A: So they were not (involved) in… smuggling… the people
B: They didn't take money. They (just) assisted.
A: They assisted, yes
B: Yes. Anyone who wanted… they arranged a way (out) for him.
A: It's a pity that they were caught. It's a pity that they were caught.
B: Yes. That (smuggling from) Baṣġa was a disaster. A: How terrible was Baṣġa and its
B: I… I knew more or less all these boys. I used to go to my sister Widād. She was married (and lived) there. I used to go. They were all my age
A: Oh no! B: All of them were the same… age of mine. So
A: The one that they killed by hanging, a boy, they said (he was) 16 years old
B: This… Dawūd Ġāli, 1 Refers to Iraqi Jews that cooperated with the Jewish Agency and assisted Jews in being smuggled out of Iraq through the Iranian border. 2 Refers to 9 Jewish boys that were caught while trying to escape out of Iraq and were hung in Baghdad on January 27th 1969. (was) our neighbor. The other Dawūd, he…
.A: How many boys did they kill by hanging in Baṣġa? From the boys, They said that only one boy
C: No! How come only one boy? B: No! How come one? Six (or) seven. A: From the… from the Jews
B: Six (or) seve… Yes! C: Yes! What (did you think) then
B: Six (or) seven. (coffee is brought to the participants
D: This coffee didn't turn out good. You confused us with the talking and it boiled
C: What's that? D: The coffee. (back to the subject
A: (Just) a second! B: They had killed six (or) seven by hangin
A: Jews
B: Jews. They were eleven. Eleven (who were) hung at the same day. and I, I got out of the… at night we heard the… They said they are killing them by hanging. A: How terrible is !that /B: There was… a trial. Ok, I had… I had (to go to) my college. We lived in Masbaḥ, I had to go to Bāb ᵊl-Mˁad̠̟d̠̟am
A: I… (but) We are talking about Baṣġa. B: They hung them in Baghdad, In Sāḥǝt ᵊl-Taḥrīr
A: They brought Nāǧi Zǝlxa to Baghdad? B: They hung all of them in Sāḥǝt ᵊl-Taḥrīr. (Did you think) Otherwise
C: Yes. (Did you think) Otherwise? All of them. A: Not in Baṣġa? B: Which Baṣġa? (Rhetorically
C: No! A: Oh I wish their heads would come off! Oh let their name be erased
C: All of them in Baghdad. B: So I took one of these service taxis. I got out of the house I took a service taxi, (and) went to the college. I didn't know! How could I know? I saw that the streets look different. The people are troubled and so on. I got till Sāhǝt ᵊt-Taḥrīr. And I saw them hung in front of me
A: Oh no! (Literally: grief
B: Ok. I wouldn't go to the college anymore. (Rhetorically: who will go to the college anymore?) (Said to the taxi driver:) please let me get down! I got off, I made a turn from Sāhǝt ᵊt-Taḥrīr, (and) I went through Nid̠̟āl street, not through Saˁadūn street. I walked on Nid̠̟āl street and I went back, I went to Xālda's at the time.
Translation is provided by courtesy of Dr. Assaf Bar-Moshe