Nehardea Magazine

Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center
No.13, Summer 2001

EVENTS AT THE CENTER

"I AM PROUD TO BE AN IRAQI JEW"
A FESTIVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE FIFTIETH JUBILEE OF ALIYA
Yehuda Sayig

On June 14th, 1951, yet another plane with new immigrants landed in Lod Airport (known today as Ben Gurion Airport). Mordechai Ben-Porat left the plane still unaware of the reality of having escaped the Iraqi prison and that in a few minutes his feet would once again tread the path of his homeland.

The late Moshe Carmil, who was then a Mossad le Aliya Bet member and Ben-Porat's director, was atruly modest man whose noble deeds performed for his country were still unknown in the media. He rushed to take Mordechai home to Holon. Mordechai's agitated mother hugged him not believing her eyes:"I handed you over to the hands of God and He made sure tosend you back safely"...

Artist Shosha Goren

50 years later, since that historic day, thousands of Iraqi Jews were gathered together in Heichal Hatarbut in Tel-Aviv in order to celebrate the Aliya Jubilee.
No one had any doubt that the story of the immigration of 130,000 Iraqi Jews was a great success. With all our efforts to try to minimize this fact, the reality was so different: there is neither field nor circle in the country - economic, public, scientific, security, literary, medical, educational, etc. where the Iraqis are not deeply involved.

"The He Halutz Movement in Iraq", said Ben-Porat to those who were present at the festive assembly, "became a pillar of fire, that led the mass immigration to Israel.”

Ben-Porat said that he believed at first that only 40,000 out of 130,000 Iraqi Jews would agree to immigrate to Israel, but the reality was not so: during the first two months 60,000 applied for immigration.
The immigration officials in Israel urgently wired Mordechai asking him to slow down the immigration. The reason was a severe shortage of tents. The secret telegram declared: "We are waiting for a shipload of tents from India.”
Ben-Porat praised the organizers of the evening as well as the staff of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or Yehuda headed by the General Manager, Mr. Yigal Loushi: "They worked day and night in order to make this evening a success.”
Not all Iraqi Jews in Israel, who number over 253,000 were able to come to Heichal Hatarbut in Tel-Aviv. Around 3,000 who participated, among them several guests from abroad, enjoyed this gathering, which was directed with grace and humor by Mr. Yosy Alphi.
Three Ministers, Daliah Itzik, Matan Vilnai and Raanan Cohen, who participated in the assembly agreed to accept the challenge presented to them by Ben-Porat - to bring up the subject at one of the government's meetings, of raising funds to help complete the upper floor of the Museum. >>>

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EVENTS AT THE CENTER
"I AM PROUD TO BE AN IRAQI JEW" A FESTIVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE FIFTIETH JUBILEE OF ALIYA Yehuda Sayig
On June 14th, 1951, yet another plane with new immigrants landed in Lod Airport (known today as Ben Gurion Airport). Mordechai Ben-Porat left the plane still unaware of the reality of having escaped the Iraqi prison and that in a few minutes his feet would once again tread the path of his homeland. The late Moshe Carmil, who was then a Mossad le Aliya Bet member and Ben-Porat's director, was atruly modest man whose noble deeds performed for his country were still unknown in the media. He rushed to take Mordechai home to Holon. Mordechai's agitated mother hugged him not believing her eyes:"I handed you over to the hands of God and He made sure tosend you back safely"... Artist Shosha Goren 50 years later, since that historic day, thousands of Iraqi Jews were gathered together in Heichal Hatarbut in Tel-Aviv in order to celebrate the Aliya Jubilee. No one had any doubt that the story of the immigration of 130,000 Iraqi Jews was a great success. With all our efforts to try to minimize this fact, the reality was so different: there is neither field nor circle in the country - economic, public, scientific, security, literary, medical, educational, etc. where the Iraqis are not deeply involved. "The He Halutz Movement in Iraq", said Ben-Porat to those who were present at the festive assembly, "became a pillar of fire, that led the mass immigration to Israel.” Ben-Porat said that he believed at first that only 40,000 out of 130,000 Iraqi Jews would agree to immigrate to Israel, but the reality was not so: during the first two months 60,000 applied for immigration. The immigration officials in Israel urgently wired Mordechai asking him to slow down the immigration. The reason was a severe shortage of tents. The secret telegram declared: "We are waiting for a shipload of tents from India.” Ben-Porat praised the organizers of the evening as well as the staff of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or Yehuda headed by the General Manager, Mr. Yigal Loushi: "They worked day and night in order to make this evening a success.” Not all Iraqi Jews in Israel, who number over 253,000 were able to come to Heichal Hatarbut in Tel-Aviv. Around 3,000 who participated, among them several guests from abroad, enjoyed this gathering, which was directed with grace and humor by Mr. Yosy Alphi. Three Ministers, Daliah Itzik, Matan Vilnai and Raanan Cohen, who participated in the assembly agreed to accept the challenge presented to them by Ben-Porat - to bring up the subject at one of the government's meetings, of raising funds to help complete the upper floor of the Museum. >>>
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