The Farhud and Aliya to Israel

I remember the Farhud as though it were (happening) now. I remember what was (what happened), what they screamed, what they said, what happened, how my father fought. I remember it all. I remember myself from when I was about five years old, in the Farhud. The Farhud has not changed from that time in my mind. Before the Farhud, we knew the Farhud was going to happen. My father destroyed a wall, tiles…and built, between two walls, he put…valuables. And what remained from the wall, he went up to the ceiling, and escaped at the time of the Farhud. I remember, women were screaming “Oh, you who brings salvation closer! Oh, you who is high without (needing) stairs! G-d!”. My father stood on the wall, organised the tiles and the molotov cocktails. We were the first house in the neighbourhood. The first house, the first house. My father was waiting for the rioters to come. A few rioters came, and they (were) screaming, “we brought (caught) the infidel Jews!”. A little boy. My father was waiting for the group (of rioters). And one of them had a boy’s (severed) leg with traditional anklets in his hand, shouting “we brought (caught) the infidel Jews! We brought (caught) the infidel Jews!”. And he was flaunting the stones, the tile, the molotov cocktail…he knew what he (was) doing. I was five years old, and they put me under the bed. I became sad and I escaped to go help my father. And my mother was behind me, (and) pulled me and took me (back). My father wasn’t very…he learned to fight in Jerusalem. And he was very, very smart. The Arabs…learned that this house was powerful, they couldn’t overcome it. And the whole neighbourhood…most of them…they (the rioters) didn’t do anything to them (the residents of the neighbourhood). The policeman of the neighbourhood…with guns. He said to him (my father), “what’s your name?”. My father was very smart. He told him, “Saleh.” Saleh is a name of Jews and also of Arabs. And immediately, he (the policeman) fled to another place. And when the gunshot was fired, dad was far (away) from the gunshot. In the morning, my dad dressed us in kerchiefs, and Arab clothes, and we went to our family in another place. I remember the song. “The holiday in which we were plundered on the day of the holiday, the Arabs and the looters came, and they took whatever you want (everything you can think of. The holiday in which we were plundered on the day of the holiday.” (When) the State of Israel came into existence, they tortured the Jews. Any Zionist was oppressed, and any communist (was oppressed) even more. And many people went to prison. They charged them as Zionists, they charged them as…especially Zionists…many went to prison. And my brother was also in prison. My older sister, who was 18 years old, came to Israel before the big (Jewish) immigration to Israel. And my brother, who was younger than her, also went one by one, one by one, we were…going to Israel. And unexpectedly, in this big…happened…the big (Jewish) immigration to Israel. And almost all of the Jews of Iraq came to Israel. From the rich to the poor, they all came. Almost all of them came.