Nehardea Magazine

Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center
No.15, Winter 2005/2006

BABYLONIAN JEWS IN THE DIASPORA

THE PHILANTHROPIST Mr. GEORGE ELIAS
Prof. Shmuel Moreh Chairman of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq & of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center's Academic Council

The Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq in Israel and the Academic Council of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or-Yehuda, announce with sorrow the untimely passing away of the philanthropist, the late Mr. George Elias, the eminent community leader and supporter of educational, cultural, religious and medical centers in Israel and abroad. Mr. Elias passed away on 4th March 2005 in Hale, Cheshire near Manchester after being for a long time resident of Hertziliya Pituah in Israel.

Mr. George Elias in his last visit to the Center

During my work as visiting professor at the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Manchester University, I was lucky to meet Mr. George Elias through Mrs. Lucille and her husband Mr. Sidney Cohen. Mrs. Cohen was then a research student at the Department and an active Zionist who kept an open house for Jewish visitors from all over the world. When I told her that I was born in Baghdad she urged me to meet one of the distinguished leaders and most active personality among the Jewish Community in Manchester. At Hale Synagogue I was introduced to Mr. Elias and his family whom he was so proud, to Ernest, a business man in N.Y., Stephen who continued his father's business in textile and David who was then a medical student. During my yearly visit at summer vacations and sabbaticals at Manchester University for many years, Mr. Elias invited me to celebrate Pesach with his family, Rosh Hashana and Sukkot as well. I was impressed by the typical Iraqi Jewish ceremonies, Shabathot and food prepared by his wife Mrs. Daisy Elias and her daughter Suzy. He also took me with him to Jewish lectures and activities where he always distinguished himself by his logical opinions, comments and dominating personality. He was never interested in telling jokes and gossip, but always discussed with me serious subjects and matters such as the meaning of life and the future of the Jewish people in Israel, and was happy and proud of its achievements.

Mr. Elias was born in Baghdad, Iraq to a pious Orthodox Jewish family and studied at the Shammash School in Baghdad. During his studies he was involved in Zionist activities by collecting donation for the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet le-Israel) in the famous blue boxes. He was deeply influenced by his Jewish teachers from the Holy Land who taught Hebrew and sciences between 1927-1935. In the 1930's he established the Zionist 'Ahi'ever' Organization with his fellow students such as Dr. Shaul Sehayik, for social and Jewish cultural activities, establishing a Hebrew library and importing Jewish newspapers from abroad. During these years teachers from Palestine, such as Dr. F. Kalai, Zeev Neiderman and Avraham Rozen taught modern Hebrew, established the monthly journal Shemesh, a student magazine in Hebrew and Hebrew theatrical groups. Talented students performed in Hebrew several Hebrew plays such as King Ahashverosh, Purim Spiel, by Bercovitz, David and Goliath by Yisrael Duschmann, and Yehuda Hamaccabi by Longfellow. Other performances included well-known Biblical plays such as Joseph and his Brothers, Queen Esther, and The Binding of Isaac. These plays deepened the ties of the Jews of Iraq with their past and the Zionist activities in Palestine, revived their Zionist aspiration and restored their pride in their history and their national ties. The talented young Elias took part in these Hebrew plays. Because of his good looks, strong personality, radio-phonic voice, and charismatic character he was given leading roles in these plays. No other actor of these plays was able to recite his role. However, we were lucky to be able to record Mr. Elias's role in a Hebrew operetta dealing with the revival of the Hebrew language and Jewish national home. It was performed several times during the years 1927-1933 on the stage of Shammash school in Baghdad. The dialogue is between a young lady weeping bitterly near a tomb,and lamenting her destiny (she represents the Jewish people and the Hebrew language) and an angel who is standing by to comfort her and to deliver her from her sorrow, predicting the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Mr. Elias, because of his good looks and distinguished voice, played the role of the young lady. The following is an English translation of this short operetta, of which we were unable to verify the title or the author. Students of Shammash School performed me:*

Angel: Who are you, poor lady? Who are you, miserable one? Where have you been until now? When have you been picked [tender flower], which hand has hurt you? And now what are you doing here.

Young lady: Alas, I have been brought low! From Zion I am, My name is Yehuda, and now I am living in the Diaspora!

Angel: You, the daughter of Yehuda! you look like a flower in a desert, in the mud your flowers are crushed. You are humiliated, imprisoned, victimized and lonely, and now no one has shown mercy towards you!

The angel continues his dialogue: Wait for your Lord until he will have mercy upon you! Wait until he will gather all of us in the land of Zion, then he will revive your days of legend when you were young, and to Jerusalem you will return with exultation.

In 1941 Mr. Elias narrowly escaped death during the Farhud pogrom committed against the Jews of Iraq. As a protest against the persecutions, he left Iraq in 1946 for the United Kingdom to study radio engineering. In Manchester he established himself as one of the wealthy textile manufacturers, community leader, and a philanthropist. He continued his activities and got himself involved in various Zionists organizations to support Israel, chaired the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod. His awareness of the importance of good education among Sephardi Jews in Israel; he donated annual scholarships to young men after their military service through Keren Hayesod and Keren Kiddoum Hahinnukh which was established by Jews from Iraq.

His students admired him, were attached to him and wrote many letters of gratitude to him (preserved by his Israeli Secretary, Ms. Ada Tsur), for his interest in their progress. He invited me many times to attend his meetings with his friends who raise funds for a new water reservoir at Gehser and a fish farm at Kibbuz Gesher in Beit Shean Valley.

He left England for Israel, got deeply involved in its cultural, educational and scientific activities. He donated funds to many institutions, was elected honorary President of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq, became a member of the Board of Directors of The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center and created a class of studies, contributed to Beit Hatfutsot in Tel-Aviv and to many other organizations. He contributed to the peace treaty with Jordan by establishing textile factories in Amman, and supported many academic institutions in England and Israel.

He was a Zionist, supporter of Israel and proud of his being a scion of the writers of the Babylonian Talmud and the Gaonim. The Jewish people as a whole lost one of her proud sons who set an example to be followed by others. Yehie Zichro Barouch.

* The Hebrew text of this operetta and on the theatrical Jewish activities in Iraq, see: S. Moreh, The development of Jewish Theatre and Cinema in Iraq, in: Studies in the History and Culture of the Jews in Babylonia, ed. Y. Avishur and Z. Yehuda, Or-Yehuda, 2002 Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, pp. 39-59.

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BABYLONIAN JEWS IN THE DIASPORA
THE PHILANTHROPIST Mr. GEORGE ELIAS Prof. Shmuel Moreh Chairman of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq & of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center's Academic Council
The Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq in Israel and the Academic Council of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or-Yehuda, announce with sorrow the untimely passing away of the philanthropist, the late Mr. George Elias, the eminent community leader and supporter of educational, cultural, religious and medical centers in Israel and abroad. Mr. Elias passed away on 4th March 2005 in Hale, Cheshire near Manchester after being for a long time resident of Hertziliya Pituah in Israel. Mr. George Elias in his last visit to the Center During my work as visiting professor at the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Manchester University, I was lucky to meet Mr. George Elias through Mrs. Lucille and her husband Mr. Sidney Cohen. Mrs. Cohen was then a research student at the Department and an active Zionist who kept an open house for Jewish visitors from all over the world. When I told her that I was born in Baghdad she urged me to meet one of the distinguished leaders and most active personality among the Jewish Community in Manchester. At Hale Synagogue I was introduced to Mr. Elias and his family whom he was so proud, to Ernest, a business man in N.Y., Stephen who continued his father's business in textile and David who was then a medical student. During my yearly visit at summer vacations and sabbaticals at Manchester University for many years, Mr. Elias invited me to celebrate Pesach with his family, Rosh Hashana and Sukkot as well. I was impressed by the typical Iraqi Jewish ceremonies, Shabathot and food prepared by his wife Mrs. Daisy Elias and her daughter Suzy. He also took me with him to Jewish lectures and activities where he always distinguished himself by his logical opinions, comments and dominating personality. He was never interested in telling jokes and gossip, but always discussed with me serious subjects and matters such as the meaning of life and the future of the Jewish people in Israel, and was happy and proud of its achievements. Mr. Elias was born in Baghdad, Iraq to a pious Orthodox Jewish family and studied at the Shammash School in Baghdad. During his studies he was involved in Zionist activities by collecting donation for the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet le-Israel) in the famous blue boxes. He was deeply influenced by his Jewish teachers from the Holy Land who taught Hebrew and sciences between 1927-1935. In the 1930's he established the Zionist 'Ahi'ever' Organization with his fellow students such as Dr. Shaul Sehayik, for social and Jewish cultural activities, establishing a Hebrew library and importing Jewish newspapers from abroad. During these years teachers from Palestine, such as Dr. F. Kalai, Zeev Neiderman and Avraham Rozen taught modern Hebrew, established the monthly journal Shemesh, a student magazine in Hebrew and Hebrew theatrical groups. Talented students performed in Hebrew several Hebrew plays such as King Ahashverosh, Purim Spiel, by Bercovitz, David and Goliath by Yisrael Duschmann, and Yehuda Hamaccabi by Longfellow. Other performances included well-known Biblical plays such as Joseph and his Brothers, Queen Esther, and The Binding of Isaac. These plays deepened the ties of the Jews of Iraq with their past and the Zionist activities in Palestine, revived their Zionist aspiration and restored their pride in their history and their national ties. The talented young Elias took part in these Hebrew plays. Because of his good looks, strong personality, radio-phonic voice, and charismatic character he was given leading roles in these plays. No other actor of these plays was able to recite his role. However, we were lucky to be able to record Mr. Elias's role in a Hebrew operetta dealing with the revival of the Hebrew language and Jewish national home. It was performed several times during the years 1927-1933 on the stage of Shammash school in Baghdad. The dialogue is between a young lady weeping bitterly near a tomb,and lamenting her destiny (she represents the Jewish people and the Hebrew language) and an angel who is standing by to comfort her and to deliver her from her sorrow, predicting the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Mr. Elias, because of his good looks and distinguished voice, played the role of the young lady. The following is an English translation of this short operetta, of which we were unable to verify the title or the author. Students of Shammash School performed me:* Angel: Who are you, poor lady? Who are you, miserable one? Where have you been until now? When have you been picked [tender flower], which hand has hurt you? And now what are you doing here. Young lady: Alas, I have been brought low! From Zion I am, My name is Yehuda, and now I am living in the Diaspora! Angel: You, the daughter of Yehuda! you look like a flower in a desert, in the mud your flowers are crushed. You are humiliated, imprisoned, victimized and lonely, and now no one has shown mercy towards you! The angel continues his dialogue: Wait for your Lord until he will have mercy upon you! Wait until he will gather all of us in the land of Zion, then he will revive your days of legend when you were young, and to Jerusalem you will return with exultation. In 1941 Mr. Elias narrowly escaped death during the Farhud pogrom committed against the Jews of Iraq. As a protest against the persecutions, he left Iraq in 1946 for the United Kingdom to study radio engineering. In Manchester he established himself as one of the wealthy textile manufacturers, community leader, and a philanthropist. He continued his activities and got himself involved in various Zionists organizations to support Israel, chaired the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod. His awareness of the importance of good education among Sephardi Jews in Israel; he donated annual scholarships to young men after their military service through Keren Hayesod and Keren Kiddoum Hahinnukh which was established by Jews from Iraq. His students admired him, were attached to him and wrote many letters of gratitude to him (preserved by his Israeli Secretary, Ms. Ada Tsur), for his interest in their progress. He invited me many times to attend his meetings with his friends who raise funds for a new water reservoir at Gehser and a fish farm at Kibbuz Gesher in Beit Shean Valley. He left England for Israel, got deeply involved in its cultural, educational and scientific activities. He donated funds to many institutions, was elected honorary President of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq, became a member of the Board of Directors of The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center and created a class of studies, contributed to Beit Hatfutsot in Tel-Aviv and to many other organizations. He contributed to the peace treaty with Jordan by establishing textile factories in Amman, and supported many academic institutions in England and Israel. He was a Zionist, supporter of Israel and proud of his being a scion of the writers of the Babylonian Talmud and the Gaonim. The Jewish people as a whole lost one of her proud sons who set an example to be followed by others. Yehie Zichro Barouch. * The Hebrew text of this operetta and on the theatrical Jewish activities in Iraq, see: S. Moreh, The development of Jewish Theatre and Cinema in Iraq, in: Studies in the History and Culture of the Jews in Babylonia, ed. Y. Avishur and Z. Yehuda, Or-Yehuda, 2002 Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, pp. 39-59.
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