2002–2006
Zichron Yaakov, Israel, and Seattle
a b
alright is okay in written dialogue—in all other instances, it should be all right
Baghdadi (using this as an adjective that can describe objects as well as people; e.g.,
Baghdadi man or Baghdadi night)
c d
e f g
h i
Holy Land
j k l
kabbalistic (adj.)
m n
menorah
makeup
o p
okay (rather than OK or O.K.)
Pesach (Passover)
phylactery (a receptacle containing a holy relic; Judaism: two black, leather cubes
containing scripture-inscribed parchment, worn on the left arm and forehead
during prayer)
q r
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish high holy day that marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year)
s t
Silon (Israeli cigarette brand)
tefellin (a religious ceremony involving phylacteries)
toward (rather than towards)
u v w x y z
worshiped (one “p”)
punctuation / ligatures
series comma
colons (follow Garner, Chicago)
a.m. and p.m., as opposed to A.M. or AM etc.
each other for two people, one another for more than two (e.g., The couple held each
other. The coach was full, and the passengers eyed one another.)
names — persons
Chapter One: Violet Rosen
Violet Twaina Rosen
Aba (Violet’s Father)
Naima (Violet’s best friend)
Mrs. Chanukah (school administrator?)
Mrs. Zbeida (Violet’s teacher)
Eddie (Violet’s nephew?)
Farida (Violet’s younger sister)
Violet’s mother (mentioned but not by name—Georgia (ch. 2))
Chapter Two: Farida Sasson (youngest daughter)
Aba (Farida’s and Violet’s father)
Georgia (Farida’s mother)
Ima (Violet’s and Farida’s mother)
Violet (Farida’s sister; next youngest)
Farcha (Farida’s sister; she and Sammy have 3 children)
Sammy (Farcha’s husband)
Anwar (Farida’s brother; he and Yasmin have 3 children)
Yasmin (Anwar’s wife)
Habiba (Farida’s sister; she and Yaakov have 5 children)
Yaakov (Habiba’s husband)
Edward ((Eddie) Habiba and Yaakov’s oldest son?)
Chapter Three: Noa Rosen
Noa Rosen (Violet’s daughter)
Guy (Noa’s brother; (Violet’s son?))
Ima = “mom” in Hebrew
Aunt Farida (Violet’s sister)
Aba (Farida’s and Violet’s father)
Chapter Four: At Aunt Farida’s
Noa
Aunt Farida
Sigali (Farida’s son or daughter?)
Ruthie (Sigali’s daughter?)
Shai (Sigali’s son?)
Oren (?)
Barak (Noa’s ex-boyfriend)
Yaron (Shai’s teacher?)
Guy (Noa’s brother)
Dan (Noa’s father?)
Chapter Five: Farida
Farida (Violet’s sister; Noa’s aunt)
Violet (Farida’s sister; Noa’s mother)
Noa (Violet’s daughter)
Dan (Violet’s husband; Noa’s dad)
Eddie (Farida and Violet’s nephew)
Moshe (Farida’s husband)
Chapter Six: Violet
Violet
Eddie
Aunt Madeline (Violet and Farida’s paternal aunt)
Violet’s mom (Gorjiya)
Violet’s dad (Jacob (or Yaacov))
Violet’s grandmother (maternal or paternal?)
Violet’s grandfather (maternal or paternal?)
Reuven
Chapter Seven: Farida
Farida
Sigal (Farida’s daughter)
Ruthie (Sigal’s daughter)
Shai (Sigal’s son)
Violet
Eddie
Grandmother Habiba (Eddie’s mom; Violet and Farida’s sister)
Farcha (Farida’s sister)
Samira (Farida’s grandmother)
Aunt Madeline
Leila Mourad (famous singer, mentioned in passing)
Abd al-Wahhab (another famous singer, mentioned in passing)
Chapter Eight: The Bar Mitzvah
Violet
Violet’s Grandmother
Eddie
Richie (Eddie’s best friend)
Mr. and Mrs. Hardy (Richie’s parents; Mr. Hardy: manager of the Dept. of Water and Agriculture)
Farida
Habiba (Violet’s and Farida’s sister)
Chacham Sasson (rabbi)
Chapter Nine: Noa
Noa
Ofir (Noa’s roommate)
Ehud
Chapter Ten: Violet
Violet
Samira (Violet’s maternal grandmother)
Chapter Eleven: Noa
Noa
Dan Rosen (Noa’s father)
Guy (Noa’s brother, mentioned by name)
Chapter Twelve: Violet
Violet
Anwar and his wife, Yasmin
Violet’s parents (Gorjiya and Yaakov)
Farcha
Habiba
Eddie
Yosi (Habiba’s son)
Chapter Thirteen: Farida
Farida
Dora (Farida’s Romanian neighbor of 30 years)
Carmella (first floor neighbor)
Jamil (market worker)
Sigal
Shimon (hairdresser)
Chapter Fourteen: Violet
Violet
Farida
Violet’s father
Various other relatives
Chapter Fifteen: Noa
Noa
Dan
Ofir
Chapter Sixteen: Violet
Violet
Farida
Aba
Anwar
Farcha
Ima
Eddie
Chabiba
Chapter Seventeen: Noa
Noa
Ehud
Avram (market proprietor)
Offir
Chapter Eighteen: Farida
Farida
Chapter Nineteen: Violet
Violet
Farida
Miriam (kibbutz mother)
Chapter Twenty: Noa
Noa
Offir
Chapter Twenty-One: Violet
Violet
Eddie
Ima
Grandma Daisy
Evelyn (non-Jewish servant)
Chabiba
Chapter Twenty-Two: Farida
Farida
Sigal (Sigi)
Ruthie (called “Tutti” by Farida)
Chapter Twenty-Three: Violet
Violet
Danny
Guy
Noa
Ima (Gorjiya, Violet’s mom)
Eddie
Evelyn (Ima’s Iraqi servant)
Chapter Twenty-Four: Noa
Noa
Ofir
Guy
Chapter Twenty-Five: Farida
Farida
Ruthie
Chaimke (male neighbor of Farida’s)
Carmella (Iraqi immigrant, neighbor of Farida’s)
Dora and Aaron (Farida’s neighbors)
Chapter Twenty-Six: Violet
Violet
Noa
Guy
Chabiba
Anwar
Adena (Anwar’s daughter)
Farcha
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Violet
Violet
Farida
Chanan (Violet’s first love)
Chanan’s daughter
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Noa
Noa
Ofir
Violet
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Farida
Farida
Victor Cohen
Chapter Thirty: Violet
Violet
Chapter Thirty-One: Noa
Noa
Violet
Chapter Thirty-Two: Violet
Violet
Eddie
Ima (Violet’s mom)
Chapter Thirty-Three: Noa
Farida
Noa
Oren (and his wife and children)
Sigali
Chapter Thirty-Four: Violet
Violet
Farida
Ima
Aba
Eddie
Chanan (Violet’s boyfriend)
Chapter Thirty-Five: Farida
Farida
Victor Cohen
various family members of Farida’s, mentioned during the phone conversation
Chapter Thirty-Six: Noa
Noa
Aba
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Violet
Violet
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Violet
Violet
Farida
Eddie
Ima
Chanan
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Noa
Noa
Violet
Ehud
Ofir
Chapter Forty: Farida
Farida
Dora
various family members mentioned in passing
Victor Cohen
Eddie
Chapter Forty-One: Violet
Violet
Dan
Farida
Chabiba
Eddie
Chanan
Aba
Ima
Yaakov
Chapter Forty-Two: Noa
Noa
Dan (her dad)
Violet
various family members mentioned in passing
Chapter Forty-Three: Dan
Dan
Violet
Chapter Forty-Four: Noa
Noa
Ehud
Ofir
numbers / sections
Chapter One: Violet Rosen (first person, Violet’s point of view)
Monday, October 15, 1986
Baghdad 1940
Chapter Two: Farida Sasson (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Three: Noa Rosen (third person, Noa’s and Violet’s POV)
Chapter Four: At Aunt Farida’s (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Five: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Six: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Wednesday, October 17, 1986
Chpater Seven: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Eight: The Bar Mitzvah (first person, Violet’s POV)
Thursday, October 18, 1986
Chapter Nine: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Friday, January 20, 1987
Chapter Ten: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Chapter Eleven: Noa (third person, Noa’s and Dan’s POV)
Chapter Twelve: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Sunday, January 22, 1987
Chapter Thirteen: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Fourteen: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Wednesday, February 11, 1987
Chapter Fifteen: Noa (third person; Noa and Ofir’s POV)
Chapter Sixteen: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Sunday, February 15, 1987
Chapter Seventeen: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Eighteen: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Nineteen: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Friday, February 27, 1987
Chapter Twenty: Noa (third person, Noa’s and Ofir’s POV)
Monday, February 16, 1987
Chapter Twenty-One: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Sunday, February 17, 1987
Chapter Twenty-Two: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Twenty-Three: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Sunday, March 1, 1987
Chapter Twenty-Four: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Twenty-Five: Farida (third person, Farida’s and Ruthie’s POV)
Chapter Twenty-Six: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Monday, March 16, 1987
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Thursday, March 26, 1987
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Thirty: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Friday, April 3, 1987
Chapter Thirty-One: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Two: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Three: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Four: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Five: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Six: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Tuesday, April 7, 1987
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Wednesday, April 8, 1987
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
Chapter Forty: Farida (third person, Farida’s POV)
Chapter Forty-One: Violet (first person, Violet’s POV)
Monday, May 11, 1987)
Chapter Forty-Two: Noa (first person (via a letter), Noa’s POV)
Friday, October 15, 1993
Chapter Forty-Three: Dan (first person (via journal entries), Dan’s POV)
Various dates in 1987 and 1988
Chapter Forty-Four: Noa (third person, Noa’s POV)
names — places, things
Achziv River
Baghdad
Basra
B’nei Brak (city in Israel east of Tel Aviv)
Carmel Mountains (in Israel)
Chaim Nachman Bialik (Israeli national poet)
Chara (Iraqi town)
Chidekel River (in Iraq)
Chifel (village outside of Hili)
Devorah Omer (Israeli writer, born 1932)
Eilat (Israel’s southernmost city)
Farid al-Atrash (Iraqi musician)
Haman (vizier of the Persian empire; antagonist in the book of Esther)
Hili (city in Iraq)
Hilla
Hillel Yaffe Hospital
Kinneret (Israeli spa and hotel)
Leila Mauraud (Iraqi musician)
Lod (an Israeli city on the Sharon Plain, 9 miles southeast of Tel Aviv)
Nahariya (city?)
Netanya (city in Israel)
Petach Tikvah (city in Israel)
Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv suburb)
Ramle (town in Israel)
Sidney Ali Beach
Silon (Israeli cigarette brand)
Technion
Tel Aviv
Tel Hashomer
Tenuvah (Israel’s main dairy)
Zichron Ya’akov (town in Israel, 35 miles south of Haifa)
caps / small caps
eras in small caps
foreign words/expressions
aba (means “dad” in Hebrew)
aba’le (diminutive form of “dad”)
Aliyah (“ascent”—basic tenet of Zionist ideology)
al burian (fluently)
allah yirchama
Ana Araf
Ashkenazi (Jews of central and eastern Europe)
baba (yeast cookies)
bagrut exams
bar mitzvah (coming of age ceremony for boys)
bat mitzvah (coming of age ceremony for girls)
Bi
nt Ruven (the daughter of Ruven?)
brit (rite of circumcision)
chai (“life” or “living”)
chalri
chubiz (Iraqi bread)
finjan (coffee pot?)
gute (?)
hanachat tefillin
ima (means “mom” in Hebrew)
jazira (tiny islands)
jifa (?)
ka’kaat (small pretzel)
kibbutz
kibbutzim
krayot
kubot
lady-ot (Hebrew for “lady”?)
lirot (Israeli currency?)
ma’abara (transit camp)
ma’amul (date-filled cookies)
machbuz (Jewish/Iraqi pastries)
matanah (gift)
matateh (broom)
megillah (scroll containing the biblical narrative of the book of Esther)
mitzvah (a good deed)
mitzvot
mkhalela (turnips steeped in saltwater; pickles)
mlabas (a dessert)
moshav (settlement?)
Moshiac (Messiah)
nu
Pesach (passover?)
Purim (a Jewish festival celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar in
commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews in Persia from destruction by
Haman)
sambusak bejiben (a cheese-filled pastry)
savta (grandmother)
Shabbat (the Sabbath)
Shabbat Shalom
Sha’ar Aliyah
Shavuat (Spring holiday—knows as “Visitor’s Day” in Iraq)
shehechiyanu blessing
“Shehechiyanu v’kimanu v’higianu lazman hazeh, amen.”
Shevit (a large fish: turbot)
Shumash (the best school in Iraq)
tefellin ceremony
Tena Maca
tfadal
tum ajam (garlic marinated in salt and curry)
tvit (chicken with rice?)
ud (fat-bellied guitar)
ulpan
Um Anwar (mother of Anwar—what townspeople called Farida and Violet’s
Mom; Anwar = Farida and Violet’s brother; Gorjiya’s first-born)
“Wai li,” exclaimed Naima.
walla
“Ya’allah,” I begged.
ya binati
Ya buya (Arabic; exclamation of woe)
ya walli
Yishayahu (Isaiah)
zangula (honey-dipped pastry)
zemirot (Jewish hymns)
ornaments / other
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Violet Rosen
Chapter Two: Farida Sasson
Chapter Three: Noa Rosen
Chapter Four: At Aunt Farida’s
Daughters of Iraq Page 20