Correspondence, Receipts, Budget Information from the Baghdadi Jewish Community
View interactive document pageThese are documents from the Baghdadi Jewish Community. They contain correspondence regarding marriages, divorces, civil disputes; the birthday celebrations of the Iraqi king, responses to inquires about the treatment of Iraqi Jews under Iraq’s citizenship laws, the history of Jews in Iraq, and the provision of Jewish artifacts to the Iraqi Museum. There are receipts for furniture stores and other vendors, invoices; budget allocations, deficits, and planning for various community organizations and institutions; ritual slaughtering administration, names of butchers with the numbers of animals slaughtered, names of community organization members, ledgers of payments for goods or fees, building plans, provisions for school children, concerns over hospital food distribution, blanket distribution to the poor, receptions, meetings, shipment orders, import and export of goods, the care of orphans, and a census on the number of synagogues in Baghdad in 1945 (40). There are copies of a printed text titled “Appeal to Save the Children.” Letters include: the President of the Jewish Community to the Controller of Foodstuffs in Baghdad thanking the Controller for the allotment of sugar and tea for the students at the Rahel Shamoon School; addressing complaints at the Meir Elias Hospital in Baghdad; purchasing blankets for the poor via the Poor Welfare Society; sending money rather than clothes from an importer in New York City to the poor in Baghdad since clothing costs have gone up.
September 13, 944 His Excellency, the Director of Central Telephones, Respected After greetings and respect, We are in urgent need of installing the telephone of the Presidency of the Sect, number 3531, on four (jacks) with one plug, and the Secretary's telephone 5452 on (two jacks) and one plug. We request you to instruct their installation to facilitate our work, and to Your Excellency further respect. ⟦illegible signature⟧ Head of the Sect, H.
792 . 12 September 944 His Excellency the Deputy Mayor of the Capital, the Respected After greetings and respect We request your permission to hold an evening party (Ball) at the Laura Khedouri Club on the evening of Thursday, 5 October 944, where 75% of its proceeds will be allocated to orphans and 25% to the Nursing Aid Association, provided that the price of a single ticket is one dinar per person and the number of tickets is five hundred with the request to kindly exempt this charitable party from the stamp duty And please accept our respect. Sassoon Head of the Community
September 6, 944 Land Registry Directorate of Baghdad Province We request that you provide us with a copy of the title deed for sequence 326 and property number 26/326 located in the Al-Koulat neighborhood belonging to the Jewish Cemetery. Sincerely, ⟦illegible⟧ On behalf of the Head of the Community
7920 15 September 944 Ministry of Supply General Directorate of Imported Funds Textiles Division - Baghdad Greetings In your letter numbered 6985 dated 25 / 6 / 944, you stipulated that the distribution of donated second-hand clothes for the poor be carried out under the supervision of your directorate. As the specialized committee is about to undertake the distribution, we would like (after you have lifted the restrictions that were placed on the ⟦sale⟧ distribution of second-hand clothes) for you to inform us whether you will be sending someone to supervise the distribution. If so, please appoint your representative and inform us. Sincerely, ⟦illegible⟧ On behalf of the Head of the Community
Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number { 3531 President
5452 Secretary
No.: 7919
Subject: ⟦line⟧
Date: 12 September 1944
To the honorable members of the Iraqi Jewish Community in Tehran
Respected sirs,
After greetings and respect,
The Presidency of the Community will hold on October 4th a large charity bazaar for the benefit of
the orphans of the 1941 events. Gifts and goods donated by
generous people will be sold in this bazaar, and donations will be collected from benefactors who
sympathize with these poor souls who have been deprived by fate of any helper except
(The Orphan Care Committee) established by the Community Presidency to manage their livelihood
and upbringing. Given what we know of your noble character regarding zeal for your community
and mercy for charitable projects, we have seen fit on this occasion to request the assistance
of all of you. We have assigned on our behalf the zealous young man, Mr. Niazi Shamoun, to receive
your gifts and donations. May God bless you and keep you as a treasure and a support.
Please accept our respect.
Sincerely,
⟦illegible⟧
President of the Community
A copy to each of the honorable gentlemen:
Khedhouri Youssef Shamoun
Gurji Masri
October 1, 1944 The honorable and virtuous Professor Mr. Nazim al-Chalabi, respected The honorable and virtuous Professor Mr. Abdul Razzaq Dabbagh, respected After greetings and respect. A charitable market will be held on the fourth day of this month at the Al-Rashid Club for the benefit of orphans, which will continue from morning until nine o'clock in the evening. A group of virtuous doctors have donated by organizing a health room in the market for the benefit of the public. In view of what you are known for in terms of chivalry and magnanimity, those organizing this room have requested that I ask you to kindly present some chemical curiosities in this section of the market for those among the attendees who wish to see them at any time of that day that is most suitable for you. If I thank you in advance and wish you success. Sincerely, ⟦illegible⟧ The Secretary
25 September 944 Land Registry Directorate of Baghdad Province Please provide us with two copies of the maps for the cemetery with sequence 275 located in Al-Koulat neighborhood and sequence 321 in Bani Said neighborhood. With respect; ⟦illegible⟧ Head of the Community
The Architect Youssef Mir Baghdad September 15, 944 His Excellency the President of the Jewish Community respected Baghdad Farha Somikh Synagogue Upon inspecting the aforementioned Torahs, I found that the papers pasted on the arches have not torn yet, which indicates the cessation of the earth movement. Therefore, I see no objection to occupying the Torahs throughout the upcoming holidays only, provided that their use by worshipers is strictly prohibited after they end until the necessary repairs are completed to maintain the building. In both cases, the main halls in the front facade or the roofs may not be used. Please accept the utmost respect Architect Youssef Mir
⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ 5705 A letter from the Beth Din Zedek here in Baghdad may G-d protect it to Rabbi ⟦illegible⟧ Nissim ⟦illegible⟧ Since the claimant ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ claimed that the claimant ⟦illegible⟧ daughter of ⟦illegible⟧ is his wife according to the law of Moses and Israel, and after inquiry and investigation and also the testimony of witnesses, it was clarified to us that the aforementioned woman is the wife of the aforementioned claimant according to the law of Moses and Israel and she has no impediment except that she is the wife of the aforementioned claimant ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ Yosef Hayyim Ezra Sasson Yitzhak ⟦illegible⟧ Sasson ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ David Hay Sasson Yitzhak Kaduri ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧
September 21, 944 His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah, Leader of the Muslims, Sayyid Abu al-Hasan al-Isfahani, may his shadow endure. After offering signs of reverence and respect to your eminence and inquiring about your precious health, which we pray to the Creator, Glory be to Him, to be at its very best. We hope Your Eminence will be so kind as to accept our sincere heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the blessed and happy Eid al-Fitr. May God return it to you and to your flock of our fellow Muslims with abundant goodness, and may peace flutter its wings over the world. Amen. I am, Your Eminence Ayatollah <del>the scholar, the learned</del>, in the greatest longing to be blessed by your radiant presence, may the Creator grant me success in beholding it in the near future. Please accept my sincerest wishes. From the loyal Head of the community ⟦red scribble⟧
September 21, 944 His Eminence Ayatollah al-Uzma, Leader of the Muslims, Sayyid Abu al-Hasan al-Isfahani, may his shadow endure, After offering signs of reverence and respect to your Eminence and inquiring about your health, which we pray to the Creator, Exalted be His Majesty, to be as perfect as desired. We hope your Eminence will be so kind as to accept our sincere heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the blessed and happy Eid al-Fitr. May God return it to you and to your subjects among our Muslim brothers with abundant goodness and peace fluttering its wings over the world, Amen. I am, Your Eminence Ayatollah, in the greatest longing to seek blessings from your radiant presence, perhaps the Creator will grant me success in beholding it in the very near future; And please accept my sincerest wishes. From the sincere ⟦Sassoon⟧ Head of the Community
Anti-Tuberculosis Association in Iraq General Center Baghdad Number ⟦2/5/2⟧ Date ⟦14 / 8 / 1944⟧ ⟦For filing⟧ To His Eminence the respected Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri President of the Jewish Community in Baghdad After greetings. We were very touched to receive your Eminence's letter dated 8 / 8 / 1944 and we are pleased to inform you of our receipt of the amount of 25.000 Dinars which you donated to contribute to achieving the goals of the Anti-Tuberculosis Association in Iraq. We cannot but express our sincere thanks and gratitude to you for this noble gesture. The Anti-Tuberculosis Association has so far received the support of righteous people among the sons of the nation like yourselves, who duly appreciate charitable and humanitarian projects. Given what we know of your strong inclination to support and encourage such charitable projects, we appeal to your generosity and request your assistance in collecting donations from the wealthy among your acquaintances and the members of your community in support of the Association, which aims to serve all the children of this homeland. We have ⟦complete⟧ confidence that your efforts in this regard will be highly fruitful. Please, your Eminence, accept our utmost respect. ⟦illegible⟧ President of the Administrative Board of the Anti-Tuberculosis Association in Iraq.
Presidency of the Jewish Community in Baghdad Telephone Number: 531 Number :: 7822 Date :: July 20, 1944 Subject :: Honorable Gentlemen Israel Nassim Hai Heskel Ezra Shoa Rabbi Dawoud Shaul Salman Shina, Lawyer Shalom Darwish After greetings, I am pleased to inform you that Messrs. Mckemmel Brothers (New York) have donated fifty bales of used woolen clothing to clothe our poor in the capital. These bales have arrived from America to Baghdad, and the papers have been handed over to a clearance agent to remove them from customs and deposit them in the ground basement of the Iranian Hotel building. The procedures completed so far regarding this shipment are as follows:- 1) The Railway Directorate agreed, in its letter No. F/632/429 dated May 21, 944, to exempt 50% of the freight fees for transporting the shipment by train from Basra to Baghdad. 2) Royal Decree No. 305 was issued on July 5, 944, exempting it from 37/500 Dinars of customs import duty. 3) The Directorate General of Imported Goods agreed, in letter No. 8615 dated 17/7/1944, to transport these clothes and store them in the ground basement of the Iranian Hotel, provided that the distribution takes place under its supervision. In view of your known compassion for the poor and your assistance in charitable works, I have decided to entrust you with the task of forming the committee that will undertake everything necessary to distribute these clothes to the deserving poor men and women. I thank you in advance and wish you continued success; ⟦handwritten signature: Ezra Zion⟧ President of the Community
7 914 8 September 944 His Excellency the Respectable Undersecretary of the Mayor of the Capital After greetings and respect We have previously submitted to your Excellency a request on a special form to grant us a permit to purchase iron bars to connect the pillars to the walls in the Farha Meir Somikh Torah (newly constructed) located in the Torah neighborhood. Accordingly, I attach a copy of the report organized by the engineers Yusuf Meyer and Max Rosenfeld dated July 14, 944, in which they confirm the existence of danger and indicated the closing of the Torah, and it has indeed been closed. The aforementioned Torah is one of the most important synagogues for Jews in Baghdad given its historical antiquity, so we would like to confirm conclusively the reality of the situation and I ask you to instruct to study the case to decide one of two things. 1 - Either confirm to us officially that the danger described in the aforementioned report does not exist and that there is no risk in reopening the Torah to worshipers. 2 - Or to support what was stated in the engineers' report, and in this case, we ask you to instruct the granting of the permit to purchase the required iron bars. I entreat your Excellency to order this case to be considered urgent so that we can open the Torah for prayer during the upcoming holidays. Please, your Excellency, accept my respects; ⟦signature⟧ On behalf of the Head of the Community
The Architect Youssef Mir Telephone number 2491 extension 34/12 A Al-Mustansir Street Baghdad July 19, 1944 His Eminence the Head of the Honorable Israelite Community Baghdad Greetings and respect, Farha Somikh Torah With reference to your letter dated July 18, 1944 There is no objection to the worshippers occupying the Tebah and the women's designated section until the necessary procedures for the maintenance of the halls are completed. Please accept our respects, The Engineer ⟦signature⟧ for the structure in case it is decided that you obtain new for the connection, please inform the Torah in general until all maintenance is completed to ensure the safety of the building The Engineer ⟦signature⟧ 7/20/1944
⟦illegible⟧ Torat Farha Somekh Baghdad, July 18, 1944 To the esteemed Mr. Yusuf Meir, the respected Architect To the esteemed Mr. Max Rosenfeld, the respected Architect After greetings and respect - I thank you for your report dated July 14th current, regarding the Torat Farha Somekh building. I have conveyed its contents to the donor who requested me to inquire from you whether there is any risk in worshipers entering the Torah [synagogue] and passing from the door to the (Tevah) to pray inside the (Tevah) only, until the necessary measures are taken to preserve the current state of the building. So I ask you to kindly respond to this clarification, noting that upon receiving your report, I gave instructions to close the Torah [synagogue] for the time being. Please accept the highest expressions of respect. On behalf of The President of the Community ⟦illegible faded text and bleed-through⟧
July 10, 944 The Honorable Engineer Mr. Yusuf Meyer, respected The Honorable Engineer Mr. Max Rosenfeld, respected After greetings and respect The Torah Faraj Somekh which was recently built on the site of the Great Torah opposite the Laura Kadoorie School has had stones fall from its vault, which it is feared may be the result of a defect in the foundation that could cause a danger to lives, especially since the aforementioned Torah is used as a place for important religious sermons and there may gather in it at one time thousands of people, a matter which necessitates verifying the truth of the situation and ensuring the status. My request is that you please inspect the aforementioned Torah and inform me in writing if possible whether there is any danger and what measures are necessary to avert the danger. I thank you in advance. Note: I also request that you inform me of the amount of fees and expenses so that we may pay them to you. Sincerely, ⟦illegible⟧ Head of the Community ⟦illegible text visible in background/bleed-through from reverse side⟧ Jewish Charitable Hospitals in Baghdad Total income for all hospitals | Total expenditures including furniture for all hospitals | Total value of constructions and surgical instruments donated by generous benefactors | Notes Dinar | Dinar | Dinar | 4943 | 5232 | 2645 | From April 933 until the end of March 934 3236 | 3702 | 1342 | From April 934 until the end of September 934 (half a year) 7496 | 8488 | 2607 | From October 934 until the end of September 935 10218 | 10629 | 5904 | From October 935 until the end of September 936 11360 | 11899 | 4405 16903 of which 1365 Dinars spent on repairs of the waqf properties of the hospital | From October 936 until the end of September 937 ⟦previous⟧ dates until the end of June 937 approximately 2600 Dinars. ⟦...⟧ and in it is an institute for analysis and Roentgen rays (X-rays) and it accepts patients including men, women, and children. In the hospital is a Professor ⟦...⟧ for rays. (35/936) (225035) visits at an average of 750 and 800 visits daily and 180 major eye surgeries were performed It provided 44462 prescriptions during one year and the doctor performed 160 free visits during the mentioned year A specialized nurse, and the eyes of the students are examined from time to time by the specialist doctor in the Rima Khedouri Hospital. And it has in Meir Elias Hospital a building for maternity where poor mothers are accepted and the association provides them with the necessary aid and it was built
Architect Yousef Meir Telephone Number 2491 Annex 34/12 A Al-Mustansir Street Baghdad, July 14, 1944 To = The Presidency of the Respected Jewish Community in Baghdad Greetings and Respect Farha Sumaich Torah With reference to your letter No. 7812 dated 10 / 7 / 1944 Upon inspecting the aforementioned Torah building, it has become clear to us - to our great regret - that the amounts spent on its construction have gone in vain due to technical errors, especially since the place is public and often crowded with worshippers Therefore, we list below our observations = The new building stands on the old, worn-out foundation that is more than a century old, in addition to the abundance of seepage which damaged the foundation, loosened it, destroyed its mortar, and destabilized its position. It is customary in places where economy is taken into consideration more than the durability of the work or its safety or sustainability, to connect all foundations at ground level with reinforced concrete ties in the form of beams that transmit and distribute all the loads resting on them regularly. While in this case, neither the pillars nor the walls were tied at their base. Thus, the foundations become mobile whenever they are submerged by seepage water, and it is feared they will shift perceptibly, causing the collapse of the structures standing upon them. As for the second defect, the pillars carrying the large basins, despite not being constructed in a size sufficient to withstand the thrust of the beams resting on them, their interior was squared with worn stones, which increases the weakness of the concentration instead of its durability, because the worn stones are contaminated and neither gypsum nor cement or other mortars adhere to them. As a result of the thrust of the middle beam, the pillar tilted, the beam split, and the middle stone fell, and other beams will follow suit in this manner. Frequently - even in modern constructions when built in the vaulting style where the loads do not fall vertically on the pillars or walls - the walls and pillars are tied together at the level of the beam base with iron rods that help the pillars and walls withstand the lateral thrust resulting from the weight of the beams. In the building which we are considering, we did not find those ties, while we find it strange that it would occur to the architect or engineer who performed the work to tie the pillars in the narrow corridors with pieces of wood, even if these pieces were weak, and neglect the wide corridors. The Israeli Charitable Hospitals in Baghdad Hospital Revenues | Total expenses including furniture for all hospitals | Total value of constructions and surgical instruments donated by generous people | Notes Dinar | Dinar | Dinar | 4941 | 5232 | 2645 | From April 933 until the end of March 934 3331 | 3702 | 1342 | From April 934 until the end of September 934 (half year) 7491 | 8488 | 2607 | From October 934 until the end of September 935 10210 | 10629 | 5904 | From October 935 until the end of September 936 11360 | 11899 | 4405 16903 of which 1365 Dinars were spent on repairs of the waqf properties of the hospital | From October 936 until the end of September 937 ⟦the previous...⟧ until the end of June 937 about 2600 Dinars ⟦...⟧ and in it is an institute for analysis and Roentgen rays, and it accepts male, female, and child patients. And in the hospital is a Professor ⟦...⟧ rays. 35/936) (225035) visits at a rate of 750 and 800 visits daily, and 180 major eye operations were performed ⟦...⟧ gave 44462 prescriptions during one year, and the doctor made 160 free visits during the mentioned year ⟦...⟧ a special nurse, and the eyes of students are examined periodically by the specialist doctor in Rima Khedhouri Hospital. ⟦...⟧ in Meir Elias Hospital, a maternity building where poor mothers are accepted and the association provides them with the necessary aid, and it was built
- 2 - In conclusion, we do not recommend using these synagogues despite the measures that must be taken immediately. Furthermore, the building is irreparable in a way that guarantees the complete removal of danger; rather, it needs to be uprooted from the foundation and rebuilt anew in a technical manner and under the supervision of a responsible engineer. However, if you wish to stop the collapse and the deviation, it is necessary to connect all the pillars to the walls by means of iron bars. Since these bars will not correct the deviation, but rather maintain the current state of the building, in this case, the roofs may not be used at all as a place for prayer during the summer season or for any other purpose. Please accept our highest respect, Engineer Engineer ⟦Max Rosenfeld⟧ ⟦Kabba⟧ I, Ibrahim bin Khadhuri Haqqi, ⟦servant⟧ ⟦...⟧ in the ⟦Farha Swiri⟧ synagogue, acknowledge that His Excellency the President of the Community has summoned me and informed me of the danger of praying in or entering the synagogue, and therefore requested that I close the synagogue to worshippers ⟦and⟧ prevent entry for any purpose whatsoever until measures are taken to remove the danger, otherwise I shall be responsible for any loss of life that may occur, and accordingly I have signed below, 17 July 944 We testify that Ibrahim Khadhuri has placed his thumbprint above in our presence after his statement was read to him and he agreed to it Moshe bin Haqqi Daoud Ezra Tweig ⟦illegible⟧