MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-04-01 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Iraq and Anti-Semitism
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The Final Days in Babylon The Story of a Young Jewish Man's Escape from
Iraq in 1970
by Maurice Shohet
1. Preface
2. The Jews Of Iraq Ceased To Be Passive
3. The Escape From Iraq - A Personal Account
A. From Baghdad To The Northern Resorts B. An Uncharted Route C. The
Last Look D. The Migration To Israel 4. Facing The Memorial For The
Victims Of The Rulers In Iraq
The Final Days In Babylon
Preface The deliverance of Iraqi Jewry, that rose almost as one man
and migrated to the newly founded State of Israel, in the years 1948 -
1952, could be considered not only as a glorious chapter in the annals of
Zionism, but also as a demonstration of the potency of the Zionist idea.
The exciting tidings of the establishment of the State on the one hand,
the persecution and feeling of insecurity that often beset members of
the community in Iraq on the other, combined and joined together with
the love and yearning for the Land of Zion and Jerusalem, giving birth
to a wonderful phenomenon. Almost an entire Jewish community, of about
120,000 souls, the most ancient of the Diaspora – if not the oldest of
all – picked itself up, young and old alike, and immigrated to Israel;
first by way of illegal and convoluted routes, and later as an officially
sanctioned airborne migration. If the concept of Zionism has any meaning,
then this combination is its fullest realization. Only some five
thousand members of the community opted not to leave Iraq and move to
Israel. They gained nothing by their willingness to be good citizens,
and only suffered from general animosity, torture, imprisonment and
the gallows, each time another shockwave swept over Iraq. Although it
seemed that the Jewish community’s status had improved, from time to
time periods of fear and anxiety descended on this community, when either
because of weakness or wickedness, the regime could abandon the Jews to
mercies of the hostile street, sometimes even goading the aggressors on,
and adding further restrictions and unfavorable decrees. Yet, the Jews
condition underwent the most radical change not as a result of internal
development within Iraq itself, but as the result of an intensification
of the Jewish Arab conflict. The Arabs’ defeat - including the Iraqis -
during the Six-Day War, caused a severe setback in the Jews’ condition,
this time beyond repair. No longer deeds of an incited, unruly mob, but a
systematic persecution on part of the government itself, which imprisoned,
tortured and put to death innocent Jews. Some were hanged in public,
under the gaze of the celebrating and inflamed crowds, while others lost
their lives in dark dungeons by the hands of their torturers. They were
chosen as the most convenient target for venting the feeling of revenge.
Fortunately, the existence of the State of Israel was what stood by
the small and the helpless Jewish community this time, as the Israeli
government engaged in extensive - but silent - diplomacy and political
action, and assisted in developing illegal routes that eventually saved
the community. The majority of the members of the community who fled
Iraq at the time, did so by risking a great danger and following winding
roads; most of them immigrated to Israel. It so transpired that Jewish
fate on the one hand, and the Iraqi regime’s hatred on the other, once
again reunited the last descendants of the original exiled Babylonian
Jewry, bringing them back to the Land of Israel.
Maurice Shohet
The Jews Of Iraq Ceased To Be Passive In the summer of 1970, early every
morning, I would leave the area where I live, and I would go down along
the street leading to the river bank of the Tigris and to the swimming
station, where swimming enthusiasts among the Jewish community, would
meet every morning. It was the end of June, when I arrived one morning as
usual at the swimming station, and met my friends. They were all talking
about the same topic: A Jewish family fled the country and arrived safely
to Iran with the assistance of Kurdish smugglers. It was hard for us
to rationally comprehend, that after two years of the Baath party in
power, during which some twenty Jews were publicly hanged or otherwise
disappeared without leaving a trace, a Jewish family would get up and
risk leaving the country illegally. But more and more, the urge to live
Iraq was breaking down the obstacle of fear. A competition began among
the Jews: who would leave first? Every time we met, one subject only was
on our lips: So and so had escaped!. Close friends dared not speak with
one another about their plans to escape. All of a sudden someone would
disappear and everyone else knew he had left Iraq. The number of my
friends decreased from day to day. It became too much to bear. It was
impossible to wait any longer when it became known that the Kurds were
operating an exit route from Iraq. Jews endangered themselves in groups
and as individuals in order to be free. When we saw that the number of
those who had left Iraq and reached safely to Iran came close to 50,
we decided, my brother and I, to approach our parents. After a short
discussion they were convinced, agreeing with us and even approaching
my maternal uncle and few friends, who quickly agreed in turn to join
us with their families. It was our Jewish neighbor who fled the country
few days earlier, who provided us with a smuggler’s name and address.
The Escape From Iraq - A Personal Account From Baghdad To The Northern
Resorts It was September 2nd, 1970. We left Baghdad - 13 people -
and traveled to the town of Shaqlawa in the Erbil Kurdish district
in northern Iraq. Our goal was the “Jamil’s Place. This Jamil was a
smuggler, a member of the Kurdish minority, who had close ties with the
members of the semi-regular army of the Kurdish Democratic Party. The
Kurds were engaging in a guerrilla war against the central government
seeking to achieve an autonomous rule for their people in northern Iraq.
After traveling for about six hours we arrived at the provided address. It
was a small restaurant. The owner Jamil received us. We were hidden in
the restaurant’s side room for five days. On September 7th at 7:00 p.m.,
a large jeep parked in front of the Jamil's Place”. Two armed Kurdish
personnel stepped out of it and approached Jamil, who gave them a list
with our names. We quickly packed our belongings, got into the jeep
and left Shaqlawa escorted by the two Kurdish men. The vehicle drove
right through the main street of town towards the resort of Salah
El-Din. There at a local coffee house, we saw about 25 Jews who were
also on their way to flee the country with the help of a different group
of smugglers. We ignored each other out of fear. After a short rest, we
continued traveling towards Gali-Ali-Beig – another attractive resort in
the north -. At about 10:00 p.m., we reached Haj-Omran, the most remote
Kurdish stronghold on the Iraq-Iran border. The car stopped in front of
one of the houses, which was surrounded by armed men. Get off quietly,
one of our escorts said, “straight into the house; here. In a moment
we all jumped out of the cars, with our belongings in our hands. At
the entrance to the house stood two Kurds in their traditional attire:
wide pants, wide brodka cloaks and turbans covering their heads. Their
mustaches were properly tended to. They directed us to a large room in one
of the wings of the house, in which four armed men and three Kurdish women
were sitting. A young woman served us a hot tea. One of the men briefed
us before our departure: We are leaving for Iran. A moment of weakness
and insecurity could reveal you and ourselves and then, as you surely
must know, we should be in serious danger. We will proceed by foot for
three hours and will reach another country. The path is neither paved
nor safe. You will have to obey our orders all along the way until we
arrive at our destination. By foot?. We were caught by surprise. It was
in Baghdad where we were told that we will be crossing the border by cars
as other Jews previously did, but the reality turned to be different. We
did not expect that it was going to be an easy escape from Iraq, but we
never imagined that we had to take circuitous paths, less than 20 years
after the open airborne migration of Iraqi Jews in the early 1950’s. We
were seized by fear and thought to ourselves: :whatever will be, will be.
The four smugglers who would accompany us in our escape, asked us to leave
our belongings behind so they could be transported on mules the following
day. It was a clear indication of their willingness to keep them.
An Uncharted Route We set forth on our way, over hills and mountains. The
evening was cool and pleasant, and in our hearts we hoped that this
clean air harbored with it a change in our situation, a change for the
better. A new step towards a new life. The moonlight aided us seeing our
way. The area was full of smugglers carrying different type of merchandise
on mules* . From time to time , and whenever we realized a suspected
movement in the mountainous area, we had to stop and hide. After an
hour of walking, sometimes running, we reached a swamp and traversed
it, though it wasn’t easy. Few of us fell down and were injured. A 30
year old woman from our group who was slowly walking at the end of our
“convoy”, was exposed to unwelcome advances from two of the smugglers.
“Wait for me”. She kept imploring. It was inconceivable for any one of
us to relate to the perpetrators uncouth behavior, while simultaneously
they were our life-savors.
We continued in our escape. Now we had to climb a mountain, the peak
of which seemed tall enough to be “the roof of the world. Suddenly we
heard a dog barking. From every side, searchlights were directed at
the mountain. We stood still and stared at one another, tears filling
our eyes. Lie down!, shouted our guides. Frightened, my uncle began to
smoke nervously. I will shoot you right here, if you don't turn off the
cigarette, screamed one of the smugglers at my uncle. All our guides
quickly ran towards where it seemed the barking had sounded from. They
left us alone to the mercy of God at the middle of the mountain. My uncle
turned his face towards me and angrily said: “The son of a bitch tells me,
‘I will shoot you!!! Our end has come, we said to ourselves. We looked
at each other, unable to express the last Good Bye words. After ten
minutes, during which we were waiting for our fate to be decided, the
searchlights went out, the barking was heard no longer, and the four
guides rejoined us. It seemed like a miracle was happening **.
We could ask no questions, but to listen to orders. We were instructed
to continue on our way. None of us believed we were safe. Privately we
wondered whether we should feel glad or prepare ourselves for the worst
to come. We continued. After about ninety minutes at 2:00 AM on the 8th
of September, we saw an armed sentry patrolling near by a tall watchtower.
That's an Iranian soldier”, one of our guides told us.
* We got acquainted to one of the smugglers' business methods of
operation: Once a whistle was heard from one group of smugglers, a
similar response was immediately echoed back from the other group,
a sign of a “friendly” presence. The two groups will then continue
on their own routes. ** Our own interpretation of what took place,
was that our smugglers might have known the Iraqi border-guards, and
they might have left us to go and make some kind of arrangements with
them. In return the guards had closed their eyes on our escape. After
all, this kind of cooperation have always been a way of life at the long
Iraq-Iran border. We ourselves had previously paid our smugglers a large
sum of money in return for their help in our escape from the country.
The Last Look The pounding joy in our hearts cannot be described. We had
an opportunity to throw a last glance back at the country where we had
grown up and lived. Thoughts welled up in my mind about the country we
were about to leave behind. We had loved Iraq more than many Iraqis do. I
recalled the memories of the land of the Tigris and the Euphrates. As in
a movie, I saw pictures passing through my mind, of the school where I had
grown, of the synagogues where I prayed, and of the tombs of the prophets
where I visited ***. I thought about the descendants of the ancient Iraqi
Jewish Community that dated back to the time of the Babylonian Empire,
and the end that had befallen the Jewish community in this Arab country
after the State of Israel was established. I thought of the miserable
Jews on whom Iraq had vented its wrath after being shamed, when its army
shared defeat together with other Arab armies during the Six Day War.
*** I knew well enough that I would never get to see again the real
camera pictures I have had of these places, since they were all left
behind with our belongings at the Kurdish house in Haj-Omran in Iraq.
The Migration To Israel Inside the Iranian border, we were driven by a
military truck to the tiny town of Khana. In the morning, we took the
train for a long trip to Teheran. After staying for three weeks in the
Iranian capital, I immigrated to Israel to start a new life. Since then,
more than 2,600 Iraqi Jews have immigrated to the Jewish State. It was a
vision come true for the 2,500 year-old community. The dream of a hundred
generations was fulfilled in its entirety. The Diaspora that was situated
on the banks of the rivers of Babylon since the destruction of the First
Temple was redeemed and could return to the land of its forefathers,
to build it and be built in. The words of the Prophet Jeremiah with
respect to Babylon and the exile of Judea were not refuted:
We would have healed Babylon,
but she is not healed;
Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; For her
judgment reacheth unto heaven,
and is lifted up even to the skies. The Lord hath brought forth
our victory;
Come, and let us declare in Zion The work of the Lord our God.”
(Jeremiah, chap.51:9-10)
Facing The Memorial For The Victims Of The Rulers In Iraq
The date - July 19, 1972. The place - the Modiin area, near
the tombs of the Maccabim in the forest of Ben-Shemen in
Israel. Two young children, in the company of Golda Meir the
Prime Minister of Israel at the time, reveal the memorial for the
Jews of Iraq who were put to death in prison, hanged in public
trials or fell on their way to Israel. “We remember the Jews
of Babylon for being loyal Jews, for their longing for Israel
and their resistance to surrender. With their lives they paid
for the vengefulness of those who could not destroy our state,
and yet the heart refuses to accept all that befell them [1].
Golda Meir is giving a speech at the ceremony.
I stand in a far corner and my gaze falls on the two small
children. They were the sons of Isaac Dallal, who was executed
in August 1969. Scenes from the life my family shared with that
family pass through my mind, remembering when we had lived in the
same neighborhood and only two houses separated us. I recalled
the sufferings of Isaac Dallal’s widow, from that moment on,
when her husband was taken from her never to return. She had
to deal with the difficulties of making a living. The woman,
who had been able to get anything her heart desired just by
sending her hand into her silver purse, was unable to buy her
children even the cheapest food.
Many memories passed through my mind. In front of my eyes rose the
figures of those who had been executed in Iraq, and others who had
been sacrificed in order to bring about historic turning point,
the salvation of the survivors of the Jewish community of Babylon.
I was overcome by many memories and I swore an oath to write
down, even if only a few lines, about the suffering of the
Jewish community in the years following the Six- Day War, of
which the world knew so little, and about the adventures of Jews
who left Iraq.
"The day is yet to come when we can hear from the mouths of
these people how they were able to withstand adversity and put
up such a glorious struggle. It is not yet possible to relate,
there are still chapters on this issue of which we say the hour
has not yet come”, but as the hour has come to tell so many
things that ten or twenty or thirty years ago could not be told,
so there will come a day and young and old people who came from
there will stand before us. And there are such wonderful ordeals
that the simple mind fails to comprehend. Whoever comes into
contact with these phenomena stands amazed by the fortitude of
the Jewish spirit, upon which such great forces descend upon it
and yet it does not surrender to the cruelty of those who believe
that it is a good deed to do harm to a Jew” [2]. Golda Meir
[1], [2]. Baghdad Hangmen Assassinated My Husband - Hebrew -
Maariv's Weekly Magazine, May 18, 1973.
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