THE CULTURAL HERITAGE

OF THE JEWS FROM EGYPT

 

Presented at the Conference on

ORIENTALISM AND EDUCATION:

ORIENTAL AND SEPHARDI JEWS IN ISRAEL AND THE DIASPORA

 

The Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva

Dept of Education

5.5.2002 - 7.5.2004

 

By Ada Aharoni, Ph.D. 

 

 

57 Horev Street

Haifa,  Israel 34343

Tel.  972-4-8243230

Fax : 972-4-8261288                               

Email:  ada@tx.technion.ac.il

http://tx.technion.ac.il/~ada/home.html

 

THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE JEWS FROM EGYPT

Ada Aharoni, Ph.D.

 

I would like to begin my presentation with a poem I dedicated to the memory of my late father, Nessim Yadid who lived in Cairo. The poem is  entitled “A Green Week,” - “Gometek Khadra,” (Have A Green Week), which  is a beautiful Jewish -Egyptian blessing.   I wrote the poem when my father died of a heart attack, following his sufferings, after all his possessions  had been sequestered by the Egyptian government, in 1949.

 

If you want to hear the hebrew song , while reading the poem, please press  HERE

 

A GREEN WEEK

 

A week like fresh mint

a green week spreading its fragrance

to the roots of being

 

“Gometek Khadra!” Have a green week!

My father used to bless us

on Saturday nights in Cairo

after the ‘Havdala’

when he came back

from “Shaar Hashamayim,”

the Gates of Heaven,

the grand synagogue in Adli Street

 

Have a green week he beamed

brandishing a fragrant mint branch

over our keen heads -

but don’t keep it merely for yourself

and for your  family  this scented green week -

give it back to the world

fully blossoming …

Who will give me a green week

now that he’s gone?

Now that the “Gates of Heaven”

are shut?

Only peace

only a real fragrant

mint peace.

 

 

1.  A TRADITION OF BRIDGES BETWEEN CULTURES

 

Jews have lived in Egypt almost continuously for two millennia.  After the destruction of the First Temple, the Prophet Jeremiah came to Egypt with a following, and since then, until 1967, there had always been a Jewish community in Egypt. On examination of major historical periods and events in the history of  the Jews in Egypt, from ancient times to the modern era, it is interesting to note that the Jews of Egypt  have traditionally and for long periods, contributed to the creation of bridges between cultures.

 

In the first century, when the philosopher, Philo from  Alexandria  wrote his important commentaries on the “The Septuaginta” the translated the Bible into Greek, he  introduced   Jewish cultural elements into Hellenic culture and thus contributed to the bridging between  the two cultures.  In the tenth century Saadia Hagaon translated the Bible into Arabic, and it introduced Jewish values into Islamic culture, and promoted intercultural Jewish -Islamic symbiotic traditions that developed at the time.

 

In the eleventh century, the greatest Jewish philosopher, Moses Maimonides, came to Egypt from Spain as a young man, and he wrote all his important  philosophical and creative works in Egypt.  His writings were influential not only among the Jews but also among the Moslems. He wrote both in Hebrew and Arabic, and even sometimes in Hebrew using Arabic letters, or in Arabic using Hebrew letters. 

 

Maimonides, or Ha Ramabam, as he is known in Israel,  was revered  by both Jews under his Hebrew  name: Moshe Ben Maimon, and by the  Moslems, under his Arabic name: Abu Amran Obeid Illah Moussa Ibn Maimoon El Cortobi.  He is today considered  as the major leading figure in Judaism, and he  is also highly esteemed by Moslems as an outstanding contributor to Islamic philosophy.

 

These intercultural traditions developed in various new directions  in modern Egypt.  Most Jews in Egypt had a basic knowledge of at least four  languages: French which became the mother tongue of most of the Jews, English, Arabic, and Hebrew.

 

 Moreover  more than one third of the Jews of Egypt spoke the Judeo-Spanish language, Ladino. The Spanish Jews  who escaped or were exiled by the Inquisition at the end of the fifteenth century, found a safe haven in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul or in Izmir, and many of them later emigrated to Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. These exiled Spanish Jews retained the Judeo Spanish language, as well as their  rich  cultural and musical traditions. 

 

Though they lived in the East, the Jews of Egypt in the twentieth century, were  exposed to various aspects of the  cultures of both the East and the West.  They had the opportunity of enjoying both western and Egyptian music,  song,  dance, and  theatre.

 

 At the Opera in Cairo for instance, which was regularly frequented by Jews, the cultural programs offered included not only the well-known Om Kulthum, and the Jewish singer Leila Mourad, but also the peaks of European culture, such as: the Philharmonic from Palestine, conducted by the famous Toscanini, the Shakespeare Company from Stratford on Avon, the Comedie Francaise from Paris, the Royal Ballet from London, and the Comedia del Arte from Milano. 

 

In addition to this rich multi-cultural array of East and West, Jewish culture and traditions, and Jewish feasts and Zionist events and activities, were part and parcel of the daily life  of the Jewish community. At the beautiful synagogues in Cairo,  Alexandria and Port Said, Jews duly conducted their services, feasted their various feasts, celebrations and weddings in great gusto and great numbers.  

 

At the various Zionist movements, some which were founded in Egypt from the beginning of the twentieth century, Jewish youngsters learnt the Hebrew language and customs, Hebrew songs and dances and Jewish and Israeli culture.  The Jewish clubs were for them second homes, and they were wholly involved in their activities, ideologies, and their dreams of establishing one day, a real home of their own in Israel.

 

 

2.  END OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN EGYPT

 

 

Though many of the Jews had been in Egypt for generations, they were in general not given the Egyptian citizenship.  Despite their increasing demands to become citizens, it is estimated that  merely less than five percent succeeded to obtain the Egyptian citizenship. The rest were either “apatride,” meaning with no citizenship at all, or they succeeded to retain a foreign citizenship from one of their ancestors. 

 

The great majority that were "apatride" had no identity cards, and if they wanted to travel they could obtain a “laissez passer,” but no passport.  The fact that they were not allowed to become Egyptian citizens, was an additional element which promoted their multicultural and Zionist inclinations.   Every human being wants to feel he belongs to a place, to a culture, and to a nation. As Egypt did not allow them to feel they were part of the Egyptian nation, though they were born in Egypt, they necessarily looked toward Israel as their real home and nation.

      

Despite that, the Jews from Egypt, had in general a good and peaceful life in Egypt, until 1948. From the late 1800’s until 1948, when the State of Israel was established, the Jewish community in Egypt was vibrant, prosperous, and a dynamic element of the Egyptian society, culture and economy. 

 

Towards the end of World War II, due to political turmoil and the  growing Arab - Israeli conflict,  all of this changed considerably, and  the Jewish community had to emigrate and to leave all their property behind.  Today there are only about twenty old Jews living in Egypt. That means there has literally, and not only figuratively, been a “Second Exodus” which took place in our own century.  This is why I titled my first book on the Jews from Egypt: “The Second Exodus” (Bryn Mawr 1985), and this title has since been coined and adopted as a

description of the dispersal of the Jews from Egypt starting 1948 to roughly 1973.

 

Since the creation of  the State of Israel in 1948, and in the wake of Egypt’s active participation in the Arab - Israeli wars of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, Egyptian Jewry emerged as victims of these conflicts.  Many were  interned in concentration camps in Huckstep, and Abu Zaabal and El Tor in the Sinai Desert, were they were maltreated and underwent forced labor. Others were expelled from the country in large numbers, and were forced to leave all their assets and property behind. They were only allowed to take a small suitcase and 10 English Pounds, each.

 

Those who were not expelled, understood they had no future in Egypt, and they were compelled to emigrate, due to restricting work laws and other prohibiting measures by the Egyptian government. About half of them emigrated to Israel, while the others went to the United States, Canada, France, Australia, South America and other places. The still more unfortunate, who had obtained the Egyptian citizensip,  were prevented from leaving, and were maltreated, and became political pawns of the Egyptian regime. 

 

This ancient, traditional and prosperous two thousand year community was over a few years, completely destroyed. The Jews of Egypt lost not only all their personal property and assets, but also all the rich and flourishing public property of the Jewish community: schools, youth movements, synagogues, old age homes, and hospitals.  Everything they owned was confiscated and sequestered by the Egyptian Government, and they were forced to leave with nothing but their shirts on their backs.

 

Their tragedy and sufferings were tremendous, from a flourishing and vitally prosperous community they found themselves paupers almost overnight. Several people suffered severe heart attacks caused by these tragic developments, and did not even make it to France or Italy, which were the ports of arrival of most of the Jewish emigrants from Egypt.  Ironically, the names of the two ships that brought them to these ports were the Italian ship: “Pace” – meaning “peace”, and the Greek ship “Esperia” meaning “Hope.”

 

3.  THE EFFECTS OF THE MULTICULTURAL TRADITIONS

 

a) The multi-cultural heritage and ability of the Jews from Egypt, helped them later in their uprooting and emigration from Egypt during the “Second Exodus” (1948 -1973).  Whether they came to Israel as half of them did, or whether they emigrated to France, the US, Canada, South America or Australia, their knowledge of languages and of the European culture, helped them to integrate and redo their lives in their new homelands.

 

b)  Another aspect of the multicultural character of the Jews from Egypt, as in the traditions of their rich past - stemming from the ingrained open philosophy of their forefathers, such as Maimonides - is their respect toward other cultures and not only toward their own.  In addition,  the fact that they had lived in Egypt, and  that they know  the language and mentality of the Middle East, make them more understanding  and appreciative of the culture of their Arab neighbors. Their important multicultural heritage can be an educational model and  source of  openness, tolerance and understanding, which can promote reconciliation, peace and harmony today.

 

c) Reconciliation in the Middle East, as in other areas of deep-rooted conflict,  can benefit from bridging between nations through  their cultural heritage. The deep levels of mistrust on both sides of a conflict, which have accumulated over the years,  can best be reached by vehicles of  culture, based on emotions and feelings, such as literature and poetry, which can delve into the deep layers of mistrust and hurt on both sides of the conflict. 

 

Culture and literature can convey what no political speech can convey. They are particularly suited for delving into the sources of fears and mistrust, for reflecting and exposing them, and for  changing them into more positive attitudes. The  intercultural approach, includes identification with the  “other”, and comprehension and respect for the other’s situation, the other’s reality and the other’s norms,  values and  history. Culture, literature and the electronic media,  can build up confidence measures that can create new ideological, emotional and  psychological motivation. They can also increase awareness and  knowledge, that can help toward  the “Sulha” - the full  reconciliation, which is more than “peace”, as it is a wiped blackboard without any trace anymore of chalked wounds.

 

This can evolve not only between the leaders that have signed  a peace agreement, but still more important, also between the two conflicting nations.  Israel and Egypt have signed a Peace Agreement in 1979, and yet they do not have a full normalization of relations yet, to this day, and the people are still mistrusting and angry at each other for all the blood poured in the past, on both sides.

 

To overcome these feelings of frustration and mistrust, it is important to remember that War causes suffering to both sides in a conflict, and not just  on the one side. The “Second Exodus”  of the Jews from Egypt indeed proves that it is so. The Palestinians are not the only ones who have suffered, the Jews from Arab countries, and among them the Jews from Egypt, have deeply suffered too. However, like in  Shalom Aleichem’s story: “Fiddler on the Roof,” the Jews from Egypt bravely  climbed on a new roof, and started to play beautiful music again.

 

 

4. CULTURE AND LITERATURE

 

My books: The Second Exodus, From the Nile to the Jordan, Memoirs from Alexandria, and Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life, (amazon.com),  are all based on a research on the Jews from Egypt who emigrated to Israel, the US, France and England. They delineate some of the tragedies and sufferings endured by the painful uprooting of this population, but they also describe their heroic survival and redoing of their lives whether in Israel or in the Diaspora.

 

The “Second Exodus” of the Jews from Egypt which led to the total uprooting of this ancient community, as well as  their cultural heritage and traditions, is a tragic part of Jewish history that has not been sufficiently researched.  Some writers, such as Andre Acimov, in Out of Egypt ,  Paula Jacques, in Lumiere de l’Oeil , Jacques Hassoun  in  Les Juif du Nil,  have partly recalled their own impressions and memoirs of the painfulness of the uprooting and exile.

 

In addition, and coming from a totally different direction, Professor Mohamed  Fawzi Deif, of the Departments of Arabic Studies at the University of Cairo, and the University of Minya, wrote a series of books on War and Peace in Israeli Literature, which includes: The Significance of Peace in the Poetry of Ada Aharoni (The Nile Publications, Cairo, Egypt).   Prof. Deif analyzes in depth and quite objectively, the Jewish-Egyptian condition and  uprooting, as expressed in works of literature written by writers in Israel, who are former Jews from Egypt.

 

In his thorough analysis, Prof. Deif shows sensibility and openness to the precarious situation of the Jews from Egypt before and during their exile, as expressed in their poetry and prose.  His translation of my poetry, for instance,  from Hebrew to Arabic (page facing page), is both accurate and lyrical, and his deep insights and knowledge of the history of the Jews from Egypt are enlightening and at times, even fascinating.

 

 

5.  RESEARCH REQUIRED

 

“The Second Exodus”, as an intinsic part of the Arab-Israeli conflict, has not been taken into account or researched as such yet, either historically or sociologically, and though caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict, it has been rather overlooked by policy makers, historians and sociologists. Though there has recently been some revived interest in this subject, the  complex myriad of historical facts associated with the forced emigration of the Jews from Egypt, and the tragic sufferings associated with their  uprooting and dispersal, has not yet been thoroughly explored, recorded, or taught in schools and universities as part of history. 

 

The Exodus of the Jews from Egypt in Modern Times, has neither been  taken into account as a potential factor in the present endeavors  toward the ending of the conflict in the Middle East. These facets should be given urgent attention, and should be widely studied and promoted by extensive research.  What is already available, as the books on this perios written by Jews from Egypt in Israel and abroad,  should be widely used in educational institutions, universities and schools.

The  book: “THE SECOND EXODUS” of the Jews from Egypt, and the poetry collection FROM THE PYRAMIDS TO MOUNT CARMEL, pertaining to this period, on coming to the  attention of Prof Deif, and the Egyptian author Tareq Heggy, as well as to the attention of certain other Egyptian academics and professionals - have emitted feelings of responsibility and comprehension toward the tragedy of the Jews from Egypt, as well as toward their necessity of having emigrated to Israel.  Their acceptance of Israel as a necessary and legitimate State, was thus strengthened.

 

In addition to  historical and sociological research of the “Second Exodus,” literary research and the writing of creative works on this subject, can highlight facts, circumstances, feelings and predicaments which are inherent to all universal uprooting and exile situations.  It also has universal value as it can show in a realistic way that exile and emigration bring forth misery and destruction to both sides of the conflicts and not only to the one side.  This reminds us of Joan Baez’s song in which both conflicting sides are apt to sing: “But God is on our side!”

 

The question can be asked how come this important subject has not been more researched?

 

I will briefly touch possible answers to that question. The Jews from Egypt, who are usually not politically minded and of a rather forgiving nature, did not press for Israeli governmental funds to research their past, as for instance the Iraquis and the Morrocans did.

 

Another factor that may explain the difference between the  attitude of the Jews from Egypt toward their cultural heritage, is when we compare it to the  staunch pursuit of their heritage by other Jewish communities, such as the Iraqui Jews for instance. 

 

Furthermore, the Jews of Egypt who were in general not given the Egyptian citizenship, did not enter the political arena. They tended to carry to Israel “their outside of politics” position, and even disdained politics, as only for “the natives”. This explains why there is not even one member of the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset), who is today  a Jew from Egypt.  As subsidy for research of ethnic cultural heritage is usually attained through governmental funds, the lack of Jews from Egypt representation in the Knesset, weakens their claims to have the research of the cultural heritage of the Jews from Egypt governmentally funded.

 

A second reason  for the lack of  extensive research concerning the Jews in modern Egypt, is probably because of their conciliating, tolerant and moderate upbringing.   In general, they do not harbor hard feelings towards Egypt.  In our research on “The Jews of Egypt in the Twentieth Century”, conducted at the Technion’s  “Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science,” the majority of a sample of 501 Jews from Egypt who were interviewed, did not bear a grudge against the Egyptian people, and most of them said they understood that their calamities and the tragic events that befell  them were due to the leaders and not to the Egyptian people.

 

When asked why they did not try to salvage their history and cultural heritage, many of them emitted a typical  response: “ele fat mat,” meaning “what is past is dead.” This kind of attitude and response was not considered running away from the issue or an irresponsible attitude toward their heritage, but rather as a proof that they were not vengeful or bitter, and they knew how to stoically accept the vagaries of destiny.

     

If we compare this with the Jews from Iraq, we discern that unlike the Jews from Egypt,  the Jews in Iraq held Iraqi  citizenship,  and knew the political game well.  As soon as they came to Israel, they entered the various political parties, so  unlike the Jews from Egypt, there has always been a large number of Jews from Iraq who are Knesset members.  As most of the funds for historical and cultural research come from governmental support, the Jews from Iraq in Israel were capable of establishing an eight million dollar research institute of the “Jews of Babel,” in Or Yehuda, while the Jews of Egypt cannot obtain governmental support as they have no representatives.  Their cultural heritage, due to these remnant influences and attitudes from the past, is therefore in danger of disappearing.

 

6.  SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

 

The “Second Exodus,” with its potential for the promotion of peace in the region,  should be thoroughly researched, and made part and parcel of curriculum materials in the educational systems of  Israel, of  the Palestinian Authority and of the Arab countries.  Extensive support and investments should be mobilized toward this scientific, educational, and political  aim. 

 

There should also be a provision of prizes, grants and scholarships, to encourage extensive research and creative writing on  various aspects of the historical facts and cultural heritage of  both the “Second Exodus” of the Jews from Egypt (and from other Arab countries), as a parallel to the emigration of the Palestinians.  Comparisons should be made and lessons should be learned from the past and should be used in the present in the educational system, and by policy makers.    

 

This need for research on the “Second Exodus” is particularly urgent, seeing that the older generations of the Jews from Egypt are disappearing and taking with them their history, cultural heritage  and memories, into oblivion.  What is left can still be redeemed if the urgency of the task is recognized and acted upon as quickly as possible.

 

The second suggestion is that inter-cultural bridges should be used as a  powerful tool for overcoming borders of nationalism and conflicts, through mass media and education, using modern technical facilities such as satellites, television and the internet, to propagate them.

 

 Research and promotion of the facts of the “Second Exodus,” should be diffused through the mass media, using television documentaries and films, multimedia, the Internet, videos and CD’s. The fact that there were more Jews who fled from Arab countries (it is estimated that there were more than 900.000), than Palestinians who fled from Israel in 1948 (650.00 according to UNRWA, in both cases), is not well known.  Neither is it known that the property of the Jews which they were forced to leave behind in the various Arab countries, was much more than what the Palestinians left behind when they fled.  The revealing of these historical facts and others pertaining to aspects of the Middle East conflict, such as “The Second Exodus,” which have been ignored and neglected until today, should be quickly rectified as they can constitute a comprehensive and important contribution to reconciliation and peacemaking between Israel and her Arab neighbors.

 

In addition, the research, symposiums and congresses on “The Jews from Egypt,” in Israel and in the Diaspora,  such as the forthcoming world congress in Haifa (May 9-12, 2006) can substantially enrich the basic Jewish Heritage tree with a strong new branch, which will have fresh green leaves and new sprouts blossoming in our own times and for future generations.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

1)   Salim Shashua , The Golden Age: Cooperation Between Jews and Arabs in Andalusia, Second Edition, 1990, El Mashraq, Shfaram, Israel.

1. Yehuda Ben Shmuel Halevi, p. 27.

2. Casmona Bint Ismail, p. 94.

3. Moshe Ben Maimon, Harambam, 178.

4. Shlomo Ben Yehuda, Ibn Gabirol, 191.

 

2) Ada Aharoni,  The Second Exodus (Tamuz, Tel Aviv, 1997), and From the Nile to the Jordan (Lachman, Haifa, 1994).

 

 3)  Michael Laskier, The Jews of Egypt, 1920 - 1970: In the Midst of          Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and the Middle East Conflict, New York University Press,  NY, 1992, pages 125 - 164.

 

4)           Andre Acimov, Out of Egypt, Farrar  Strauss Giroux, NYC, 1994.

 

5)  Paula Jacques,  Nour Einaya: Lumiere de l’Oeil, Paris, Le Seuil, 1980.

 

6)  Jacques Hassoun, Juifs du Nil, Le Seuil, Paris, 1981.  

 

7)   Shimon Shamir, ed. The Jews of Egypt ,  Ada Aharoni,  “The Image of Jewish Life in Egypt in the Writings of Egyptian Jewish Authors,” Westview Press, Boulder and London, 1987, 192 -198.

 

8)  Ada Aharoni,  Research on the Jews of Egypt in the Twentieth

Century,  the Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science

(Technion- Israel Insitute of Technology),  1995 - 1996.

 

9) Mohamed Fawzi Deif,  War and Peace in Israeli Literature: The Significance of Peace in the Poetry of Ada Aharoni,, The Nile Publications, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, 1996, 200 pages.

 

10)   Mohamed Fawzi Deif and Ada Aharoni, Peace Poems: A    Hebrew - Arabic Bilingual Edition  , Preface and translations from Hebrew and English to Arabic, by Professor Mohamed Fawzi Deif,  Lahman, Haifa, 1997

 

11) See Ada Aharoni,  Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life, Ladybug Press, San Carlos, CA., January, 1998.

 

12) Ada Aharoni, “A Green Week,” Poems from Israel, Lahman Press, Haifa, 1992, p. 50.

 

URL: http://ada@iflac.com