PREFACE
With the completion of this book, I would like to express my appre-ciation to those who helped me in the pursuit of this research. I am grateful to my mentor, Prof. Moshe Sharon, whose excellent scholarship has inspired me, and to Professors Gideon Goldenberg and Benjamin Z. Kedar of the Hebrew University and Norman Stillman formerly of SUNY Binghamton for their kind and attentive guidance. Much grati-tude goes to three outstanding scholars who kindly enriched me with their knowledge: Prof. Joyce Blau, previously from the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris, Dr. Michael Chyet, currently the Middle Eastern Language Cataloger at the Library of Congress and Prof. Yona Sabar of UCLA. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the informants interviewed for this book, for sharing with me their reminiscences and for making me feel welcome for more interviews and clari~ cations. Without them, I could not have completed this book.1 I am grateful to those who encouraged me in various ways, notably my friend Professor Joshua Korzenik, who hosted me twice at Yale University and the late Patri-cia and Ernest Worth who hosted me during research conducted in London. Special thanks go to the English readers of the manuscripts: Carol and David Pileggi, Janice Karnis, Professor Eddie Levenston and Leigh Ann Lanir.
At last, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents Batyah and Saleh and to my beloved wife Riki and children, Tzah, Tahel and Ohad; much of the research and the actual writing of this book were conducted on time they were deprived of.
_____________________ 1 See the names and details of ~ fty-six informants interviewed speci~ cally for this book, in the Bibliography. Prof. Yona Sabar of UCLA interviewed Yona Gabbai (I# 7) of Zakho in the mid 1960s and kindly allowed me to use it. Susan Meiselas, a photographer and author, interviewed Hertzel and MajTd Gabbai of Khawaja Khinno family from Aqra (I# 9 & 10). I would like to thank Susan Meiselas for allowing me to use this interview. |