Jews of Egypt

Last Wednesday, May 20, Daniel Fishman’s photographic book, “Jews of Egypt” (Belforte), was presented at the Community. Riccardo Mancuso spoke with the author.
A topic that concerns everyone, the author noted at the beginning, considering that all Jews left Egypt. It’s an interesting and engaging topic for those who left it a few thousand years ago, even more engaging for those born in Egypt or, like Daniel Fishman himself, descended from a family that left only a few decades ago and still preserves its customs and memories. Many Jews of Egyptian origin live in Milan, and there are some in our Community as well, including two women who attended the presentation and were able to compare their memories and family stories with the information and suggestions offered by Daniel Fishman himself and Riccardo Mancuso, an Italian from Egypt and a keen scholar of that country’s history, including the history of its Jewish community. When asked about the reasons for his interest, he gave a fascinating answer: one cannot feel Egyptian without feeling Greek, Jewish, or Italian, because each of these elements has contributed to shaping Egypt.
The presentation unfolded through a series of photographs that offered inspiration for various themes: palaces, theaters, synagogues, illustrious figures, and much more. What emerged was a picture of a modern Egyptian society in the first half of the 20th century, in some respects surprisingly similar to Europe, culturally vibrant and extraordinarily cosmopolitan: 55 nationalities, 22 religious denominations, and an incalculable number of ethnic groups. There was, however, a strong sense of belonging to the Egyptian nation.
“From the Suez Canal to the Suez Crisis,” from 1869 to 1956, represents a golden age for Egypt and its Jewish presence. With the creation of the Canal, the Jewish community, which had been present for millennia and was mostly poor, was joined by Jews from many parts of Europe, attracted by the prospects offered by the opening of a faster communication route between Europe, Africa, and Asia. In this way, the community became bourgeois. Jews were active in many fields, from culture to commerce, from journalism to sports (Maccabi Cairo won the Egyptian football championship as recently as 1953). Interestingly, 12 of the 13 department store chains were owned by Jews.
Italians were also very numerous: curiously, their community was the same size as the Jewish one; in fact, there were approximately 80,000 Jews and 80,000 Italians, a tenth of whom were Jews.
Two important presences destined to be almost completely extinct (most Italians left Egypt following Italy’s entry into World War II, and the Jews, precisely, after the Suez Crisis), but still remembered with respect and nostalgia, Fishman and Mancuso stated. Today, it is still possible to search for memories that have not been erased at all.

Anna Segre