At the (brit) mila…oh, in the place of (may G-d bless!) those days. (Brit) mila…he would come…(a rabbi would) come…this mohel (circumciser). (He would) come right to the house. They wouldn’t do it…or they would…the Arabs would do it in the synagogue. When a Muslim boy was born, they would go to the synagogue, and they’d take the boy, and…a Jew would circumcise him. But the Jews…would do it in the home. They would do it in the home, lots of people (would) come, and they (would) ululate, and dance, and have fun, and eat, and drink and take their path and go to their home. When a child (was born), they would…dress him (in) bracelets, and dress him in bracelets with…here…here…a ring, and anklets (with bells), so that when he (would) do this with his leg, they (would) hear that the boy was upright (awake). It was beautiful. Oh…and they (would) dress him with a special talisman (slāḥlu). In the place of (may G-d bless) my mother…(even) today they do…here in…here in Israel, she (my mother) did it to…my grandson…my son. To my son. Her grandson. Yes. they would tie him. Not like here. They (would) dress him and walk (off). They would…this…what do they call it…in your place (may G-d bless you)…in Arabic, a diaper. A diaper. They (would) dress the boy in clothes, and tie up his legs, and tie up his arms. I (would) say (to my mother) “why (did you use to tie up the baby)?”. She (would) say “so that he (would) turn out…so that he (would) turn out strong.” The Zohar (ceremony)…they (would) also do it in the home. They (would) read…and would…when the boy’s age became forty days old, they (would) bring a Cohen. Pidyon. (The) Cohen (would) buy him. Yes. (To) see how much (money) they (would) give him. He (would) say to them “I am taking the boy”. They (would) say to him “what (do you mean), you are taking him? Whatever you want, we’ll give you. (Why) are you taking the boy? Until (by the time) we saw him (we were gifted) this boy, you’re taking him?”. In Iraq, they didn’t like girls. They would only want boys. My aunt, mercy on her soul, when she was…once, her sister-in-law, gave birth…no! Her granddaughter, her son’s daughter, gave birth to a boy. She did a phone to (called) me at one thirty at night. She got me up from sleep. (I said) Oh, in your place (may G-d bless you) my aunt! What is there (what happened)?”. She said to me “no, don’t be scared. Ġǝsnāt gave birth to a boy!” She became pregnant again, and gave birth to a girl. I knew that she had given birth and had a girl two weeks ago. Two weeks after, I made a phone to (called) my aunt, mercy on my aunt’s soul. I said to my aunt “Didn’t Ġǝsnāt give birth to a gi…didn’t she give birth?”. She said to me “yes, gave birth to a girl two weeks ago.”

The groom would come. He and his father and his mother (would) come and bring her something to dress her (in). Yes. And they would read…and take their path and go. And at the girl’s house…yes, he would request (propose to) her. Yes, he (would) bring…he (would) come to her house. They (the family of the groom) would come to their house, the bride’s house. He (would) request (propose to) her and (would) tell her…his mother and his father (would say) “we want your daughter.” She (would) say…he (the bride’s father) would say “I want to ask her.” If she (would) want to take…I mean, (if) she agreed…I mean, okay. If she didn’t agree, it wouldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen, of course. Before they (would) get married, (one) week (prior), they (would) go and do the ketuba (Jewish marriage contract). But at the wedding, they would also write (sign the ketuba), so that he (would be) unable to leave her. (It was) like a marriage. When he (would) go to request (propose to) her, they (would) write (sign the ketuba). So that he neither he would be able to leave her, nor would she (be able to) leave him. If she (were to) leave him, or he (would) leave her, it (would be) as though he were giving her a get (Jewish divorce). Yes. Like a get.