Egyptian Jews in the twentieth century

Author's name: Muhammad Abu Al-Ghar

Why do we write about Egyptian Jews now, six decades after their exodus? Is it because of their close connection to their country, Egypt—psychologically, historically, and religiously—or is it because it relates to citizenship as a shared identity with a similar meaning for all national ethnic groups? Were Egypt's Jews truly Egyptian? If so, why did they leave their homeland? Wherever they moved, what did they say about Egypt? How did they feel about it? Did this feeling differ over subsequent periods? Do they now feel a desire to return to Egypt and live there? These questions and others are answered in this important book, which its author, Dr. Mohamed Abu El-Ghar, relied on in-depth studies published in various languages, live interviews with prominent Egyptian Jewish figures residing in Geneva, Paris, Florida, and Egypt, Jewish documents and newspapers covering different historical periods, and the oral history of Egyptian Jews recorded and documented in various research centers, in addition to the minutes of meetings of the Jewish community from 1886 to 1961, and the writings of Egyptian Jews who immigrated to France, held prestigious positions in French cultural circles, and won valuable awards. That is why Dr. Muhammad Abu al-Ghar is scientifically, objectively, and eager to criticize the ideas and assumptions surrounding Egyptian Jews, which have hindered the presentation of a fair and authentic social history of Egypt, one based on diversity, pluralism, and acceptance of the different other. He believes that “history belongs to all of us; we know it and remember it, so that we may learn lessons and morals from it.” He also believes that what he writes about the history of Egyptian Jews “provides a new, neutral source for us and our children.”