Beit El Barazali

Dear Mira (a reader writes),

I just started reading this beautiful memoire and got to Page 14 which talks about Beit el Barazali. My paternal grandfather bought Beit El Barazali from your grandparents, and he and my grandmother along with my 2 uncles and their wives and both my parents lived there.

Throughout the years we always heard talk of Beit El Barazali. My maternal aunts and uncles and my mother grew up next door to Beit El Barazali, and my then youngest little uncle as a child says he remembers a Moshe living in the house at the time. Throughout the years growing up my mother and father always talked about living in Beit El Barazali as a newly wed couple along with my dad’s brothers and their wives and parents. It was a very large house indeed with a Bustan belonging and next to it.

My grandfather sold the house years later and it became a court house and sectioned into offices. What a small world. We immigrated years ago, and live in NC.

Nedda Ibrahim

 

Favourite bread

A nice comment about our YouTube video, When Baghdad Was Beautiful:

 

Correction

A reader, Gabriella Amouyal, has kindly been in touch to query something we wrote in Memories of Eden. ‘On Page 109,’ she writes, ‘ the author states …”their prayer shawls and their black morning straps…” I take it that the black straps are the tfellin. From what I know – these are forbidden on shabbat and especially yom kippur. I’ve never heard of a tradition of wearing them on yom kippur. Can I get clarification as to whether this is a mistake in the book or whether it in fact was a tradition for Baghdadian jewry. I am most interested in the answer. ‘

Gabriella, you’re quite right. I am afraid nobody spotted the error. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

Best wishes

On the Tigris (1)

On the Tigris (2)

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It’s sad that I’ll never get to know Baghdad in its true state, when it wasn’t corrupted and when everyone – no matter religion – lived together in peace. I’ve heard great stories from my aunts, and with your great photos, I can actually imagine how it used to be. Thank you!                                                                                                                                                                   Lalila T

‘Memories’ now in Hebrew

We are delighted to announce a new arrival – Memories of Eden in Hebrew.

Ever since our book was first published in 2008 (republished in 2010 by Northwestern University Press in the USA) we have been aware that lack of English could prevent many for whom the story will resonate from reading it. We have been asked many times whether a version in Hebrew might be possible and now, by popular demand, it is.  Our sincere thanks to Moshe Shemesh (no relation), an Israeli friend who has translated the work and organised publication via the Gvanim publishing house in Israel.

It should be in Israeli bookstores now and is also available directly via the Israeli website.

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