A Visit to Jordan

by Abraham Yadid

In August 1995, a year after the accomplishment of the peace-treaty between Israel and Jordan, I, my wife and my son, along with a group, mostly ex-Iraqis, hired a minibus for a 5-day visit to Jordan. The trip was a safe and interesting one. In the mini-bus a polite and friendly Bedouin policeman and Guide accompanied us throughout our journey. Indeed we enjoyed the trip. We visited very interesting old and historical sites, like Petra, Djerash and Mount Nebo where (so they say) Aharon Hacohen was buried there.

As it is usual, visitors to a new country, want mainly to do shopping particularly, when everything sold out in the magazines, shops, stores and supermarkets of Amman are cheaper than Israel. To my amazement however, women amongst our group, who were the majority, insisted on the driver to take them to a certain shop in the suburbs of Amman, selling antique jewellery, curiosities and silverware of all kinds.

Like birds of prey falling on their booty the women fell on the articles shown in the shop. They bought out old diamond and gold necklaces, bracelets, pins, etc., all in US dollars and at relatively cheap prices. I and a friend stood to look out on the Silverware corner of the shop wherein, antique silver trays, plates, cups, spoons, etc., were found in that corner. My friend who was standing at my side, traced a sweet dish with a nicely inscribed handle, which was engraved on its bottom two Arabic words: ie., Haron Einy. My friend immediately new he has seen this plate, slapped his face, exclaiming "this belongs to my uncle Haron Einy, how it happened that this is found here?

He added, definitely this is "ex-Farhud as well as all the contents of this shop. He remembered that all valuables in his uncleÃs house were looted in the "Farhud." The late Haron Einy was a senior official at the Ottoman Bank in Basrah and Baghdad. The "Farhud" is the great looting of Jewish houses and shops which took place in May 1941 after the collapse of Rashid AliÃs regime in Iraq.

Following this scene, I turned out to a tall person - an Iraqi ShiaÃs Moslem, apparently a partner in that shop, who spoke well the Arabic dialect of the Jews of Iraq, addressing him, you see how the Arabic Proverb "calamities of a people are benefits to other people" fits this case. He smiled and nodded his head.

Ramat-Gan

Abraham Yadid

Scribe: On a visit to Vienna some years ago we found many shops exhibiting silver Judaica articles, which must have been looted from Jewish households during the Holocaust. Criminals all.