Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Almost 50 House Members Urge State Department to Turn Over Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraqi Jews

Haaretz is reporting that almost 50 Members of the US House of Representatives have asked the State Department to turn over the Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraqi Jews.   And no wonder.  As Haaretz explains,  

Members of Iraq's Jewish community, many of whom fled the country in previous decades, say the materials were forcibly taken from them and should not be returned.
Edwin Shuker, 58, who escaped to Britain with his family from Baghdad in 1971, said he had discovered his long-abandoned school certificate on display as part of the National Archives exhibition.
"This is more than a school certificate - it is the identity we were forced to leave behind," he told Reuters, likening the document's journey and survival to his own.
"I would like to be reassured that my children and future generations will have unrestricted access to this collection."
Yet, the State Department ignored another bipartisan letter from 12 members of Congress raising concerns with the then prospective inclusion of coins in the Italian MOU.  So, one has to wonder whether the State Department will actually address these concerns though we are told they have been heard "loud and clear." 

1 comment:

Wayne G. Sayles said...

As we all know, the State Department hears everything "loud and clear" but acts in their own perceived interests, not those of the citizens whose voices they perfunctorily acknowledge. When we hear a definitive public statement from the State Department in opposition to repatriation of these objects, I will be less inclined to consider their position as business as usual.