Description
These 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.
AI English Translation, Pages 276-300
JEWISH LAY COUNCIL
BAGHDAD
TELEPHONE NO. 531
⟦line⟧
The Lay Council of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone No. 531
⟦line⟧
Number :: 2516
Date :: 26 October 945
Subject Summary ::
Respected Mr. Salim Murad Khabbaza
The Council decided in its meeting held on 25 / 10 / 945 to appoint you as Secretary for the Community Administration
with a monthly salary of thirty Dinars, to which five Dinars of high cost of living allowance shall be added, effective from the first of
November 945, provided that this appointment shall be on probation for a period of three months.
⟦illegible⟧
The President
Copy to - His Eminence the Respected President of the Jewish Community
- To the Accountant to act accordingly
For filing
Iraqi Government
Ministry of Social Affairs
Directorate General of Civil Status
Personnel Department
Number: 4135
Date: 27 / 8 / 1952
Subject: Number of religious centers
To - His Excellency the Head of the Jewish Community
We kindly request you to provide us with a list containing the number of religious centers
(synagogues) located in Baghdad along with their current locations for the purpose of utilizing them
in the general registration.
Director General of Civil Status
A copy to - Statistics Department - for follow-up.
Referred to the Spiritual Council
⟦signature⟧
S/M
10 / 9
8427
16 / 10 / 945
⟦illegible⟧
His Eminence, President of the Jewish Spiritual Council, Respected
Baghdad
Subject - Number of Centers
⟦line⟧
The Directorate of General Census requested us in its letter No. 4185 dated
13 / 10 / 945 to provide it with a list containing the number of religious centers
(Synagogues) located in Baghdad with their current locations for the purpose of
utilizing them in the general registration. We request you to take the necessary action;
⟦signature⟧
On behalf of the Head of the Community
The Spiritual Committee of the Holy Congregation
Baghdad, may God protect it
The Israelite Spiritual Council
in Baghdad
Number: 1569
Date: 15 ⟦Shevat⟧ 5717
To the honor of His Excellency Hakham Isaac K. Sassoon
Hakham Bashi of Baghdad
Honorable Excellency Hakham,
Your letter from 24 Kislev 5717
No. 18447 reached our hands, in which you inform
that His Excellency Hakham Isaac K. Sassoon
is the one appointed over the affairs of the community in Baghdad
and over all matters of religion and law in the community.
In the name of the Committee,
Isaac Hayyim
⟦illegible⟧
Matches the papers
Amar Abraham Levy
Qurban Salim
⟦line⟧
Amar Hannun Kabir (the elder)
Qurban Meir Yosef
Amar Hannun Saghir (the younger)
Qurban Abd Amar Hannun
⟦line⟧
Amar Nasser Ezra
Qurban Nissim Eliyahu Amar Nissim
⟦line⟧
Amar Abraham Hakham
Qurban Shalom Amar Kabir
Amar Hakham Salim
Qurban Sasson Amar Kabir
Owes Baba
Amar Moshe
Salim
Qurban Bni Amar
⟦line⟧
Benjamin
Qurban Shimon bin Yosef
Ezra Tsur
Meir Ezra
⟦line⟧
Abraham
Kabir (the elder)
Saghir (the younger)
Kabir (the elder)
Amar Menachem
Qurban Menachem
⟦line⟧
Amar Hannun Kabir
Qurban Meir Yosef
Amar Hannun Saghir
Qurban Abd Amar Hannun
⟦line⟧
Amar Nasser Ezra
Qurban Nissim Eliyahu Amar Nissim
⟦line⟧
Amar Abraham Hakham
Qurban Shalom Amar Kabir
Amar Hakham Salim
Qurban Sasson Amar Kabir
Owes Baba
Amar Moshe
Salim
Qurban Bni Amar
⟦line⟧
Benjamin
Qurban Shimon bin Yosef
Ezra Tsur
Meir Ezra
⟦line⟧
Abraham
Kabir
Saghir
Kabir
Amar Menachem
Qurban Menachem
⟦line⟧
Amar Hannun Kabir
Qurban Meir Yosef
Amar Hannun Saghir
Qurban Abd Amar Hannun
⟦line⟧
Amar Nasser Ezra
Qurban Nissim Eliyahu Amar Nissim
⟦line⟧
Amar Abraham Hakham
Qurban Shalom Amar Kabir
Amar Hakham Salim
Qurban Sasson Amar Kabir
Owes Baba
Amar Moshe
Salim
Qurban Bni Amar
⟦line⟧
Benjamin
Qurban Shimon bin Yosef
Ezra Tsur
Meir Ezra
⟦line⟧
Abraham
Kabir
Saghir
Kabir
⟦illegible stamp with Hebrew and Arabic characters⟧
CHIEF RABBI
Rafael Haim Nahum
Baghdad
8426
26 / 10 / 945
Ministry of Social Affairs
Directorate General of Civil Status
Baghdad
Reference to your letter No. 8427 dated 16 / 10 / 945
We enclose herewith a list containing all the names of the Jewish synagogues
in Baghdad with their current locations, totaling (40) synagogues.
Alwan
Head of the Community
List of names of Israeli Synagogues in Baghdad
Tatran Quarter - : Torat Shaul - Torat Sofer - Torat Dahan - Torat Dinah -
Torat Farha Abid .
Faraj Allah Quarter - Torat Masouda Eliyahu Rubin - Torat Ni'ma .
Bani Said Quarter - Torat Mandali .
Al-Torat Quarter - Torat Farha Meir Somikh - Torat Midrash Talmud Torah - Torat Menashi Zubaida .
- Torat Zilkha - Torat Al-Alliance - Torat Meir Eliyahu - Torat Menashi
Saleh .
Al-Qishla Quarter - Torat Ishaq Shalum - Torat Ishaq Hayyim - Torat Masri .
Al-Takiya Quarter - Torat Gawi - Torat Rubin Yehuda - Torat Farha Salman - Torat Barukh
- Torat Hakham Heskel - Torat Rahel Shimon - Torat Masouda Salman .
Abbas Effendi Quarter - Torat Khazam - Torat Ishaq Farha .
Hanoun al-Kabir Quarter - Torat Sheikh Ishaq
Hanoun al-Saghir Quarter - Torat Shukr Ghazi Street .
Al-Dahdwana Quarter - Torat Menashi Karhi .
Abu Sifin Quarter - Torat Meir Raphael .
Haydarkhana Quarter - Shamash School
Al-Senek Quarter - Torat Beit Shmuel
Al-Batawin Quarter - Torat Masouda Shotub - Torat Ezra Daoud - Torat Meir Tweig -
Al-Adhamiya - Torat Al-Adhamiya .
Rakhaita Quarter - Torat Rakhaita .
Al-Huwaidi Quarter - Torat Al-Huwaidi
Karrada Quarter - Torat Karrada .
JEWISH LAY COUNCIL
JEWISH LAY COUNCIL
IN BAGHDAD
BAGHDAD
TELEPHONE NO. 531
TELEPHONE NO. 531
⟦line⟧
Number :: 2521
Date :: 5 October 945
Subject Summary ::
Mr. Moshe Yosef
The clerk in the administration of the Jewish Community
Based on what the Council saw in its session held on 25 October 945 regarding the lack of
need for the position of an additional clerk in the community administration, the position you were occupying, the Council has decided
to abolish this position and terminate your services as of the end of October 945, provided that you are granted a bonus
amounting to two months' salary.
Enclosed you will find the amount of thirty Dinars, which is for the bonus decided to be granted to you according to the decision mentioned
above.
Copy to His Excellency the respected President of the Community
The Accountant to act accordingly
⟦signature⟧
The President
Archived
11/7
Iraqi Government
Baghdad Customs and Excise Department
Number 22977 / MBI
1 / 9 / 1945
Excise Office | Head of the Jewish Community - Baghdad | Date 6 / 11 / 945
Subject ⟦line⟧ Denatured Alcohol ⟦line⟧
With reference to your petition numbered 8433 and dated 16 / 10 / 1945
Addressed to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.
Since denatured alcohol has become available at alcohol sellers
in the markets and the control over it has been lifted by us, you may purchase the quantity
requested in your aforementioned petition from one of the mentioned sellers.
For the Director of Customs and Excise
Baghdad
⟦illegible⟧
11 / 7
CABLE ADDRESS
SOMEKH—NEW YORK
TELEPHONE
MURRAY HILL 2-1372
E. SOMEKH
EXPORT — IMPORT
522 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK 18, N. Y.
AIR MAIL
September 10, 1945
Rabbi Hakham Sasson Kadoury
Jewish Community in Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq
Dear Rabbi Kadoury:
I acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 20th contents
of which are noted and for which I thank you.
With reference to the order for $3,750.00 value of assorted
old clothing, I wish to inform you that it will be a pleasure
to be of service to the Jewish Community and I will do my
best to obtain the best goods at the best price. Unfortunately,
however, prices have gone up tremendously due to the fact that
Europe and other countries are now open and they require a
great deal of such articles.
Regarding the collection to be made here for the Jewish Com-
munity, I regret that this is impossible as the Iraqians have
organized a society under the name of the Iraq American <del>Aid</del>
Society, the purpose of which is to obtain donations from
time to time from Iraqians towards charities in general.
Therefore, any question of charity must go to the committee.
I have contacted them for the purpose of aiding our brothers
in Iraq and the matter is under consideration. The difficulty
is however, that the committee is not empowered to give any
donation exceeding $500.00 for any charitable purpose during
the calendar year. They, therefore, will either grant the
$500.00, which is in their power, or they will call a general
meeting for the purpose of getting special authority for
making a larger donation in this special case, which I believe
they will do.
The money will be sent to you direct through Iran in English £,
and I will keep you acquainted with the result.
With best wishes for the New Year,
Sincerely yours,
⟦signature⟧
E. SOMEKH
es:pw
8458
4 November 945
Stationery
General Directorate of Imported Goods
Please provide the administration of the Jewish Community with five hundred Manila folders along with twenty
sheets of American cardboard, size 70 x 100 cm, as the community administration is in dire need
of this stationery for organizing and preserving correspondence.
With much gratitude.
⟦signature⟧
11/4
Head of the Community
⟦illegible⟧
⟦signature⟧
11/5
⟦illegible⟧
17 ⟦illegible⟧
Dear Dr. Qamarein
Warm greetings,
Please be so kind as to treat the person named Isaac Ibrahim for free, and I thank you
in advance. May you remain well.
Sincerely,
⟦signature⟧
11/12
Head of the Community
Baghdad 12 / 11 / 945
⟦illegible red stamp⟧
To the Honorable Chairman of the Management Committee of the Menashi Saleh School Synagogue
After greetings and respect,
I request you to allow Mr. Saleh Youssef Shamaya to hold a ceremony
for the marriage contract of his son Moshe in the Menashi Saleh School Synagogue building for free,
and he will pay the service fees only.
Please accept my thanks in advance with highest respect.
Sincerely,
⟦signature⟧
On behalf of the Head of the Community
Baghdad 12 / 11 / 945
⟦line⟧
We have no objection ⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
14 / 11
12 / 11 / ⟦illegible⟧
Dear Mr. Elias Samira
After greetings and respect
Mr. Faiq, the officer in charge of the Supply Police Station, wishes to treat one of
his relatives at Rima Khadouri Hospital, so please provide the necessary care
while providing all possible facilities for him.
Please accept my thanks in advance with high respect
Sincerely
⟦signature⟧
17/12
Head of the Community
Baghdad 12 / 11 / 945
Rima Hospital
His request is rejected
⟦signature⟧
12 / 11
⟦signature⟧
1 / 22
9 November 945
Ministry of Social Affairs
Baghdad
With reference to the verbal request of Mr. Nuri Ahmed, Observer of Social
Affairs, we submit to you herewith a copy of the Ministry of Interior's letter No. 2075
dated 7 / February 1929 regarding the formation of the Hebra Qadisha Society, along with a copy of
the society's internal bylaws.
⟦signature⟧
On behalf of the Head of the Community
S Kh / 1 M
⟦illegible red stamp⟧
⟦illegible red handwriting⟧
400
To His Eminence Mr. Raphael Hayouri, the respected
After greetings and respect
The bearer of our letter, Li Joshi Rahim, is among the poor and destitute and needs to undergo surgery
in an eye at Rim Hayouri Hospital, and he has obtained a permit from the administration
and paid the fee of three dinars, but his fear is that the operation will be performed
on him by someone other than Dr. Roger, the specialist in such operations.
He did not agree, so I hope that you will order and mediate with the hospital administration
to have the operation performed on him under the supervision of Dr. Roger, and you will make me grateful.
Please accept the highest respect 25 / 11 / 1945
Sincerely
⟦illegible⟧
Baghdad 28 November 945
His Excellency the President of the Honorable Israelite Community
Baghdad
After greetings and respect
I ask you to mediate with the competent departments to obtain a transfer of the electrical
wires listed in the attached form for the purpose of connecting electricity to the well of
Torat Shaker. Please accept the highest respect
Salman Shahraban
8422
16 / 10 / 945
Directorate General of Customs and Excise
Baghdad
⟦line⟧
The Hebra Qadisha Society prepares, shrouds, and buries the deceased from
the members of the Israelite community. Since the aforementioned society performs its work
frequently at night, it is in need of lighting in the roads and houses
to transport the dead to the cemeteries. I request you to kindly grant them a permit for four gallons of
spirit monthly for use in the hand lamps required for this purpose.
Yours truly.
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
8422
10/22/945
His Excellency, the Director General of Imported Funds, Respectfully
After greetings and respect,
You will find enclosed a petition signed by the President of the Association for Assisting Poor
Girls for Marriage, hoping your Excellency will provide your valuable assistance to answer
the request of this charitable association to supply it with the required paper.
Thanking you in advance, and may you remain [in health];
On behalf of
The Head of the Community
HEBRA KADISHA SOCIETY | חברה-קديשא | Hebra Kadisha Society
Baghdad | Baghdad | Baghdad
No. Number: 266
Date: 20-11-958
His Eminence Rabbi Sassoon Khedhouri, Respectfully
President of the Jewish Community | Baghdad
Greetings and respect,
At the end of this day, an official from the Ministry of Social Affairs arrived and requested that I provide him with information regarding the deceased members of the community.
Since our society has maintained a current account according to a ledger which you will find enclosed, please review it, in cooperation with the aforementioned Ministry,
regarding the number of deaths during the period in which ⟦...⟧ passed away, and send us a copy of the mentioned letter to be kept in our records. May you remain, my respected sir,
President of the Hebra Kadisha Society
⟦signature⟧
HEBRA KADISHA
HEBRA KADISHA
HEBRA KADISHA
BAGHDAD
BAGHDAD
Archived
11/22
8472
Request for a map copy
11 November 945
Directorate of Land Registry, Baghdad Province
Please be so kind as to provide us with a copy of the map for plot sequence 195 located in
Al-Sour neighborhood, and we thank you.
Salloum
Head of the Community
Archived
22 / ⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
8281
8/28/1945
Directorate General of Imported Funds
Division of ⟦line⟧ Paper
The administration of the Israeli community contains three independent departments, which are the headquarters
of the Presidency, the Lay Council, and the Schools Committee. Each of them consumes a large quantity
of various types of paper in extensive correspondence and the printing of reports and accounts for submission
to their competent authorities. Furthermore, the administration of the slaughterhouse, the administration of the Yeshivot, and the rest
of the institutions affiliated with the community administration take what they need of paper from this
administration. Therefore, the quantity of paper supplied by you does not meet our needs. For this reason,
we hope you will kindly take these observations of ours into consideration when granting us a transfer for printed
paper, which ran out quite some time ago, and kindly supply us with five reams of it.
Alwan
Head of the Community
Baghdad ⟦line⟧
Number ⟦١٨٦⟧
Excellency Chairman of the Israeli Charitable Hospitals Committee, the respected
At Meir Elias Hospital
Baghdad
After greetings and respect
I request to be considered a participant in your respected committee with a monthly fee of ⟦line⟧ fils
I pay it once every year. May you remain successful in the service of charitable projects.
Six months
Sincerely
Presidency of the Jewish Community
in Baghdad
Telephone Number { 3531 President
5452 Secretary
Subject: Price list of Torah scrolls
Number:
Date: 7 December 945
Fils | Dinar
120 | - | Value of three modern scrolls
100 | - | Value of three old scrolls
30 | - | Value of the silver items present
250 | - | Only two hundred and fifty Dinars and no more
⟦signature⟧
12/7
⟦illegible red stamp⟧
86 / 8 / 533
Consulate of the Republic of Iraq in Bombay
No. ⟦illegible⟧
Based on the requirements of the public interest and for practical organizational purposes in this Consulate General, we
have decided to appoint Mr. Louis Youssef - one of the members of our consulate and in his current capacity in our consulate
to perform duties in the Consulate General and be entirely under our supervision. The following are his duties
and responsibilities in managing our affairs in the Consulate General department. We have granted him the authority and to
himself to manage our affairs or whoever represents him in this Consulate General, such as the accounting transactions
themselves. We hope that there will be sufficient desire to increase the volume of his duties, and the following are the general experiences
and in the event that he wishes to terminate his service in this consulate, we hope that he will inform us before its expiration by a period
This is what has been decided in our consular affairs and new practical specializations from him. We wish him success
Signature
Iraqi Consul General