Thread by @JenniBns

משפט המיליונר היהודי שפיק עדס - בצרה (1948)

Trial of Iraqi Jewish businessman, Shafiq Ades, Basra (1948)

#IraqiJews #יהדותבבל

Shafiq was born to a wealthy family based in Aleppo, Syria. He migrated to Iraq around 1920, based himself in Basra and was eventually naturalized Iraqi.
In Basra, he established the first Ford car company agency. He partnered with a Muslim friend of his named Naji Al Khedhayri.

Shafiq was a businessman before anything else. In his country he had personal ties with Government Ministers and even with the Regent, Abdul Ilah of Hejaz. Perfectly assimilated into the Iraqi elite, Shafiq was a non-Zionist Jew and he regularly traded with Arab Palestinians.

Nonetheless, in July 1948, Shafiq was wrongfully arrested and accused of being both a Zionist and a Communist. The military court failed to present evidence for these 2 charges against him. Shafiq was also refused the right to a lawyer, to prepare his own defense and to testify.

This show trial lasted no longer than 3 days and was judged by judge Abdallah El Naasni, a very vocal member of the pro-Nazi Istiqlal party.
Shafiq Ades was sentenced to death and ordered to pay a fine of 5 million dinars. Moreover, the rest of his properties was confiscated.

After 2 months in prison, Shafiq Ades was hanged in front of his mansion in Basra on September 23, 1948. 12,000 onlookers came from all parts of the country to witness the hanging of the so-called “Jewish traitor”
Authorities left his dead body in the square for hours.

This murder (yes) shocked the entire Iraqi Jewish community: even though Shafiq Ades was not a Zionist, he had been killed nonetheless.
Only 7 years after the Farhud, Jews felt they were not safe anymore and started preparing to flee to the newly established state of Israel.