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I would like to thank you most sincerely for the regular arrival of "The Scribe." Not only do we read it, but we also pass it on to teachers in a School nearby.
Your article in No. 71 April 1999 about the "Baghdad Hangings 1969" has prompted this letter.
My father, Mr Shaul Yaacov Yonah Suddick escaped or left Baghdad via Singapore and settled in Calcutta, India, where he married my mother Sarah Halligua; the only daughter of Yaacov Hai Hallegna and Rachel Sassoon. My mother was born in Cochin, India.
Father shortened our surname to Jacob though the community knew him and the family by his full name.
My father was later followed by his only sister Farah and his mother Habiba.
Apparently, he still had 4 brothers left there who went by the family name of Yonah (Jonah) Suddick. As far as we know, they were wealthy jewellers who had stores there.
Before he passed away, my father was told by friends who arrived from Baghdad that "one morning the 4 brothers were taken from their shops and killed in the Square." Is there anyway one could find out? Are there any survivors from my father's family? My father passed away in December, 1953 at the age of 86 in Calcutta, India.
I vividly remember him crying on hearing the news but, unfortunately, he was a very quiet man who would not talk much about his family. He was, however, a very well-respected member of the community and a successful business man.
Is it at all possible to find out more? I would love to know if we have any relations from my father's side still alive. We are now 3 sisters and one brother.
Your reply would be most appreciated and looked forward to. Perhaps you could put us in touch with people-someone who could help or through your magazine.
Seemah & Saul Ezra
Jerusalem, Israel
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