Collection of poems and compositions by the students of the Shamash school in Baghdad with illustrations, issues 2-3. Stencil print of handwritten material, internal publication of the Shamash School in Baghdad. These issues were published 1930-1933. Rare.
Two booklets published by the students in the Jewish “Shamash” school in Baghdad. Compositions on various subjects and poems describing Jewish life in Baghdad at the start of the 1930s. The compositions and poems were written by students of the Jewish high school. Compositions are written on a wide range of topics.
The essays include one titled “Medinat Yomi U’Medinat Chalomi” by a student named Yosef Meir, describing the injustice of the Baghdadi government: “We live in a state of the day, filled with unjust oppression, cruelty without compassion, bribery and injustice without justice and integrity, hate without love, division without unity, and hate without brotherly love, it is a state with rich and poor, big and little, leaders and losers, happy and unfortunate … a state in which the strong kills the weak, the philanthropist embezzles the unfortunate and worse, brother kills brother, this is a state of mourning and elegy, of sickness and trouble … but the dream state is not like this state….”
Includes another composition by Yaakov Peretz titled “L’Kever Yechezkel” describing the Jewish custom in Baghdad to go up to Ezekiel’s tomb on Shavuot: “Since the Jews have settled in Baghdad … on the Shavuot holiday … for generations it is is accepted on this holiday to travel to Ezekiel’s tomb and visit him, that is why they call it “Chag HaBikkurim” [Holiday of the Visits …].” In addition, there is a composition titled “Pesach B’Baghdad” with details regarding the customs of Baghdadi Jews for the Passover festival. Another interesting composition is titled, “I Traveled to India”: “I was born in Bahrain near the Persian Gulf, when I was six I traveled with my parents to Rangoon, Burma, and I studied in a government school for about half a year. Then my parents placed me in a Jewish school of the “Agudah HaIvrit” which was built in 1918 by the belated David Chai, the famed Jewish millionaire …” another composition by a student named George Yitzchak Abudi discusses the “Hebrew Language”: “The Hebrew Language is a holy tongue our forefathers spoke when they were in their Holy Land, it is a language that a person should speak if he has even a drop of pure Jewish blood …” Also includes the song “Al Naharot Bavel” [by the rivers of Babylon] with musical notes and a crossword.
The booklet concludes with passages titled “Life in Our School,” with descriptions of cultural activities in the school, from the Jewish newspapers in Baghdad and more.
Issue 2 [10] leaves. Issue 3: [11] leaves. Identical size: 32 cm. Aging stains, fine condition.