EGYPT

STATE SANCTIONED PERSECUTION OF JEWS IN EGYPT

Jews have lived in Egypt since Biblical Times. Over the years, Jews have sought shelter and dwelled in Egypt.

In Modern times, and during 150 years (1805 to 1956) the Jews of Egypt were one of the pillars of Egypt development, contributing in building the Egyptian Finance and Banking, Commerce, Industry, urban development (building whole new cities), culture and sports (Landau: p.18) and held Minister's and Senators positions in Egyptian Government. In 1948, the Egyptian Jewry was at the height of its splendor, and the most magnificent Jewish Community of the Middle East.

By 1897, there were more than 25,000 Jews in Egypt, most of them in Cairo and Alexandria. In 1937, the population reached 63,500 – and in 1948: 80,000. (Some sources say 90,000 up to 100,000).

In 1938, given the Jews of Egypt huge contribution to the Yishuv in Eretz Israel, anti-Jewish mass-demonstrations begun in Egypt from April till June 1938, in Alexandria, Cairo and Tanta, with thousands of people shouting IDBAHU EL-YAHUD (death to the Jews), and two Jews killed in Tanta. (Prof. Laskier: p. 69).

In the 1940's,with the rise of Egyptian nationalism and the Zionist movement's efforts to create a Jewish homeland in adjoining Israel, anti-Jewish activities began in earnest, and in 1945 riots erupted: in November 2-3 1945 (28th Balfour declaration), 5 Synagogues burnt, 3 in Alexandria and 2 in Cairo, looting, stoning and damaging of Jewish Institutions (Hospital, Schools, old-age Home), Jewish homes, with many Jews wounded. (Laskier: p.87-88 and Bat-Yeor: p.113-114).

After establishing the State of Israel, between May 15th and November 1948, violence and repressive measures by the government and Egyptians began in earnest. Bombs were set off in the Jewish Quarter, and personal aggression against Jews in the streets, killing more than 70 Jews and wounded nearly 200. In July 17, 1948: bombing of two Jewish Department Stores, and 500 Jewish stores in Cairo, with many killed and injured (Laskier: p.133). Rioting over the next few months resulted in many more Jewish deaths. 2000 Jews were arrested and imprisoned for up to 18 months without any trial. Most of them were expelled and deported straight from prison to the ship, leaving all their assets behind. To be a Sionist or suspected to be one, became a crime. A wave of terror, including persecutions, discrimination, human rights violation, and sequestration of thousands of Jewish properties. Accusing the Jews abusiness-owners of Tax-Evasion, the Egyptian Authority confiscated their Businesses. The Egyptian Ministry of Labor demanded that 75 percent of all those employed by companies to be Egyptian, and Jews were not accepted by the Ministry into this category. They could not receive import's license either. Proclamation no.N23 of May 25. 1948, stipulated that Jews could not leave the country, even holders of Foreign Passports, and Jews became pawns of the regime. Jews were not accepted in Egyptian Universities.

In January 26, 1952: The Black Saturday begun as a mass demonstration against the British, and ended with the EDBAHU EL-YAHUD shouting, riots against Jews, 500 Jewish Businesses set on fire, Jewish Department Stores burned, with many killed and wounded. (Laskier: 145 – Bat Yeor: 114).

In 1956, a massive expulsion. The Egyptian government used the Sinai Campaign as a pretext to order almost 25,000 Egyptian Jews to leave the country, in two days until seven days only, and confiscated their property. This includes Jews with French nationality, British, Italian, Greek, stateless, or even Egyptian nationality. They were allowed to take only one suitcase and twenty dollars only. They were forced to sign declarations donating their property to the Egyptian government, and get a stamp on their passport, of GO WITH NO RETURN. Approximately 1,000 more Jews were sent to prisons and detention camps, and thousand of families were under House Arrest, until their expulsion in a matter of hours or days.

Egypt is the only Arab State, who executed mass imprisonments for up to three years, and massive expulsions, until "ethnic cleansing" occurred.

By 1957, the Jewish population of Egypt had fallen to 15,000. In 1967, after the Six-Day war, there was a renewal wave of persecution, and imprisonments of all the Jewish males from 16 years old to 60, for three years imprisonment with tortures. The Community dropped to 2,500. By the 1970s, after the remaining Jews were imprisoned or given permission to leave the country, the community dwindled today to 30 widows females, or married to non-Jews in Cairo and Alexandria, and only one Jewish man in Alexandria.

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With appreciate to Levana Zamir

Bibliography:

- Landau,M. Jacob; "The Jews in Nineteenth-Century Egypt" (Ben-Zvi Institute & The Hebrew University, Jerusalem – 1967) [Hebrew].

- Laskier M., Michael; "The Jews of Egypt 1920-1970" (New-York University Press, 1991. [English].

- Bat Yeor; "Yehudei Mitzraim" – (The International Jewish Congress, 1974 [Hebrew – exists also in English]

- Zamir, Levana; The Golden Era of the Jews of Egypt (University of Haifa - Keness Hafakot Publishers) – 2008 [Hebrew and English].

Discriminatory Decrees and Violations of Human Rights
(Intended merely as a sampling and not an exhaustive compilation)

The first Nationality Code was promulgated by Egypt on May 26, 1926. Entitled to Egyptian nationality were only those who “belonged racially to the majority of the population of a country whose language is Arabic or whose religion is Islam.” [1] This provision served as the official pretext for expelling many Jews from Egypt.

On July 29, 1947, an amendment was introduced to the Egyptian Companies Law which made it mandatory for at least 75% of the administrative employees of a company to be Egyptian nationals and 90% of employees in general. This resulted in the dismissal and loss of livelihood for many Jews since only 15% of them had been granted Egyptian citizenship.[2]

A mass departure of Jews was sparked when Egypt passed an amendment in 1956 to the original Egyptian Nationality Law of 1926. Article 1 of the Law of November 22, 1956, stipulated that “Zionists” were barred from being Egyptian nationals.[3] Article 18 of the 1956 law asserted that “Egyptian nationality may be declared forfeited by order of the Ministry of Interior in the case of persons classified as Zionists.” Moreover, the term “Zionist” was never defined, leaving Egyptian authorities free to interpret as broadly as they pleased.

Provision both in the 1956 and 1958 laws permitted the government to take away citizenship of any Egyptian Jew absent from UAR territory for more than six consecutive months. That this provision is aimed exclusively at Jews is shown by the fact that the lists of denaturalized persons published time and again by the Official Journal contains Jewish names only, despite the fact that there were many non-Jewish Egyptians who stayed abroad for over six months.[4]

Economic Discrimination and Strangulation
(Intended as a sampling and not an exhaustive compilation)

Law No. 26 of 1952 obligated all corporations to employ certain prescribed percentages of “Egyptians.” A great number of Jewish salaried employees lost their jobs, and could not obtain similar ones, because they did not belong to the category of Jews with Egyptian nationality.

Between November 1-20 1956, official records reveal that by a series of sequestration orders issued under Military Proclamation No. 4, the property of many hundreds of Jews in Egypt was taken from their owners and turned over to Egyptian administrators.[5] Proclamation No. 4 was carried into effect almost exclusively against Jews; and though a number of Copts and Moslems were also interned, their assets were never sequestered.[6]

Of the published lists of 486 persons and firms whose properties were seized under Military Proclamation No. 4, at least 95 per cent of them are Jews. The names of persons and firms affected by this measure represented the bulk of the economic substance of Egyptian Jewry, the largest and most important enterprises and the main sustenance, through voluntary contributions, of Jewish religious, educational, social and welfare institutions in Egypt.[7]

In addition to the vast sequestration of property and other discriminatory treatment, Directive No. 189 issued under the authority of Military Proclamation No. 4, authorized the Director General of the Sequestering Agency to deduct from the assets belonging to interned persons, 10% of the value of the sequestered property, presumably to cover the costs of administration. Hence, without regard to the question of whether a property is legally sequestered, the Jews of Egypt were being taxed to pay for the machinery or improper sequestration and withholding.[8]

The Jews leaving Egypt were subjected to additional deprivations and inconveniences. A regulation was established which only authorized Jews leaving Egypt to take with them travellers checks or other international exchange documents up to a value of 100 pounds sterling per capita. The Bank of Egypt provided Jews leaving the country with instruments specifically drawn on Egyptian accounts in Britain and France, when Egyptian authorities knew well that those accounts were blocked in reciprocation for the Egyptian blocking of British and French assets in Egypt and were not freely negotiable abroad.[9]

Video: The 100 Year Celebration of Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue in Cairo

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1. Article 10(4) of the Code. See: Maurice de Wee, La Nationalite Egptienne, Commentairo de la loi du mai 1926, p. 35.

2. H.J. Cohen, “The Jews of the Middle East, 1860 – 1972.”

3. Law No. 391 of 1956, section 1(a). See Revue egyptienne de Droit International, Vol. 12 (1956), p. 80.

4. Confidential Memorandum provided to the UNHCR, Feb, 26, 1960.

5. Confidential Memorandum provided to the High Commissioner, Mr. Auguste Lindt, on Feb. 21, 1957

6. Confidential Memorandum provided to the UNHCR, Feb, 26, 1960.

7. Egyptian Official Gazette, No. 88, November 1, 1957.

8. Confidential Memorandum provided to the High Commissioner, Mr. Auguste Lindt, on Feb. 21, 1957.

9. Ibid.

See: Historical Society of Jews from Egypt