Lisette Shashoua’s family has lived in Iraq for centuries. In 1920, her grandfather Shaoul Shashoua’s residence (Kasser Shashoua) was chosen to house King Faisal I, when he was first appointed king by the British. After Lisette graduated from Al Hikma University during the brutal reign of Sadaam Hussein, she escaped through Kurdistan to Iran. Coming to Canada as an immigrant, she forged a new life and became a flight attendant with Air Canada for thirty years. Today she is a research consultant and interviewer for the international oral history project Sephardi Voices.