100,000,000PoundFairyTale Seeks Solution by 370 Heirs
JTA Correspondent in Tel Aviv
(Copyright, 1957, JTA, Inc.)
It sounds like a• fairy tale.
It might even turn out to be
just a legend. Meanwhile, how-
ever, hopes have risen, dreams
take shape and sleepless nights
are spent by many who expect
to gain a part of a multi-million
pound inheritahce whose where-
abouts . is still unknown.
And as all fairy tales start,
so does our story: - Once there
was an old Jew. He lived in
what is now known as Iran.
His name was_Aga (Sir) Azar
Levi. From what fathers told
their sons, and sons told grand-
sons, it seems Levi- was a dealer
in copper. In one of his loads
of copper he found, when he '
melted it down, a whole trees- ;
ure- diamonds, jewels and
other precious stones.
He quietly sold his business
and went to Iraq arid from
there be later found his way
Red Mogen David
Seeks Recognition
by Red Cross
Israel's Red Cross society,
Magen David Adorn, is now in
the midst• of a struggle for offi-
cial international recognition of
its traditional symbol, the - Red
Shield of David.
Recognition was denied by
the diplomatic conference of
the International Red Cross
which barred the Red Shield at
its last meeting in 1949.
Many nations, however, in-
cluding Egypt and other Arab
countries, have extended "de
facto if not de jure recognition,"
Mordechai M. Kidron, Alternate
Delegate of Israel to the United'
Nations, told a mass rally of
women leaderS of American Red
Mogen David for Israel in New
York recently.
"In the 1948 War of Indepen-
dence and again in the 1956
Sinai campaign, the Arabs rec-
ognized Mogen David Adorn in
matters concerning prisoners of
war," Kidron declared.
Prior rejection was based on
a 21-20 vote that the cross alone
should be the symbol of na-
tional first-aid bodies. "But,"
Mr. Kidron pOinted out, "in
order not to offend the suscept-
ibilities of such Arab nations as
Egypt, they have recognized the
Red Crescent, and also the Red
Lion and Sun of Iran. We ask
the same treatment be accorded
our symbol as granted those of
Arab and Moslem lands."
In a message to the rally,
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt ex-
pressed the hope that the
Mogen David Adorn would be
granted its due recognition. The
American Red Mogen David's
national chairman, Congress-
man Emanuel Celler, backed
K•dron's plea.
Israel's application for admit-
tance to the International Red
Cross will be placed before that
body when it meets this fall
in New Delhi, India.
Brith Abraham Delegates
Attack Soviet Shipment
KIAMESHA LAKE, N.Y.
(JTA)-The 70th annual con-
vention of Brith Abraham, na-
tional fraternal order, meeting
at the Concord Hotel here,
adopted a resolution condemn-
ing the Soviet government for
supplying Egypt with sub-
marines that may be used to
impede the passage of Israeli
ships to Israel's Red Sea port
of Elath.
The four-day conclave, at-
tended by 1,000 delegates and
guests representing 300 Brith
Abraham lodges in all parts of
the U.S. was officially opened
by Grand Master Irving Kat-
cher who warned that the
Soviet government's action may
touch off a new crisis of the
gravest sort in the Middle East.
To protect the life of the
President and to suppress coun-
terfeiters are the two statutory
duties of the U. S. Secret Serv-
ice.
to England. There, it is thought,
he sold the diamonds, worth
some quarter of a million
pounds sterling. With the money
he purchased stocks of a Brit-
ish bank-possibly of the Bank
of England.
Aga Azar Levi died a -rich
man 140 rears ago, leaving a
son, Meir Rephua Levi (alias
Yair). This son eventually re-
turned. to Iraq and when he,
in . turn, died, left three sons
and a daughter.
At this stage we get into fern- ,
ily-tree mathernattics, since
over the years the family has
multiplied manyfold, every
child of Rephua Levi leaving
large families. Many have
quietly died, many perished
during innumerable pogroms in
Iraq and many have disap-
peared.
Still, there are today some
370 people who claim direct
descent from the first Aga
Levi and hope to prove their
family tree, despite the five,
six, seven and even' eight
generations since the death of
the "rioh" Levi.
Thirty-six years ago in 1921,
an attempt was made to recover
the inheritance. One or two of1
the claimants decided to take
action but, because of lack of
regular contacts, shortage of
funds and disputes among
claimants, the entire issue was
dropped-to be revived last
A number of claimants living
in England approached Barnett
Janner, Labor MP and presi-
dent of the Board of Deputies
of British Jews, and told him
of the inheritance which, they •
are convinced, is still awaiting
recovery somewhere in a Brit-
ish bank.
Janner was given a number
of names of relatives in Israel
who might help him with de-
tails.
When Janner was in Israel
for the Zionist Congress, he
met a number of claimants.
They could only confirm what
their parents had told them, but
could give no help as to how
to locate the treasure.
However, his talks with some
of the claimants did ,not re-
main a secret and soon an ava-
lanche of hundreds of claimants
appeared and demanded their
share.
Share of what? To that ques-
tion they still were unable to
find an exact answer. They ap-
proached a young Israeli law-
yer, Meeir Danai and his part-
ner Itzhak Levy, formerly a
noted jurist in Iraq, to handle
the matter.
The lawyer's first job was
to ascertain the genuine claim-
ants to the inheritance, to estab-
lish firmly the family tree and
only then to seek the inheri-
tance itself.
These were not easy jobs'.
They had to screen hundreds
ofIraqi Jews. Many of them
live in maabaroth, others are
wealthy merchants, some have
lived in this country for many
decades and many arrived here
only recently; some are as old
as 90, some are still young.
Today the established list
contains some 370 names-110
of them in 12 foreign countries
including the U.S., Canada,
Britain, France and, Argentina
and the remainder in Israel.
Janner was authorized to
try to locate the treasure in
Britain, but for the time be-
ing without success. British
officials claim to have rec-
ords for the last 100 years
only. Much clerical work is
involved in the search for
records over 100 years old.
Some claimants are pessimis-
tic over the whole thing and
will not advance money, others
readily advance money, while
still others don't have any
money to lay out. Recently, the
inheritance story has reached
the Ministry of Finance of Is-
rael which has also expressed
an interest.
Special Group
SPORT SHIRTS
AN INVITATION
To Examine Our Incomparable
Selection of Unset Diamonds,
But the claimants imme-
diately countered with a de-
mand that the Ministry con-
tribute its share toward the cost
of locating the treasure and
subsequent court fees in Eng-
land.
What is the amount involved?
. Nobody can answer it. "Math 7
ematicians" among the claim-
ants estimate it at over one
hundred million pounds ster-
ling. " This figure was arrived
at by . adding to one-quarter
million sterling, the compound
interest for 140 years.
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