Egyptians generally do not make any distinction between Jewish people and Israelis. Israelis are seen as the enemy, so Jews are, too.
Khalid Badr, 40, is pretty typical in that regard, living in a neighborhood of winding, rutted roads in Old Cairo, selling snacks from a kiosk while listening to the Koran on the radio. Asked his feelings about Jews, he replied matter-of-factly. “We hate them for everything they have done to us,” Mr. Badr said, as casually as if he had been asked the time.
But Mr. Badr’s ideas have recently been challenged. He has had to confront the reality that his neighborhood was once filled with Jews — Egyptian Jews — and that his nation’s history is interwoven with Jewish history. Not far from his shop, down another narrow, winding alley once called the Alley of the Jews, the government is busy renovating an abandoned, dilapidated synagogue.
In fact, the government is not just renovating the crumbling, flooded old building. It is publicly embracing its Jewish past — not the kind of thing you ordinarily hear from Egyptian officials.
I broke my rule about not clicking on NY Times articles to read this one. It is well-written and expresses the complexity of Egypt today.
Many people are not aware that the number of Jews forced out of Arab League countries following the establishment of Israel and then the succession of wars is about equal to or slightly larger than the number of Palestinians who fled or were forced out of Israel. Cairo had a thriving Jewish community for its entire history; in fact, the Roman fort on the Nile, which was called for obscure reasons Babylon, had a Jewish community which by tradition sheltered the Holy Family in its flight from Herod. And why not? Joseph would surely have brought his wife and child to a community where they could be safe and accepted. Old Cairo, the area where this synagogue ruin stands, also has another historic synagogue and several ancient Coptic churches, and a nice little museum of Coptic art, architecture, and textiles. Well worth a visit from Christian tourists who come to see the Pyramids and King Tut’s treasure.
I was hoping that Katherine would comment on this article! And I’m glad she did!
Jim Elliott <><