[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 333 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 333

Strongly recommending that the United States renegotiate the return of 
                   the Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraq.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 16, 2014

  Mr. Toomey (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Kirk, Mr. 
    Cardin, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. 
Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Strongly recommending that the United States renegotiate the return of 
                   the Iraqi Jewish Archive to Iraq.

Whereas, before the mid-20th century, Baghdad had been a center of Jewish life, 
        culture, and scholarship, dating back to 721 B.C.;
Whereas, as recently as 1940, Jews made up 25 percent of Baghdad's population;
Whereas, in the 1930s and 1940s, under the leadership of Rasheed Ali, anti-
        Jewish discrimination increased drastically, including the June 1-2, 
        1941, Farhud pogrom, in which nearly 180 Jews were killed;
Whereas, in 1948, Zionism was added to the Iraqi criminal code as punishable by 
        death;
Whereas, throughout 1950-1953, Jews were allowed to leave Iraq under the 
        condition that they renounce their citizenship;
Whereas, as result of past persecution, few Jews remain in Iraq today, and many 
        left their possessions and treasured artifacts behind;
Whereas the Ba'ath regime confiscated these artifacts, later dubbed the Iraqi 
        Jewish Archive, from synagogues and communal organizations;
Whereas, on May 6, 2003, members of the United States Armed Forces discovered 
        the Iraqi Jewish Archive, which included 2,700 books and tens of 
        thousands of documents, in the heavily damaged and flooded basement of 
        the Mukhabarat (secret police) headquarters;
Whereas, under great urgency and before adequate time could be dedicated to 
        researching the history of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, an agreement was 
        signed between the National Archives and Records Administration and the 
        Coalition Provisional Authority on August 20, 2003, stating that the 
        Iraqi Jewish Archive would be sent to the United States for restoration 
        and then would be sent back to Iraq after completion;
Whereas, the Iraqi Jewish community is the constituency of the Archive and is 
        now represented by the diaspora outside Iraq;
Whereas, the current Government of Iraq has publicly acknowledged the importance 
        of the Archive and demonstrated a shared respect for the wishes of the 
        Iraqi Jewish diaspora by attending the December 2013 burial of several 
        Torah fragments from the Archive in New York;
Whereas United States taxpayers have invested $3,000,000 to restore the Iraqi 
        Jewish Archive, and the National Archives and Records Administration has 
        worked diligently to preserve the artifacts;
Whereas the National Archives and Records Administration is displaying the Iraqi 
        Jewish Archive in Washington, DC, from October 11, 2013, to January 5, 
        2014, and in New York City from February 4, 2014, to May 18, 2014; and
Whereas the Iraqi Embassy to the United States has said that the Iraqi Jewish 
        community, like other communities in Iraq, played a key role in building 
        the country, shared in its prosperity, and also suffered exile and 
        forced departure because of tyranny: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) strongly urges the Department of State to renegotiate 
        with the Government of Iraq the provisions of the original 
        agreement that was signed between the National Archives and 
        Records Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority 
        in order to ensure that the Iraqi Jewish Archive be kept in a 
        place where its long-term preservation and care can be 
        guaranteed;
            (2) recognizes that the Iraqi Jewish Archive should be 
        housed in a location that is accessible to scholars and to 
        Iraqi Jews and their descendants who have a personal interest 
        in it;
            (3) recognizes that the agreement between the National 
        Archives and Records Administration and the Coalition 
        Provisional Authority was signed before knowing the complete 
        history of the Iraqi Jewish Archive;
            (4) reaffirms the United States commitment to cultural 
        property under international law; and
            (5) reaffirms the United States commitment to ensuring 
        justice for victims of ethnic and religious persecution.
                                 <all>