 They were later involved in gold purchase and purification, and were therefore given the name, 'Khalaschi', meaning 'Makers of Pure' by the Ottoman Turks who occupied Iraq at the time.He states that he joined the underground Zionist movement at age 14, without his parents' knowledge and was involved in underground activities.He was arrested and jailed by the Iraqi government in 1947, when he was 17 years old.