REMINISCENCE

4th. GENERATION . CLICK TO  ENLARGE

ITSHAK ASSIA'S FAMILY THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1934, THE FAMILY  OF ITSHAK ASSIA. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW :- NADJI, ROUBEN MANI, YEHUDA, EZRA.. FRONT ROW :- MEIR, ITSHAK, HELWA, MARCELLE MANI (NEE ASSIA), NOURI, MAURICE. (HELWA ASSIA IS THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF ELIAHU ROUBEN)

YEHUDA ASSIA. BORN IN BAGHDAD IN 1917. HIS GRANDFATHER EZRA GOT THE NICKNAME " ASSI" BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO PAY A FIXED SUM  IN ORDER TO BE EXEMPTED FROM THE OTTOMAN'S MILITARY SERVICE. THUS THE NICKNAME BECAME THE FAMILY NAME "ASSIA" (Rebel in arabic) . AT A YOUNG AGE YEHUDA LEFT BAGHDAD TO JAPAN AND ENGAGED IN EXPORTING TEXTILES TO BAGHDAD.

FROM THEN ON  HIS BUSINESS FLOURISHED AND HE BECAME A WEALTHY PERSON. NOW HE IS AMONG THE GREAT PHILANTHROPISTS OF THE IRAQI JEWS, DONATED MONEY TO MUSEUMS, RESEARCH, UNIVERSITIES, EDUCATION, SYNAGOGUES AND GOOD DEEDS. CURRENTLY HE IS LIVING IN ISRAEL TOGETHER WITH HIS CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. MAY GOD BLESS THEM ALL.

ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS THE BOOK COVER OF YEHUDA ASSIA'S MEMOIR : " BRIDGES OF MY LIFE : BAGHDAD, KOBE, JAPAN, BANGKOK, GENEVE, ISRAEL." THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2005.

TO READ A PARAGRAPH FROM ASSIA'S BOOK "BRIDGES OF MY LIFE " IN HEBREW JUST CLICK HERE.