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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Forgotten Jews Of Egypt- Jean Naggar's memoirs

A fascinating article by Jean Naggar on the Huffington Post about the forgotten Jews of Egypt, who lived well in that country until the Suez Crisis of 1956.  The Jewish population in Egypt dwindled from 80,000 or so centuries ago to about 100 today. Both her parents, though not Egyptian born, lived there until the Suez Crisis.

She ends with the following:

Over the past 50 years, much ink has been lavished on the displacement of the Palestinians from their homes, but barely a passing glance has been accorded the displaced dispossessed Jewish communities of Egypt and other Arab lands. We were expected to move forward. We expected it of ourselves. As our ancestors have done from time immemorial, we reinvented ourselves. No international outrage from the nations of the world took up our cause. No effort at compensation was made. And so now, 50 years later, the forgotten Jews of Egypt and other Arab lands have begun to mine their own lives, exposing bittersweet memories and remnants of a beloved past to lead their children and grandchildren fully equipped into the future. It is time for the world to take notice, too.

Read the whole article here. Well worth it.  Very sad to see what that country has become over the past decades.

She has written a book about her experiences.  If you decide to purchase it (or anything for that matter), I get a few pennies.


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