of students who were dismissed with or without a transfer certificate from the Ras al-Qarya and al-Samawal schools
and who have not been accepted into other schools until now.
5 - Investigate whether the advertisement published by the Al-Tafayudh School regarding the opening of a fourth secondary class
evening session was correct and who is responsible for this class.
6 - Investigate if the Futuwwa system was applied in any private school.
His Eminence the Head of the Community met His Excellency the Minister of Education on the morning of Thursday, October 5, 1939
And after the discussion, he handed him the following notes:-
1) That the Al-Tafayudh Private School has started evening classes in four classes, three of which are intermediate
2) That the students of Al-Tafayudh Private School were included last year in the Futuwwa system and
they were trained by instructors from the official schools
3) Difficulties still exist for students who wish to enroll in official schools
intermediate and secondary
4) After transferring the students of the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from Ras al-Qarya school to
Al-Rusafa school, a number of students from the third primary grade of Ras al-Qarya school were dismissed on the grounds that
their ages are not suitable
His Excellency replied as follows:-
1) That he was not aware of the existence of evening classes in Al-Tafayudh school and promised to study the issue
during the following days and issue orders either to withdraw the license from the mentioned school or to grant
the required license to the school of ⟦illegible⟧
2) He also promised to study the issue of applying the Futuwwa system to private schools and issuing orders either
to apply this system to all private schools or not to apply it to all
3) His Excellency also promised to facilitate the admission of Jewish students into schools
intermediate and secondary
4) He requested His Eminence to contact the Director of Education for the Baghdad region to reach an understanding regarding the schools of Ras al-
Qarya and Al-Samawal
and a fourth secondary class
His Eminence the Head of the Community, Mr. Mutar Ayta, and the secretaries of the community administration met with the Director of Education for the
Baghdad region on Sunday morning, October 8, and the following points were discussed: ⟦line⟧
1 - Regarding the Israeli students dismissed from Al-Adhamiya Intermediate School
2 - Ras al-Qarya and Al-Samawal schools
3 - The issue of admitting students to intermediate schools
The following is a summary of the answers: ⟦line⟧
1) All Israeli students at Al-Adhamiya Intermediate School have been accepted into various
official intermediate schools in Baghdad.
2) The Ministry of Education has transferred the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from Ras al-Qarya School to
Al-Rusafa School, and transferred the first, second, and third grades from Al-Rusafa School to Ras al-Qarya
School. A similar exchange took place between Al-Samawal and Al-Rashid schools, so these schools became
as follows:
Ras al-Qarya Primary School (formerly Al-Rusafa)
Ras al-Qarya Children's School (formerly Ras al-Qarya)
Al-Rashid Primary School (formerly Al-Rashid)
Al-Rashid Children's School (formerly Al-Samawal)
The purpose of this was as follows:
1) The Education Ministry's plan is to abolish official sectarian schools and mix students of different
religions with one another to achieve harmony among them, because their isolation from each other is not in the
public interest.
2) Due to the lack of male teachers on one hand, and the proven success of female teachers in teaching children on the
other hand, Education has followed a plan to divide primary schools into mixed children's schools
for boys and girls taught by female teachers, and primary schools for boys only containing
the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades taught by male teachers. When Mr. Mutar Ayta answered him
that the purpose of opening these two schools at the time was to (1) attract
the largest possible portion of Israeli students to study in government schools, (2) to ensure
their religious instruction, (3) to observe the Sabbath and religious holidays for Israelis,
he replied to the first point that this is still secured and that these schools and others will accept
any Israeli students who apply. As for religious lessons, if there is a desire within the
community, he is ready to discuss with the Minister regarding arrangements to provide religious lessons for students
of the four schools from the Israelis, by a religion teacher appointed by the community for that purpose.
As for holidays, the students of the mentioned schools will have holidays on the official holidays
for Israelis.
When His Eminence the Head of the Community drew his attention to the fact that the Ministry of Education did not apply this plan to
Al-Tahira School, he replied that the building of this school is part of the church and its case is still under ⟦study⟧
( 2 )
As for the rents of the Ras al-Qarya and Al-Samawal schools, which the community used to pay, it was agreed that there
is no longer a need to continue paying them. He also promised to study the issue of the furniture of Al-Samawal school belonging
to the community and emphasized that the regional director will ensure that no student from these two schools remains without a school.
3 ) As for the admission of students to intermediate schools, he apologized due to the overcrowding and scarcity of schools relative
to the graduates, as nearly four thousand male and female students of various religions still remain
without schools.
»Leitz« No. 18 = 8 cm
No. 17 = 7 cm
No. 87 = 7 & 8 cm
»Leitz« No. 180 = 8 cm
No. 170 = 7 cm
»Leitz« No. 108 = 8 cm
No. 107 = 7 cm
No. 187 = 7 & 8 cm
»Leitz« Prima-Standard 2
»Leitz« Prima-Standard 1
»Schukir« No. 601 — 604
»Schukir« No. 605 — 608
»Leitz« No. 1005
»Ivo« No. 7420 = 32×23 cm
No. 7220 = 37×23 cm
»Leitz« No. 922 & 924
Biblorhapte »Leitz«
2184
22 Rabi' al-Awwal 1352
14 July 1933
(C)
Secret
⟦line⟧
His Excellency the Respected Minister of Interior
After greetings and respect
I have the immense honor to record in this letter of mine my profound personal thanks and the thanks of the
Iraqi Jewish community for the kindness and attention that I and some of the community's notables, including members of Parliament
and its notables, received during the representations made by us recently regarding
the harmful propaganda directed against the Jews of Iraq in some quarters.
I am not exaggerating if I say that this paternal kindness on the part of the responsible
government officials had the deepest impact on the souls of the men of the Jewish community, whose
greatest wish is to see the peace, harmony, and love that have prevailed in this glorious
country since the most ancient times continue to prevail for the noble Iraqi people
of all religions, leading to the desired ideals of progress and success.
It may be appropriate, while we are all searching for the most upright ways for the renaissance of the
dear homeland, a true and eternal renaissance, to briefly discuss some matters that may result from neglecting
their study in the occurrence of what is not for the good of the country. If Your Excellency includes me in your
renowned kindness, I venture to present the following summary which may facilitate Your Excellency's understanding of the present
situation around which the representations between the representatives of the Jewish community and the
illustrious government revolved:
In the past, local newspapers and newspapers of neighboring countries used to discuss the
Palestinian cause and express the views dictated by duty, and of course they used to
attack the Zionist movement and the Zionists, and this is a matter that obviously should not have any
effect on the Jews of Iraq who take pride in being Arab Iraqis and Arab Iraqis only.
However, recently, and due to influences that perhaps remain unknown, it was noticed that various attempts were made
in some quarters to attack the Jews of Iraq based on flimsy allegations and to create a murky atmosphere that helps
to divide the sons of the emerging Iraq, which has an ambitious past and a future full of great
hopes. Observers of the course of events believe that the active elements in creating
this undesirable circumstance are some local and foreign newspapers and some schools
⟦faint red circular stamp⟧
official, and I believe, and no doubt Your Excellency shares this belief with me, that the
required firm measures are limited to the following:
First: Preventing any local newspaper from publishing anything that contains an attack on the Jews of Iraq or anything from which
the scent of discrimination between the Iraqi Israelite community and the other sons of the country can be smelled,
and taking legal measures against anyone who attempts to disturb the sacred unity.
Second: Strict monitoring of the behavior of some official teachers who attempt to create
the ominous theory: "This is a Jew. This is a Muslim. This is a Christian," and striking down
such dangerous attempts that generate feelings of hatred and animosity among the dear youth ⟦if any of it exists⟧.
Third: Alerting the competent departments responsible for internal security to exert their utmost
efforts in preventing any attempt intended to assault Iraqi unity through
religious and sectarian division.
These are brief observations that two factors drive me to submit to Your Excellency: the first is the
praiseworthy encouragement that the Iraqi Israelite community receives from Your Excellency and Their Excellencies
and Highnesses, the statesmen, regarding the care for its interests as an important member of the body of
the Iraqi people and an inseparable part of the entity of the most sacred Kingdom, whose tranquility and safety
depend to a large extent on the tranquility and safety of the homeland; and the second is the position which the
sons of my community entrusted me to hold and which my Great Master the King honored me by ratifying, which is the presidency of the Israelite community
in Baghdad.
The Israelite community's confidence in the current government is far-reaching, and it is a confidence derived from the sincerity
of the men working for the great national cause, from the inspiration of the Great Lord of the country sitting on
the throne of Mesopotamia, and from the shared heartfelt feeling in everything that concerns this dear country and what it
requires of Herculean efforts for the sake of a life full of dignity, of which Iraqis are proud that its sentiments and results
are a good example for other peoples and a living proverb.
In the hope that you will meet this letter of mine with your well-known kindness, I ask God to grant us all success
under the shadow of our Master, His Majesty the Great King, in serving the dear homeland.
And I hope to remain sincerely in Your Excellency's good graces;
⟦signature: Sassoon Khidhouri⟧
President of the Israelite Community
in Baghdad
⟦(4)⟧
2295
12 Jumada al-Awwal 1352 and 1 September 1933
His Excellency the Respected Minister of Interior
After performing the duty of greeting and respect
I find myself once again driven to seek your Excellency's kind excuse to take from your precious time a few
minutes in which I present to your brilliant insight a fundamental issue that is an integral part of the great national cause
I mean by that the issue of national unity among the various Iraqi sects in general and the members of the Israelite community
and the rest of their Iraqi brothers in particular.
It is a matter of my honor and pride as the head of the Iraqi Israelite community, as it is a matter of
the honor and pride of every individual of this community, that the most sacred feeling permeating the soul of
the Iraqi Israelite is a pure national feeling, and that the belief of the Israelites in their patriotism is a firm belief
and their faith in it is a strong faith, such that the arrows of the biased and the ⟦...⟧ recoil before this belief and this faith.
And with such feelings, the Israelite community has lived for centuries in safety in Mesopotamia
and will continue, by the power of the Almighty, secure, reassured, and with a comfortable conscience. With this strong self-confidence, it used to confront
what some individuals with personal agendas began to direct towards it, whose eyes are pained by the manifestations of harmony and unity
among the solid ranks of Iraqis. Therefore, the Israelite community used to pass nobly by the disturbances
of some published in the newspapers from time to time. It never thought of demanding any effective measure
to strike at the hands of the meddlers, considering that these hands are too short to be able to touch the relations
of the Israelite community with the sacred Iraqi unity with any harm.
But the signs of the situation, Mr. Minister, indicate that the issue of touching the dignity of the community
has taken a new direction that we fear we are correct if we say it is an offense that does not threaten the dignity
of the Israelite community only, but has started to threaten the Iraqi national dignity at a time when we are the people of the
earth most in need of being keen on appearing in a crystallized state of unity and taking pride in this unity in heart and soul.
We are not speaking haphazardly, for some correspondents, under the influence of detestable purposes, have started
providing foreign newspapers with pretexts, lies, and fabrications about the Jews of Iraq. They disparage their patriotism,
belittle the matter of their attachment to the country, and describe them with attributes that are at opposite ends of the bright truth.
So what a wrong idea is generated among non-Iraqis abroad when they read such falsehoods,
and what a distorted image is represented to them of Iraqi unity if they take the fabrications it contains at face value.
without examination or scrutiny. Experiments have shown that false propaganda abroad against a country has its bad effect
Therefore, the matter has gone beyond the scope of being an attack on one of Iraq's sects; rather, it has become an attack on
the most sacred sanctities of the homeland, an attack on Iraqi unity and its highest ideals.
What prompted us to write this letter, along with its introduction which we did not wish to recount, is what (Musa bin Nasir) has been publishing of
slander, accusations, and falsehoods in foreign newspapers, appending them with his explicit signature and his official job title in the offices
of the Iraqi government, as he places under his signature the phrase "Inspector in the Central Post Directorate in Baghdad" and the latest
of what he published in this regard was his writing in issue 144 - 2409 of the Jaffa newspaper Filastin, issued
on August 17, 1933, a copy of which we attach to this letter of ours.
We are confident that Your Excellency denounces with us this hateful aggression on the part of this person who,
due to personal grudges he has with some spiritual men, began to brand the Israelite community with national treason
and denounces its participation in the Iraqi aviation project and the call of the community's leadership to Israelites to encourage those undertaking
this project, claiming that these actions are a bribe from the Israelites to the Iraqi government, among other
attacks and fabrications that, at the very least, generate feelings of hatred and animosity among the Iraqi
sects and strike at Iraqi unity, if not internally, then in the eyes of foreigners, to the core.
These publications necessitate strict penalties according to the country's penal laws. And
what makes us full of confidence, as Iraq is at the beginning of its independent life under the shadow of the Master of the Country, the Great King,
and the vigilance of our esteemed government, which is jealous for the interests of the country and the desired unity of the country's sons. We say that we are in full
confidence that Your Excellency will look upon this matter with the attention it deserves, and put an end to these
heinous attacks by instructing the Public Prosecutor to bring the author of these publications
to the Criminal Court according to the amended Article 89 of the Baghdad Penal Code for his efforts in his publications to
stir up feelings of hatred and animosity against a community that has its status among the sects of Iraq, and according to Article 253 for slandering
the community with national treason and bribing the government. There is no doubt that Your Excellency, by taking this legal measure,
will have stood in the face of the biased individuals whose souls tell them to spread division among the sons of one homeland
to satisfy lowly goals whose nature is known to those with sound opinions. Such a wise measure from Your Excellency is not
strange.
With my prayer that the Lord preserves you as a treasure for the people and the homeland.
I hope to remain sincerely ⟦line⟧
⟦signature⟧
Head of the Israelite Community
D D M H
7721 Rihloua A A 7561 Ri L 12 R Alama 71
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MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR,
‘IRAQ.
Ministry of the Interior
(6)
No. M. I: 10192
Date: 12 July 1932
12
To the Honorable Chief Rabbi in Baghdad
After greetings. We have been informed that a man arrived in Baghdad three months ago
who is a representative of the Zionist Association and rented a house a month and a half ago near the
Alliance school. He turned it into a club frequented by people and formed an association under the title (The
World Foundation Association) and arranged books, ledgers, and laws for it, and established several committees
for the purpose of collecting money for the Zionists and linking members of the Mosaic nation to that
association. Therefore, it was necessary that we inquire of you immediately to inform us of the truth about this
man and his activities, what your opinion is of him, and what you have done in this regard. With
respect.
Minister of the Interior
⟦signature⟧
S. M