Archives THE BABYLONIAN JEWRY HERITAGE CENTER PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE

The beginning of the collection of photographs in the archive of the Center
was photographs that I received frorm two Hebrew kindergarden teachers.
They were sent to the Nahal Ganei-Yeladim in Baghdad in 1927.

Following the receipt of these first photographs which had been documented and
catalogued, a great and intensive effort was made to find photographs,
especially photographs taken in Iraq that would reflect the life and the
culture of the Iraqi Jews as well as photographs pertaining to Jews of
Iraqi origin living in Israel and other places around the world.

People who were unwilling to part with the original photograph allowed us
to make a copy so that we could document and catalog it and the original
was returned to the owner. Every new photograph received a serial number
and a catalogue card was made classifying it. Each card carried the details
of the photograph, the date it was taken, the place and the circumstances
surrounding the event depicted and any other information available. If
persons in the photograph were identified this informatipon was cross-filed
with any other pictures in which this same person appeared.

Thanks to the efforts made and the cooperation of many people, we have
succeeded in collectingm more thn 10,000 photographs and a large number of
documents relating to the life of Jews in Iraq such as pastimes,
entertainment, clothing, and the cycle of life; birth, circumcision, Bar
Mitzva and marriage.

Sometimes a photograph would catch the attention of a researcher who lacked
documentation for some detail of life for which they had no real proof, for
instance, the conscription of Jews into the various Iraqi armies - the
Ottoman, the Iraqi and the British forces. Another example was the matter
of the Jews who fled Iraq for Iran. They lived in a refugee camp that was
located in the Jewish cemetary in Teheran and their eventual journey to
Israel. (Research on the refugee camp will be published soon).

In the past two years we have received some 600 pictures connected with the
Underground Pioneer Movement in Iraq. These photographs are currently
being documented and catalogued. This archive is an incomparable source of
information for researchers and other purposes. These phorographs are a
essential to the authenticity of the exhibits portraying the live of
Babylonian Jews in the museum at the Center,


We are still receiving photographs from various sources for documentation
and will be happy to receive any photograph and documentation that will add
to our fund of knowledge.

Dr. Shaul Sehayik