Arrival in Baghdad June 2003

National Archives staff preparing for travel to Baghdad June 2003

Iraqi Jewish Books and Documents Packed in Trunks for Shipment, June 2003

This is archival material from the Baghdadi Jewish community containing a list from the Aiding Committee of Victims of June 1941 (the Farhud). Included are: an inventory of lists containing names, business shop numbers, professions, assets stolen from a shop or a house, the remaining amount, and the amount suggested for assistance.

Books and documents in metal trunks May 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Early efforts to dry the books and documents outdoors, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Removing Iraqi Jewish books from the water in the Mukhabarat basement, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Jewish section of the Mukhabarat building - Jewish Section -with a large pile of waterlogged books 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Removing Iraqi Jewish books and documents from the basement, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

After much water was removed, books and documents could be removed from the flooded basement, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Finding the Mukhabarat basement filled with 3-4 ft dirty water, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Rare, historic and modern books, documents and parchment scrolls pertaining to the Iraqi Jewish community were found in the flooded basement of the Iraqi Intelligence (Mukhabahrat) headquarters in Baghdad in early May 2003. Upon removal from the basement, the wet materials (known as the Iraqi Jewish Archive) were packed into sacks and transported to a nearby location where they were partially dried. Dr. Harold Rhode, expert in Middle Eastern and Islamic Affairs, Department of Net Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense, provided a general review and initial sorting of the contents during the retrieval process, after which the materials were placed in 27 metal trunks. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) arranged for the materials to be frozen, which served to stabilize the condition and eliminate further mold growth.
At the request of the Coalition Provisional Authority, conservators from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) traveled to Baghdad June 20-23 to assess the condition of the materials and develop recommendations for their preservation. The following report outlines the preservation action plan and funding requirements for preserving this important collection.

Agreement between the Coalition Provisional Authority and The National Archives and Records Administration

After the vacuum freeze-drying process, the conservation team unpacked the trunks and assessed the condition of the books and documents. As each item was uncovered, experts cataloged and created a web-based database inventory. Bibliographic research provided identification and description information for the database. However in many cases, title pages and other key information were missing, which required further research to provide the most accurate description possible.

This is part of the first of a five volume set of the Zohar, a ḳabbalistic commentary on the Torah. This volume is commentary on the biblical book of Genesis. On the facing page of the title page are hand drawn illustrations.

Mukharabat Buildings in early May 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

Military entering the flooded Mukhabarat basement on May 6, 2003. Photo courtesy of Harold Rhode

These are blank exams from the Frank Iny School issued between 1957 and 1963. The exams are: Entrance Exam to the First Intermediate, French Section, Mathematics, 1957-1960; Entrance Exam to the First Intermediate, English Grammar, 1957-1960, 1962-1963; Entrance Exam to the First Intermediate, French Grammar, 1957-1960, 1963; Passing Exams, French Section, Calculus, 1961-1963.

This is a title page for a prayer book for the three pilgrimage festivals printed in Baghdad. Found with it was one page, likely from another prayer book, with prayers for the Sukah.

This is the title page a first few pages from a volume of the Ṭur, a medieval book on Jewish law.

This is an Arabic printing Nathan Yanai's book, "Party Leadership in Israel: Maintenance and Change" translated by the Revolutionary Leadership Council Research and Information Center. The title page notes the publisher as the Middle East Institute at Columbia University (where Yanai first published his work as his PhD dissertation).