We boarded the plane, and they brought us to Shaar Haliyah. And from Shaar Haaliyah they took us to Moshav Tzeelim. From Moshav Tzeelim…it wasn’t good there. They took us to Zarait. We couldn’t live there, so we were taken to Yohanan transit camp. From Yohanan transit camp we were taken to Moshav Pedaya, and there were (Palestinian) infiltrators who wanted to kill my father by mistake. An from there we went to Kadima. We lived in Kadima until the last day of my mother and father. We came on a plane, and in the middle of the journey they told us, “the airplane is (too) heavy, and we don’t know what to do.” And they threw all our suitcases into the sea. And we came…we got off the airplane at Shaar Haaliya with nothing, only the clothes that were on us. We didn’t have anything. Yes. That was in the (19)50s. It was really a very, very, very difficult aaliyah (move to Israel). But thank G-d we lived and we sorted ourselves out and everything, we got married, we had children, and we had grandchildren. Thank G-d. Praise G-d.
There was the Farhud. In the Farhud, they killed some (Jews). Some (Jews) hid, some…when the State of Israel was established, they came and told them (the Jews in Iraq) “there’s the Land of Israel. (If) you want, go to…leave to the Land of Israel”. And my father said to my mother, “Come on! Let’s go to the Land of Israel. The Land of milk and honey.” That’s what they were told. They took the approval (to leave Iraq), they (Iraqi authorities) gave them approval, and we left Kirkuk. When we left on the plane, the stewardess came and told my mother, “you cannot hold him (your baby) in your arms”. My mother said to her, “where should I put him?”. She said to her, “come, put him in…the suitcase compartment. Put him there.” When they got off (the plane), my mother took him from the suitcase compartment.