My parents Kaduri Shavo and Rahma Yitzhak immigrated to Israel in the 50’s, from Iraq with their two young children Razi and Jimmy. My mother was three months pregnant when she immigrated to Israel, and on 07/19/1951 six months later, she gave birth to my brother Yaakov in the Djani Hospital in Jaffa. Yaakov, the brother who was kidnapped, was two years older than me (Tiki Yitzhak Sasson). At the age of a year and two month my brother Yaakov and admitted to the Djani hospital in Jaffa due to a rash on his body. My parents were sent home. The next day, my parents, aunt and grandmother came to the hospital where they were told that the son Yaakov died. It must be noted that my parents were shocked and refused to accept it. They asked to see the body of their son and the hospital refused! Only after my father and my aunt (father's sister) strongly demanded to see the body they were made to stand in the doorway of a large room (they were not allowed to enter the room) and from afar they pointed at a body of a large man, claiming it was the body of the year and two months Yaakov. Needless to say, the hospital simply ridiculed my parents, as there was no remote relation between the body of a baby of a year and a bit and the body of a grown man. It goes without saying that the hospital did not present my parents with any document evidencing the cause of death and / or a death certificate and did not allow my parents to bury their son.

Towards his army recruitment age my parents received a draft order for Yaakov. The army searched my parents’ house for Yaakov. My parents reported to the army that Yaakov had died. Since there was no registration to that effect and the family had no death certificate, the IDF contacted on 11/15/68 the immigration branch and the registration of archives download, requesting a clarification as to the "Death of my brother Yaakov." On 12/30/68 the ministry of the interior sent the immigration branch and the citizen’s Registration of Petach Tikva an answer for the army recruitment office and I quote:

“…..the above is not registered in the Register of deaths because at the time his parents did not inform us of his death, we ask for the mother to bring us the death certificate from the Office of Health so that we can register him as dead.”

On the 12/08/75, we were contacted by the recruitment office with a request to the Ministry of the Interior to receive a death certificate for my brother Yaakov. On 12/17/75 they received a reply from the Ministry of the Interior, and I quote, "There is no death registration for the above, he is still alive according to his file." And I ask: How were my parents to provide a Death Certificate? According to the Interior Ministry Yaakov is still alive, my parents did not get a death certificate from any government agency, my parents did not attend their son’s funeral, my parents did not see their son’s body, my parents did not see their son's grave and in matter of fact there is no actual grave according to the burial license register. Till today us, the family, have no death certificate and it does not say anywhere that Yaakov has died. Currently the Ministry of Interior has a birth certificate! That is to say that according to the Ministry of Interior Yaakov is alive and well today.

On the 19/02/96 we turned to the government committee of investigation regarding the disappearance of the Yemenite children (Iraq). The committee’s reply dated 11/10/2001 is illusory and detached from reality. Here are my comments:

1 - Why did family not receive or see the register of deaths? Despite repeated requests to the authorities to see a death certificate.

2 0 My brother was born on 07/19/51 and hospitalized in the Djani hospital when he was a year and a bit old because of a rash. And he died on the 07.31.52 i.e., he did not die at the age of two months, but died at the age of one year old and a bit.

3 - The Committee has found an authorization of Chevra Kadisha [the Jewish burial society] according to which Yitzhak Yaakov was buried in Kiryat Shaul cemetery in area C1 row 12 grave 8. The family went to the cemetery and never found signs of the grave.

It is important to emphasize that the on 03/20/96 I turned to the Djani Hospital archive requesting information about Yaakov my brother who was hospitalized in 1952. On the date OF 3/24/96 I received a reply from the hospital:

1. That they have a record of hospitalization for a pregnancy for the name Yitzhak Rahma from 1951.

2. That they have a hospitalization record for a Yitzhak Yaakov from 1952 in Paediatrics.

To the reply were attached photographic records of the birth and hospitalization records, but no documents attesting to the death. Moreover, in their reply they made sure to note that there is no way of locating additional information because the files were destroyed after 20 years in those times in keeping with the law. So in that case why were the birth registration documents and hospitalization documents not destroyed? In conclusion, unfortunately my parents are not alive today. However, since I was a little girl I remember the feeling that my parents gave me and my brothers, that they believe that my brother Yaakov is alive and not as it has been claimed over the years - that Jaakov has died.

A Strong childhood memory echoes in my head from time to time. My aunt, my father’s sister used to speak of Yaakov in family meals to remind us of my brother Yaakov who disappeared and we never got to know.

She described Yaakov as a beautiful fair-skinned boy with bond curly hair who loved to run around and be naughty. He already spoke, crawled, stood and took a few steps. According to the story my brother Yaakov used to call father by his name and not father.

Many times I have thoughts of where he is and whether he remembers his family despite the fact it is clear that in the age he was kidnapped of a year and a bit there is no chance that he will remember.

If Yaakov, my brother would be with us today he would be two years older than me.

Tiki Yitzhak Sasson