מאגר סיפורי מורשת

My name is Shoshana Pereg and my maiden name was Ezair

I was born on 4th September 1950 in Bombay (today Mumbai) India to my parents Nessim and Renee (Zelouf) Ezair. I have one sister, Nadia, who is 5  years older than me

My father decided to name me Shoshana because he wanted to make Aliya and the name Shoshana was very popular in Israel in the 1950's. He wrote a letter to his sisters in Israel about his plans, but they objected because life was very hard in Israel at the time. So my family remained in India

My parents were both born in Baghdad Iraq to families that had lived in Baghdad for many generations, but everything changed in Shavuot 1941. There was a pogrom in Iraq which is called the “Farhud". Jews were murdered and houses were looted and burnt. My mother's family suffered a lot because their house was completely looted to the extent that even the tap and the pipes in the walls were pulled out. They were left with nothing.

My father who was about 34 at the time decided he did not want to live under Arab rule and he got a visa to India from the British authorities. He left in 1941 and two years later he wanted to marry an Iraqi girl. He knew my mother's family and sent his sisters to ask for her hand in marriage. He said he was not interested in a dowry, and this suited my mother's family because they had no property anyway. They sent their 18 year old daughter to India to marry a man who was 15 years her senior—a man whom she had never even seen before. Relatives said she wept and held on to the doors and they had to drag her to the army plane (1944). Arranged marriages were quite common in Iraq at the time but a story like this where a girl was sent to another country to marry without any relatives by her side and not knowing the language or the customs was indeed very rare

I want to add that my mother never saw her father again because he died a few years after the family came to Israel in 1951 with the immigration to Israel of the Iraqi Jews.  My mother saw her brothers and her mother only in 1967 when she came to Israel on a visit—23 years later

MY CHILDHOOD

My sister Nadia and I went to a Catholic school in Bombay because the Jewish one was a charity school and was far away from our home. In my class there were Hindus, Muslims and Christians and we all got along fine.

However, what was the most important thing in my childhood was the Habonim meetings that we had every Saturday afternoons in the classroom.  All the Jewish kids used to come and we sang and danced, learned Hebrew and Bible. Once a year we went to camp for 10 days, My best friends today are those from Habonim days in Bombay. The Habonim movement united the Jewish community and gave us a Jewish identity. The best proof of this is that just a handful married out and most came to Israel or left for Australia or England.

COMIMG TO ISRAEL

I came to Israel alone at the age of 18. I always knew I would come to Israel, and I was accepted to study English Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I was very excited, but it turned out to be much harder than I had expected.  It was very cold, and I didn’t have suitable clothes and I had no friends, and my Hebrew wasn’t so good.  Also, I didn’t have my family here. Later I met my relatives who came to Israel directly from Iraq and then things weren’t so bad. There was also a matter of culture shock.  I had no background of the music, books or other culture here and I was an outsider at the university

When I completed my studies I got married to Yitzhak Pereg and we moved to Ashdod where I became a high school English teacher.  I taught in Israel for 37 years. I enjoyed the profession and being with the pupils, but I hated the corrections  I married Yitzhak Pereg in 1972 and we have three children, David (Doodi), Shirley and Assaf.  Now we have been blessed with 9 grandchildren. Yitzhak and I  put great importance to having good ties between the children and tried to help them as much as we could.  I believe we have succeeded and all of them are honest hardworking individuals who are successful in their home life and their careers

After teaching English in high school for 37 years I went on pension and I have to admit that I am enjoying it very much.  Yitzhak and I go to lectures, movies and trips.  I have always loved reading and am happy that now I have more time

Looking back on my life I have to say that I have been blessed with a wonderful family and relatively good health and hope that my children and grandchildren will also enjoy a good life in a democratic and thriving Israel

THE SESSION AT ANU. The Jewish Diaspora Museum, Tel Aviv

We spent a very interesting morning at the Museum. We were asked to respond to a number of questions: some to Dan and some to Shoshana

Happy Memory

Dan: my happy memory connected to my grandparents is to have lunch on Mondays with my grandparents. My grandmother makes my favorite meatballs or schnitzel and red rice. My grandfather picks me up from school and we have lunch together and talk

Shoshana: My happy memory with Dan was when I babysat with him when his parents were at work. We used to go on walks around Hod Ha Sharon or to the playground for the swings and sides

Dan and Shoshana:  Our best memory is the family vacations in Israel.  We go once, sometimes twice a year and the whole family comes.  All the children and grandchildren and us spend a weekend together, swimming or going on hikes and having all our meals together.  Everyone looks forward to these trips

The synagogue in Bombay

The main synagogue of the Iraqi community in Bombay is called Knesset Eliyahu. It was built in 1884 in memory of the son of the famous David Sasson. It is a beautiful building which recently underwent renovations that preserved the old building beautifully

For me however, the synagogue was not only a place for prayer but also where the community, especially the youth got together and had Habonim meetings.  All the prayers in the synagogue were in the Baghdadi Jewish tradition and the community observed all the High Holidays and Sabbath

Which festival is relevant for your family

In our family we celebrate Shavuot –it has been a tradition in the family for generations. We meet for breakfast at the grandparents and eat Kahi—which is rather like the Yemenite Malawah.  We eat it with sugar or jam and the kids have competitions to see who can eat the most

A memory from your childhood connected with your Jewish religion

When I was about 12 the movie “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner was released. The movie was a great hit in Bombay with long lines waiting to buy tickets.  I remember feeling very proud  because this was the first time the Indian public was exposed to Jewish history. For me it was also an unforgettable experience to see the movie version of the story of Moses and the Exodus

הזוית האישית

Shoshana: My darling grandson Dan I was so happy and proud that you asked me to be your partner on this journey down the memory lane of my life. It was a wonderful experience for me to tell you about my childhood and how I came to Israel and built a life here. I am very proud of all the members of my lovely family. All my grandchildren are a source of great happiness.

To you Dan, I wish you have a very healthy and happy life. May you always love and be loved. I hope you fulfil all your desires and be happy in your personal and professional life. I love you very much and wish only the very best for you. Lots of kisses Your grandma Shoshana

דן: נהניתי מאוד מהתוכנית ומהעבודה עם סבתא שלי. הסיפורים של סבתא על הילדות שלה בהודו היו מעניינים מאוד. אני מאחל לסבתא חיים ארוכים וטובים. אני אוהב אותך, סבתא.