Thu, 9 Oct 2003 Dear friends MEIR TWEG: the only synagogue still functioning as such.i almost forgot how grand and majestic are our synagogues .when i was there they were in the process of kosher slaughtering chickens for yom kippur and delivering to those who have asked for it. they are not sure whether they will ever slaughter meat again .last time they did was in the beginning of the year and there were not many takers. the caretaker is a young moslem who protects not only the synagogue but the few jews who reside there in the residential extension. the sefarim are as magnificient as ever and the hechal contained 2 superb ones donated by the shashou family ; i also saw a haftara one donated by the gabbay family. for security it is not easy at all to gain entry and the people in charge wish to keep as low a profile as possible .the lack of law and order and the location of the synagogue meant that the few jews there remain on their guard as we have done throughout our lives . the synagogue as you will see from the pictures is in a good decorative state and well maintained.i doubt whether any services have been held there for a very long time . certainly there was no attempt to have services for rosh hashana and i don't see any chance in the future either. i saw the abandoned tannoor where they used to bake and pack "jradiq" for passover and the slaughter house with ancient fridges next to the main building. i spent time on the first floor (the ladies gallery) recollecting how when i was a young child i used to sit with my mother and my grandmother watching a jam packed synagogue erev rosh hashana with aboo elyahou conducting the most entertaining part of the service : the MAZAD ! i tried to locate the couch(kanafa?) where my grandfather papa Sion used to sit and god forbid if someone who does not know better,attempt to get near it .there are still hundreds of siddourim all over the place.who knows! in few years we might need them again.all told it was eerie to note that so little has changed:the tehba,the hechal,the carpets,the kanafat,the msahifs,the sefarim . the synagogue is simply frozen in time. the battaween market:almost as i remember it .i stuffed a hot sammoona with an istikan tea before i had time to count the dinars i need to pay (approx 2000 dinars to the dollar).guys someone should acquire a franchise baking hot sammoon with the crusty knots at the end.i purchased all the ingredients for rosh hashana which were readily available . the loubiah was divine!i also could not resist "fistaq abeed" freshly roasted. a new edition to the market is "mazkoof el shahid" . this establishment is known throughout baghdad producing the freshest and cheapest mazgoof in baghdad of every available type of fish together with a delivery service.needless to say the fish is alive swimming in basins and all one has to do is to point to the desired fish which will condemn it to a delicious meal complete with hot khubiz and zlata-b-amba . i had mazgoof either for lunch or dinner almost every day.awafi. i looked for fathel aboo el jeben who was my dad's favourite grocer and lo and behold my escort told me that although fathel had retired his son has taken over the business.his son was so touched with my story and that i looked him up after 32 years that he insisted on relaying the story to his elderly father .the goodwill generated that afternoon was enough to light up a city. the shelter: the community maintain a shelter for the elderly and weak .it is visited daily by a caretaker who insures the cleanliness and safety of the residents. currently the place is occupied by a single lady resident who has a last wish . to be allowed to die with dignity in baghdad her birth place. next instalment: aboo yonan ,kebab and leben erbil and jabbar aboo el sherbet. edwin

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