Ronnie's moving story, found on a BBC weblog, describes in detail what happened to the few thousand Jews who remained in Iraq after the 1950 - 51 Tasqueet*. Clearly, no 'Zionist bombs' or Israeli machinations could be blamed for the discrimination, persecution and sheer terror which Ronnie's family and other Jewish innocents experienced. Ronnie bears the mental scars to this day, and only began talking about what he went through some five years ago.
"I am an Iraqi Jew, who was born in Baghdad in 1953 and left in 1971. I would like to share with you my experience of growing up and living in Iraq. My father (Bless his soul) was a highly educated man, who under normal circumstances and given equal opportunities would have risen to a high and influential position. Because he was Jewish, these opportunities were denied to him. During the 1950s when there was a mass emigration of Iraqi Jews, he was threatened by his Muslim boss and told not to leave Iraq: my father was vital to the establishment of his Muslim boss's business. Eventually, my father went on to establish a thriving accountancy firm in Iraq: he was the first Iraqi to gain a UK Certified Accountant qualification, which he achieved through a correspondence course, sitting the exams at the British Council in Iraq.
"On the whole, we led a comfortable life in Iraq in the 1960s. By that time the Iraqi Jewish community has dwindled to some 2,500 – 3,000 from the original 150,000. To survive in Iraq, we learned to keep ourselves to ourselves and stayed away from any contentious issues. Throughout the Sixties we tried to keep a semblance of normal life, even though there were many restrictions placed on us. For example, with the exception of a very limited period in 1963, Iraqi Jews were denied passports or an exit visa. Even then, any Iraqi Jew who stayed outside Iraq for more than three months automatically lost their nationality and the Iraqi government confiscated their assets. Since the 1950s, Iraqi Jews were issued with a special yellow identity card to prove that they have not lost their Iraqi nationality. I still have mine to-date.
"Between 1964 to 1967, any Iraqi Jews who wanted to leave Iraq had no choice but to cross the border illegally to Iran. The favoured route was to travel south to Basra and cross the river border between Iraq and Iran. Again, because the restrictions placed on them, those who decided to leave Iraq had no choice but to leave all assets (commercial, property, …etc.) behind, like their brethren in the 1950s.
"Things took a turn for the worse after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Iraqi government turned with a vengeance on the small Jewish community (by then it numbered no more than 2,500). There were random arrests and many were in detention for long periods although not charged with any real crime or brought to court. My father's licence to practice was revoked, as well as all import licences, upon which many members of the Jewish community relied for their business activities. With jobs in the public sector and the semi-public sector denied to Iraqi Jews, the Jewish community suffered financial hardship . Iraqi Jews were denied the opportunity to liquidate financial or property assets. We were not allowed to leave the outskirts of Baghdad without special permits, and were allowed to withdraw only small amounts from our bank accounts. All of these measures were meant to harass us and remind us that we could suffer a worst fate at any moment. Alas, we did.
"However, in my mind the key single event that made the Iraqi Jewish community realise they were no longer welcome or wanted in Iraq took place in January 1969. By then the Ba’ath party has taken control and Saddam Hussein was the Deputy President. During the late summer of 1968, a sham trial took place of several Iraqi Jews accused of spying for Israel. In our naivete, we thought this would be a repeat of the usual prosecutions of Jews and nothing sinister would come of it. However, we were stunned when suddenly the Iraqi TV and radio announced that death sentences had been passed on nine Iraqi Jews in January 1969.
"I remember that we went to bed on the night of the ruling not knowing what was going to happen and whether the death sentences would be carried out. Little did we realise what was in store for us, because the following day and early morning, the nine innocent Jews were hanged and their bodies put on public display in the main squares of Baghdad and Basra. The Iraqi TV and Radio called on the masses to come out and bring their children to witness the death of the Jewish spies. To this day, I have never forgotten the scenes that I watched on TV of ordinary Iraqis dancing, playing joyful music, having picnics and mutilating the bodies of nine innocents Jews.
"I remember rounding on my parents, and accusing them of being heartless and cruel for bringing me into this world when they should have known the cruelty and savagery of the ordinary Iraqi population.
"Thereafter, my one and only aim was to survive and leave Iraq as soon as possible. My turn came in 1971 when I was smuggled out of Iraq by the Kurdish community into Iran. I eventually settled in England. Soon after, I was followed by my parents and brother. My father lost his business and left behind all his property and assets (land, financial investments, etc) and left Iraq. He had traded these financial assets in for his personal and his family's security.
"I never spoke or shared my experience of Iraq with my children. They grew up not knowing of that part of the life of their father. I only opened up slowly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Until a few years ago, whenever I used to see pictures of Iraqi citizens, I used to scrutinise them intently to see if I could recognise their faces from that fateful day in the main square of Baghdad.
"Go back to Iraq? The romantic part of me would like to take my children to witness their father’s childhood memories. The practical part of me says - never in a million years!"
*Mass exodus of 120,000 Iraqi Jews, who were permitted to leave for Israel on condition they renounced their Iraqi nationality.
"I am an Iraqi Jew, who was born in Baghdad in 1953 and left in 1971. I would like to share with you my experience of growing up and living in Iraq. My father (Bless his soul) was a highly educated man, who under normal circumstances and given equal opportunities would have risen to a high and influential position. Because he was Jewish, these opportunities were denied to him. During the 1950s when there was a mass emigration of Iraqi Jews, he was threatened by his Muslim boss and told not to leave Iraq: my father was vital to the establishment of his Muslim boss's business. Eventually, my father went on to establish a thriving accountancy firm in Iraq: he was the first Iraqi to gain a UK Certified Accountant qualification, which he achieved through a correspondence course, sitting the exams at the British Council in Iraq.
"On the whole, we led a comfortable life in Iraq in the 1960s. By that time the Iraqi Jewish community has dwindled to some 2,500 – 3,000 from the original 150,000. To survive in Iraq, we learned to keep ourselves to ourselves and stayed away from any contentious issues. Throughout the Sixties we tried to keep a semblance of normal life, even though there were many restrictions placed on us. For example, with the exception of a very limited period in 1963, Iraqi Jews were denied passports or an exit visa. Even then, any Iraqi Jew who stayed outside Iraq for more than three months automatically lost their nationality and the Iraqi government confiscated their assets. Since the 1950s, Iraqi Jews were issued with a special yellow identity card to prove that they have not lost their Iraqi nationality. I still have mine to-date.
"Between 1964 to 1967, any Iraqi Jews who wanted to leave Iraq had no choice but to cross the border illegally to Iran. The favoured route was to travel south to Basra and cross the river border between Iraq and Iran. Again, because the restrictions placed on them, those who decided to leave Iraq had no choice but to leave all assets (commercial, property, …etc.) behind, like their brethren in the 1950s.
"Things took a turn for the worse after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Iraqi government turned with a vengeance on the small Jewish community (by then it numbered no more than 2,500). There were random arrests and many were in detention for long periods although not charged with any real crime or brought to court. My father's licence to practice was revoked, as well as all import licences, upon which many members of the Jewish community relied for their business activities. With jobs in the public sector and the semi-public sector denied to Iraqi Jews, the Jewish community suffered financial hardship . Iraqi Jews were denied the opportunity to liquidate financial or property assets. We were not allowed to leave the outskirts of Baghdad without special permits, and were allowed to withdraw only small amounts from our bank accounts. All of these measures were meant to harass us and remind us that we could suffer a worst fate at any moment. Alas, we did.
"However, in my mind the key single event that made the Iraqi Jewish community realise they were no longer welcome or wanted in Iraq took place in January 1969. By then the Ba’ath party has taken control and Saddam Hussein was the Deputy President. During the late summer of 1968, a sham trial took place of several Iraqi Jews accused of spying for Israel. In our naivete, we thought this would be a repeat of the usual prosecutions of Jews and nothing sinister would come of it. However, we were stunned when suddenly the Iraqi TV and radio announced that death sentences had been passed on nine Iraqi Jews in January 1969.
"I remember that we went to bed on the night of the ruling not knowing what was going to happen and whether the death sentences would be carried out. Little did we realise what was in store for us, because the following day and early morning, the nine innocent Jews were hanged and their bodies put on public display in the main squares of Baghdad and Basra. The Iraqi TV and Radio called on the masses to come out and bring their children to witness the death of the Jewish spies. To this day, I have never forgotten the scenes that I watched on TV of ordinary Iraqis dancing, playing joyful music, having picnics and mutilating the bodies of nine innocents Jews.
"I remember rounding on my parents, and accusing them of being heartless and cruel for bringing me into this world when they should have known the cruelty and savagery of the ordinary Iraqi population.
"Thereafter, my one and only aim was to survive and leave Iraq as soon as possible. My turn came in 1971 when I was smuggled out of Iraq by the Kurdish community into Iran. I eventually settled in England. Soon after, I was followed by my parents and brother. My father lost his business and left behind all his property and assets (land, financial investments, etc) and left Iraq. He had traded these financial assets in for his personal and his family's security.
"I never spoke or shared my experience of Iraq with my children. They grew up not knowing of that part of the life of their father. I only opened up slowly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Until a few years ago, whenever I used to see pictures of Iraqi citizens, I used to scrutinise them intently to see if I could recognise their faces from that fateful day in the main square of Baghdad.
"Go back to Iraq? The romantic part of me would like to take my children to witness their father’s childhood memories. The practical part of me says - never in a million years!"
*Mass exodus of 120,000 Iraqi Jews, who were permitted to leave for Israel on condition they renounced their Iraqi nationality.
Ronnie's story brought back awful memories. I too will never forget the horrific images on that january day in 1969. I don't know what was more barbaric - the sight of the Jews hanging in Tahrir Square or the celebrations (including singing,dancing and passing of sweets) going on underneath their bodies!
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note - Battaween I had no idea you were a 'sister'. I think I know who you are now...
Iraqi Jew who left Baghdad in 1972.