Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center
No.16, Spring  2008


 

 

YITZHAK BATTAT

 

 

At the end of 2005 the Center held a memorial evening in honor of the actor Yitzhak Battat. The evening, which took place thirty days after his passing, was attended by numerous friends and admirers. Prof. Shmuel Moreh chaired the evening and delivered an eulogy. Mordechai Ben-Porat, Chairman of the Center, described the deceased and his important contribution to the culture of the Iraqi Jewish community.

Yitzhak Battat was born in 1920. Already, as a young person, he loved art of every kind, photography, music, but especially the theater. He used every opportunity, particularly school vacations, to organize activities with his friends, especially to take part in performances.

 

In 1941 an Art Academy opened in Baghdad. Battat was among the first to apply to study there. He was joined by the well-known artists Arieh Elias and Salman Abdullah. After making Aliyah in 1951 he tried his hand at the Hebrew theater, but did not meet with success. He worked in the computer department of the Shekem chain, and used his talents in a part-time job in the Israeli Arabic-language radio station, where he played the part of a lawyer in the program “The Court”. At the same time he also played a major role in the activities of Iraqi immigrant clubs; he often performed, without pay of course, in plays which he had written himself and directed as well. We all remember him in his well-known role as a matchmaker in the unforgettable play “al-Dallala” (“The Matchmaker”).

 

The veteran teacher, Yehezkel Ozer, from Azur read during the ceremony a poem he had written in Yitzhak Battat’s memory.