Egyptian Jews Social History

The book presents an important period in Egypt's history and the position of Egyptian society towards Jews. With the openness to the West in the era of Muhammad Ali, many foreigners flocked to Egypt, including a number of Jews, as Egypt was a target for many of them to come to it, dreaming of wealth in light of the mixed courts and foreign privileges, until the number of Jews in the thirties of the last century reached nearly sixty thousand, who enjoyed luxury in the shadow of excellent religious tolerance.

The book depicts the social and economic conditions of the Jews during the reign of King Farouk. As Albert Arieh mentioned, the Jewish community was not a single community. There was an upper-class community represented by the Jewish aristocracy, which lived the life of the Egyptian aristocracy and had friendships and business dealings with them. They had connections with Khedive Ismail, King Fouad, and King Farouk. Then there was the middle class, which consisted of two groups: the upper class tried to imitate some of the behaviors of the upper class and worked in banks and mixed little with the Egyptians. Most of them used French at work and in daily life; and a middle class, especially the Qura’iyyin, who were closer to the Egyptians in terms of customs, language, and names. Then there were the residents of the Jewish quarter in Egypt and Alexandria, who were more like the residents of the Egyptian neighborhoods.

As for the economy, the Jews controlled the Egyptian economy at the beginning of the last century through credit companies and banks, then moved to real estate and formed transportation companies, insurance companies, and major stores, such as Cicurel, Shemla, and Adas, etc.; which prompted Talat Harb in his book (Economic Treatment of Egypt) to denounce Jewish control. Some Jews owned Jewish aristocratic companies, such as Qatawi, Rolo, and Ada, and others, and a number of them were supporters of Zionism.