Ezra, Cecil

Plot Location	2L3
Surname	Ezra
Given Name(s)	Cecil (Nahom)
Place of Birth
Date of Birth (Eng)	February 3, 1908
Date of Birth (Heb)
Date of Death (Eng)	December 7, 1995
Date of Death (Heb)	14 Kislev 5756
Age at Death	87
Hebrew Name	יצחק נחום בן עדוורד יצחק
Spouse’s Name
Father’s Name	Edward Isaac Ezra
Mother’s Name	Mozelle Robinson Ezra (2J16)
Other Surnames
Sex	M
Marital Status	S
Maiden Name
Title (e.g., Dr)
Religious Status (כ/ל/י)
Cause of Death
Other Family Data	Brother: Denzil Marcus Ezra (2J17). Uncle: Judah Isaac Ezra (2H26). Aunt: Rachel Ezra Levy (2H7)
Inscription (Eng)	CECIL EZRA BELOVED BY THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF HONG KONG BORN 3 FEBRUARY 1908 DIED 7 DECEMBER 1995
Inscription (Heb)	מ״ק איש תם וישר הלך לעולמו בזקנה ושיבה טובה המ׳ יצחק נחום בן עדוורד יצחק נ״ע נלב״ע ביום י׳ד כסלו ה׳תשנ״ו ת׳נ׳צ׳ב׳ה׳
Inscription (Other)
Historical	Cecil’s stepfather, Elias Isaac Ezra, was also his uncle. Jacob Saul wrote on November 24, 2021: “Cecil had a lot of energy, was well spoken and thoughtful. His family was fabulously wealthy in Shanghai but they lost it all in 1949. He remained in Shanghai until the 1960s trying to claim his properties from the Chinese government but to no avail. He could discuss at length all the hurdles he had to go through but all he ended up with were worthless deeds. How he survived from 1949 to the ’60s as a foreigner in China is beyond me since all the foreigners had left to HK, the US, etc. He always had a good countenance. We met him hundreds of times and we never once heard a complaint or resentment of his life. He would speak to us children as young adults — a novelty even today. “My father would have him come to his office for lunch and make him part of the group, entertaining his opinions and restoring his self-worth. My father must have known them well from Shanghai since we visited Cecil’s mother (Mrs. Robinson) in Kowloon not infrequently. “In HK, Cecil would travel by bus among the simple folk; he never lost self-dignity. I believe the Kadoories may have given him an apartment in Peninsula Hotel. “His brother was Denzil and you could tell in their speech and in their taste in clothes that they had been brought up as princes in Shanghai. I believe Denzil had a fancy clothing store. He was not in good health. “Unfortunately, many of the Iraqi Jews remained as bachelors for lack of suitable Jewish women. My father was lucky. He was offered a job in an Iraqi Jewish bank in NYC. It turned out to be a ruse for a shidduch (marriage match) he rejected, but eventually met he his wife, our mother.”

Do you have any information about this person that you would like to share?  If so, we’d like to hear from you!