Appointed-Ambassador Lukman Faily visited the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on June 26, 2013 to observe the process of restoring and maintaining the Iraqi Jewish Archive.
Ambassador Faily was briefed by the head of the Conservation team on the stages of restoration and preservation of the Archive, and the techniques used to digitize the documents and record them electronically. The Ambassador's visit included a tour of the Conservation and Digital Imaging lab and other storage venues.
The Ambassador also met with the Conservation team and a representative from the Department of State and other officials to discuss the final phases of the repatriation of the Archive to Iraq and the upcoming Archive exhibition that will take place in Washington, D.C.
The Ambassador thanked the NARA team and the Government of the United States for their continued contribution to preserve this heritage, and stressed that these important documents are not only valuable for Iraq but for all mankind.
The Iraqi Jewish Archive is a collection of books, manuscripts, and records in Hebrew and Arabic languages, found by the Coalition Forces in 2003 and salvaged from a flooded basement in Al Mukhabarat building in Baghdad after the fall of the regime. The Archive was transferred to the U.S. for treatment and safekeeping.
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