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Imprisoned in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison under Ayatollah Khomeini’s rule directly following the 1979 revolution, Joseph Koukou survived his four years of imprisonment by translating and reciting to his cellmates the words of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Scriptures.

Born in Basra, Iraq, in 1924, Joseph Koukou and his family immigrated to Iran before the great escape of the mass of Iraqi Jews in the 1950s to start a new life after a history of 2,500 years in the land of Babylon. Proud of both his heritage and his newly adopted home of Iran he built a factory and raised his family, affording his children an English education at an American international school.

Joseph Koukou’s story ends with the flight from his captives brought about because of his youngest daughter, Sandra, then only twenty-four who stood bravely in front of the judicial court’s top cleric under a blue sky, pleading with every fiber of her body to have her father released unharmed when almost all who entered those prison walls never left alive.

This book was written word for word by Joseph, although he did not survive long enough to see its completion. Sandra took it upon herself to fulfil her father’s dream to completing this book. The fight against the clock to get his final thoughts on the content before he died provided the basis for Sandra’s research and editing that went into the final draft. The book is Joseph Koukou’s interpretation of the Hebrew Bible and its relevance to our times. Through an unmistakable love of his fellow human beings and what he referred to as “The Book,” the author connects the dots between his Jewish roots and those of other faiths, seeking to inspire an appreciation of humankind’s commonality and diversity alike.

Advance Praise for “THE BOOK”

“Like the Biblical Joseph, Joseph Koukou emerged from the darkness of an unjust imprisonment to offer precious guiding light. An inspiring and remarkable work of devotion, the moving stories, testimonies and wise commentaries enlighten the mind while touching the heart.”


Schachar Orenstein, Rabbi

Born in Basra, Joseph Heskel Koukou was ten years old when his family settled in Iran. As a businessman, his life was intertwined with that of his Jewish community and the rapport of friendship he held with all groups, independently of their religion, of their culture and their ethnic affiliation. | When Khomeini took power and established the Islamic regime, he was imprisoned as a Jew and passed over four years behind bars. He reread and meditated upon the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible. In his autobiographical work, he recounts his incarceration and describes the life of the Jews under the regime of the mullahs. The book is also a precious document on the history of the Jews and that of the Middle East. Joseph Heskel Koukou transmits profound reflections on his reading of the Book and on his life experience.

“A magnificent work.”

Naïm Kattan, Adieu Babylone: Mémoires d’un juif de Bagdad (transl. Farewell to Babylon: Coming of Age in Jewish Baghdad) | Knight of the Order of Canada | Knight of the Order of Quebec | Arts and Letters of France | Knight of the Legion of Honour

“Nothing seemed to predestine businessman Joseph Koukou to be immersed in the study of the biblical Scriptures. Unjustly imprisoned for close to five years in the impregnable Iranian prison of Evin from which one rarely comes out alive, he discovers inside him this faith that moves mountains, which allows him to study and decode the Jewish Bible. It is the spiritual food he shares with other prisoners, seeing in their midst a light in the corridor of their despair. Such a gift of compassion is only given to a man inhabited by an exceptional spirituality, to a point of destabilizing judges and executioners solely by his countenance, his serene voice and his composure in the darkest moments under the menace of imminent execution. Joseph Koukou, Orpheus charming the guardian dog of Hades? A steadfast heart and soul that simply embraced his faith in the fate of Humankind.”


“The book’s third chapter runs a chill down the spine: we plunge into the deaf terror of the politico-religious apparatus of the Iranian regime, one through which Sandra—the prisoner’s daughter—weaves in and out of, fearlessly, armed solely with the determination and love of a 23-year-old girl for her father.”

Raphaël Levy, L’Homme qui voulait changer le monde

“From a spiritual point of view, all that time spent discussing the Bible with Mr. Koukou helped in some way to have saved my soul. It was very effective…if there was an opportunity to help someone, Mr. Koukou would always be the first to do so…My memories of Mr. Koukou are enough to fill a book. I will forever remember his bravery, loyalty, understanding and general knowledge…Dear Mr. Koukou, I will forever respect you and never forget you.”

Firouz Farokhzad, Photographer  |  Tribute from a Fellow Cellmate | New York, January 2014

TESTIMONIALS

Dear Sandra,


Congratulations for the most beautiful achievement of today.
I hardly arrived home and I received a message from Rabbi Orenstein, who was invited to a conference in Baltimore and had to miss your Book celebration and to be one of the speakers.
He said, “Sorry I couldn’t be there to celebrate with Sandra.”


Sandra, you did a great job in planning everything single handed. You did not miss anything. Our President Edmond Elbaz did a great job in reading your interesting biography and conducting the whole session. You couldn’t choose better speakers than all these wonderful highly qualified and inspiring people in our community. We listened to each one of them with highest admiration.
The crowd was warm, elegant and enjoying every minute of the event.
The food was delicious and original and above all, yourself Sandra, you were shining and beaming in the eyes of all.


We thank you so much for all your input for your family, your friends and your community.
We hope this is only the beginning and we look forward for many wonderful future events that you organize and bring the whole community together to enjoy.


Your father’s book will be read and studied by many people and the generations to come.
It will inspire everybody and teach them how to act when trapped in situation beyond control.
The book is inspiring and show a lot of courage and hope in uncontrollable situation.
We thank you for setting us such a remarkable example, with your courage, as our president Edmond Elbaz stressed.


We wish you all the success and continue to lift yourself and the people around you.


Love and appreciation,
Gladys Mooallem
Women’s Learning Group Coordinator

Dear Sandra and Gladys,
I can only echo Gladys’s words. However, I do have an original idea:  We need Gladys to be the keynote speaker at an event on the theme “How to show gratitude”, and another event on “How to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves”, and yet another (best for last) on “Positivism”.

Ronald Gehr, Prof.

Associate Professor (Post-retirement)
Department of Civil Engineering,
McGill University

Mazal tov dear Sandra ..
So sorry to have missed your beautiful do …
I do have your inspiring book…and truly I admire all your achievements …
I second all that Gladys wrote …and all her wishes for success …could not Express it any better
!


Kol hakavod
Love
Lisette Shashoua

Good Morning Sandra,
 
I join Gladys in commending you on a very impressive show yesterday.
 
Sandra, it is remarkable how you have managed as a single mother to pull yourself together under very difficult circumstances and raise wonderful and successful children. It was mind numbing to actually see your father’s manuscript written in a prison cell where an ideological regime in the midst of a revolution tortures and executes a lot of its captives. Your determination and successful publication of the book is not only an honour to your father’s legacy but also a testimony to your own considerable talent and determination.
 
We are all extremely proud of you, kol hakavod.
 
Best Regards,
Emile Fattal

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