24 Shevat 5774 25 January 2014 KOL MEVASSER The Iraqi Jewish Archives Update RESOLUTION strongly recommending that by Joseph Dabby the United States renegotiate the return of KJ Schedule the Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraq. Parashat Mishpatim Members of Congress Ileana Ross-Lehtinen and Steve have received no response Erev Shabbat / Shabbat Eve Whereas, before the mid-20th century, Friday, January 24th to their bi-partisan letter to Secretary of Baghdad had been a center of Jewish life, Shaharit/Morning Prayer ...... 6:30 am State John Kerry. They are now writing culture, and scholarship, dating back to 721 Shir Hashirim ...... 4:35 pm again to the State Department with six BC; Shabbat Candlelighting ...... 4:57 pm Minhah/Arbith ...... 4:57 pm definitive questions that they seek answers for – including the option of not returning the Whereas, as recently as 1940, Jews made Yom Shabbat / Shabbat Day Iraqi archives to Iraq. up 25 percent of Baghdad’s population; Saturday, January 25th Shaharit/Morning Prayer ...... 8:30 am Senators Toomey and Blumenthal intro- Birkat Hachodesh for Adar I ..... during services Whereas, in the 1930’s and 1940’s, under duced a Senate Resolution on January 16, Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Daniel Bouskila .... the leadership of Rasheed Ali, anti-Jewish 2014, co-sponsored by Senators Schumer, ...... following services, approximately 12 noon discrimination increased drastically, includ- Minha, Seudah Shlisheet, Arvit ...... 4:00 pm Kirk, Cardin, Rubio, Roberts, Kaine, Boxer ing the June 1-2, 1941, Farhud pogrom, in Motzei Shabbat / Havdallah...... 6:01 pm and Menendez. which nearly 180 Jews were killed; Weekdays

Following is a copy of the Resolution (which Sunday , January 26th Whereas, in 1948, Zionism was added to Shaharit ...... 7:30 am was based in part on the ‘Jewish communal the Iraqi criminal code as punishable by KJ Kids Sunday School ...... 10:00 am statement’) “Strongly recommending that the David Kelly KJ Youth Choir ...... 12:00 pm death; United States renegotiate the return of the Monday to Thursday, January 27th to 30th Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraq.” Whereas, throughout 1950–1953, Jews Shaharit ...... 6:30 am ______were allowed to leave Iraq under the condi- Rosh Hodesh Adar I & Erev Shabbat tion that they renounce their citizenship; Friday, January 31st

Shaharit/Morning Prayer ...... 6:15 am 113TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. Whereas, as result of past persecution, few Shir Hashirim ...... 4:45 pm Strongly recommending that the United Shabbat Candlelighting ...... 5:04 pm Jews remain in Iraq today, and many left States renegotiate the return of the Iraqi Minhah/Arbith ...... 5:04 pm their possessions and treasured artifacts Jewish Archive to Iraq. behind;

Torah & Haftara Readings IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES Whereas the Ba’ath regime confiscated Parashat Mishpatim Mr. TOOMEY submitted the following resolu- these artifacts, later dubbed the Iraqi from Exodus/Shemot pages 306 to 322 tion; which was referred to the Committee on (Continued on page 2) Haftara Jeremiah / Yirmiyahu 323 to 324

(Continued from page 1) In Memoriam We remember these yahrzeit anniversaries for Jewish Archive, from and Shabbat Kiddush January 25 to February 2, 2014. It is customary to communal organizations; light a memorial candle, donate tzedaka, & attend is sponsored in memory of services the preceding Shabbat.

Whereas, on May 6, 2003, members of the Naima bat Farha, z’’l 24 Shevat / Shabbat, January 25th United States Armed Forces discovered Rachel David Rahel bat Regina the Iraqi Jewish Archive, which included Norma Dabby, z’’l 25 Shevat / Sunday, January 26th 2,700 books and tens of thousands of Norma Dabby Naima bat Farha documents, in the heavily damaged and by Morton Raymond Einy Mordecai ben Rahamim flooded basement of the Mukhabarat Karen & Frank Dabby Abraham Sales Avraham ben Sassoon

(secret police) headquarters; 26 Shevat / Monday, January 27th Mozelle bat Simha Whereas, under great urgency and before Moshe Solomon Moshe Hai ben David adequate time could be dedicated to re- Abraham Haim Yaacov Avraham ben Haim searching the history of the Iraqi Jewish Seudah Shlisheet 27 Shevat / Tuesday, January 28th Archive, an agreement was signed between is sponsored in memory of Ezra Avrahamy Ezra ben Yosef the National Archives and Records Admini- Nathan Bass Nathan ben Yisrael stration and the Coalition Provisional Au- Moshe Dallal Manachi ben Ezra, z’’l thority on August 20, 2003, stating that the 28 Shevat / Wednesday, January 29th Iraqi Jewish Archive would be sent to the Manachi Kemareh, z’’l Hilda Jacob Haviva bat Masooda

United States for restoration and then would Nassim Shamash Nassim ben Sarah Khatoon by be sent back to Iraq after completion; 29 Shevat / Thursday, January 30th Merna Ironi and Ramah Duke Rahma bat Salha Khatoun Whereas, the Iraqi Jewish community is the Ourite & Abe Kamara Georgia Jiji constituency of the Archive and is now rep- Mordechai Sassoon Mordehai Hayim ben Moshe

(Continued on page 3) 30 Shevat / Friday, January 31st Condolences Nagi Avraham Nagi ben Murad Refuah Shlemah To the family and friends of Shaul Cohen Shaul ben David Mordechai Cohen / Mordecai ben Avraham Haim Elazar Haim ben Yisrael Manachi Kemareh, z’’l Moselle Amron/Mazal Tov bat Salha Matana 1 Adar I / Shabbat, February 1st especially his children Tilda Levy / Tilda bat Miriam Yosef Soffer Yosef ben Eliyahu Joseph Sharaf / Yossef ben Jamila Merna Ironi and Abe Kamara Maurice Ovadia / Moshe ben Noosha his daughter-in-law, Ourite Kamara, Pnina Herzbrun / Pnina bat Esther his grandchildren David S. Kelly Michael Herzbrun / Michael Baruch ben Sarah Dror, Danny, & Dennis Ironi KJ YOUTH CHOIR Gabriella, Daniella, & Michael Kamara Please renew these names each week, as we will be Rabbi Batzri, Director regularly updating the list. If you would like to remove or May Hashem comfort them together add a member’s name please call 310-474-0559 with all the mourners of Tzion. January 26th @ 12:00 noon, b’’H

(Continued from page 2) chives and Records Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority in order to Kahal Joseph Congregation resented by the diaspora outside Iraq; ensure that the Iraqi Jewish Archive be Norma & Sam Dabby kept in a place where its long-term preser- Whereas, the current Government of Iraq vation and care can be guaranteed; Jewish Learning Center has publicly acknowledged the importance of the Archive and demonstrated a shared (2) recognizes that the Iraqi Jewish Archive respect for the wishes of the Iraqi Jewish should be housed in a location that is ac- Mommy & Me diaspora by attending the December 2013 cessible to scholars and to Iraqi Jews and burial of several Torah fragments from the their descendants who have a personal Tuesdays@11 am Archive in New York; interest in it; Starting February 4, 2014

Whereas United States taxpayers have in- (3) recognizes that the agreement between vested $3,000,000 to restore the Iraqi Jew- the National Archives and Records Admini- ish Archive, and the National Archives and stration and the Coalition Provisional Au- Records Administration has worked dili- thority was signed before knowing the com- gently to preserve the artifacts; plete history of the Iraqi Jewish Archive;

Whereas the National Archives and Re- (4) reaffirms the United States commitment cords Administration is displaying the Iraqi to cultural property under international law; Jewish Archive in Washington, D.C. from and Natural, Child-centered Play Area October 11, 2013, to January 5, 2014, and in New York City from February 4, 2014, to (5) reaffirms the United States commitment Shabbat Fun & Holiday Celebration May 18, 2014; to ensuring justice for victims of ethnic and Art, Music, Creative Play, Storytelling religious persecution. Alef-Bet, Hebrew & Jewish Values and Whereas the Iraqi Embassy to the United States has said that the Iraqi Jewish Warm Community & Joyful Learning community, like other communities in Iraq, Iraqi Jewish Archives played a key role in building the country, JIMENA is collecting a database of the rightful Tuition shared in its prosperity, and also suffered owners of personal documents in the Ar- $80/month KJ members exile and forced departure because of tyr- chives. Owners of documents or heirs to these $110/month KJ guests anny: Now, therefore, be it owners can demand that their original documents, and therefore the Archives, be kept where they $40 for one-time drop-in are accessible to the Iraqi Jewish community in Resolved, That the Senate— the diaspora. If you find a document of yours or For enrollment & information contact our of your family's or if you recognize a document Educational Director, Dafna Ezran-Young (1) strongly urges the Department of State belonging to someone you know, please contact [email protected] or 310-502-8548 to renegotiate with the Government of Iraq JEMINA at [email protected] or call 847- or call the office at the provisions of the original agreement 514-7015. Search the National Archives: that was signed between the National Ar- www.ija.archives.gov 310.474.0559

Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, SEC Director

January 25, February 22 & March 29, 2014 following Shabbat Services Fun & learning all year long! Come learn, discuss & expand your horizons with Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Director of the Sephardic Educational Cen- Limited spaces available. ter, as he explores timely issues affecting the Jewish world.

January 25 Women, & Modernity: Irreconcilable Differences or Compatible Values?

February 22 Hebron, 1929: The True Origins of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

March 29 Halakhic Genius, Political Revolutionary: The Unique Legacy of Rav Ovadia Yosef

$10 for members w/ required reservation $26 for non-members w/ pre-paid advance reservation Please call the synagogue office at 310.474.0559 to make your lunch reservation.