History of the Jews in Egypt

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.

The historic core of the indigenous community consisted mainly of Arabic-speaking Rabbanites and Karaites . After their expulsion from Spain, more Sephardi and Karaite Jews began to emigrate to Egypt and their numbers increased significantly with the growth of trading prospects after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result, Jews from all over the territories of the Ottoman Empire as well as Italy and Greece started to settle in the main cities of Egypt, where they thrived. The Ashkenazi community, mainly confined to Cairo 's Darb al-Barabira quarter, began to arrive in the aftermath of the waves of pogroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. In the late 1950s, Egypt expelled its Jewish population and sequestered Jewish-owned property. As of 2014, the Jewish population of Egypt was estimated at 12 to less than 40, down from between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1948. Slaves hauling bricks, tomb of Rekhmire , a noble and official of the 18th dynasty . Egyptian Alexandria Jewish girls during Bat Mitzva . The 1947 census gives 65,639, possibly too low.

The historic core of the Jewish community in Egypt consisted mainly of Arabic-speaking Rabbanites and Karaites . After their expulsion from Spain, more Sephardi and Karaite Jews began to emigrate to Egypt and their numbers increased significantly with the growth of trading prospects after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result, Jews from all over the territories of the Ottoman Empire as well as Italy and Greece started to settle in the main cities of Egypt, where they thrived. The Ashkenazi community, mainly confined to Cairo 's Darb al-Barabira quarter, began to arrive in the aftermath of the waves of pogroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. In the 1950s, Egypt began to expel its Jewish population (estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1948), also sequestering Jewish-owned property at this time. In 2016, an article in an Egyptian periodical contained a quote from Magda Tania Haroun (the president of Cairo's Jewish community) which seemed to imply that there were only 6 Jews remaining in the entire country, all of them women over age 65. However, a subsequent article in another periodical clarified that she was specifically referring to the Jews remaining in Cairo (where she is based) and that there are a further 12 Jews in the city of Alexandria , whose spiritual leader is Ben Youssef Gaon . With the death of Magda's mother, Marcelle Haroun, at the age of 93, in July 2019, left only five Jews in Cairo. Egyptian Jewish girls from Alexandria , probably between the late '50s and early '60s, during Bat Mitzva "Jews, by Country of Origin and Age" . Statistical Abstract of Israel (in English and Hebrew). The 1947 census gives 65,639, possibly too low.

The historic core of the Jewish community in Egypt mainly consisted of Egyptian Arabic speaking Rabbanites and Karaites . Though Egypt had its own community of Egyptian Jews, after the Jewish expulsion from Spain more Sephardi and Karaite Jews began to migrate to Egypt, and then their numbers increased significantly with the growth of trading prospects after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result, Jews from many territories of the Ottoman Empire as well as Italy and Greece started to settle in the main cities of Egypt, where they thrived. The Ashkenazi community, mainly confined to Cairo 's Darb al-Barabira quarter, began to arrive in the aftermath of the waves of pogroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. In the 1950s, Egypt began to expel its Jewish population (estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1948), also sequestering Jewish-owned property at this time. As of 2016 , the president of Cairo's Jewish community said that there were 6 Jews in Cairo, all women over age 65, and 12 Jews in Alexandria . As of 2019 , there were 5 in Cairo. As of 2022 the total number of known Egyptian Jews permanently residing in Egypt is 3. Statistical Abstract of Israel (in English and Hebrew). The Yeshiva World . 17 November 2021 . Cairo Jews Protest at Egypt seizure of second Cairo Geniza accessed March 25,2022 The 1947 census gives 65,639, possibly too low. The Times of Israel . Cairo Jews Protest at egypt seizure of second cairo Geniza accessed March 25,2022

The history of the Jews in Egypt goes back to ancient times. Egyptian Jews or Jewish Egyptians refer to the Jewish community in Egypt who mainly consisted of Egyptian Arabic -speaking Rabbanites and Karaites . Though Egypt had its own community of Egyptian Jews, after the Jewish expulsion from Spain more Sephardi and Karaite Jews began to migrate to Egypt, and then their numbers increased significantly with the growth of trading prospects after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result, Jews from many territories of the Ottoman Empire as well as Italy and Greece started to settle in the main cities of Egypt, where they thrived (see Mutammasirun ). The Ashkenazi community, mainly confined to Cairo 's Darb al-Barabira quarter, began to arrive in the aftermath of the waves of pogroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. In the aftermath of the 1948 Palestine War , the 1954 Lavon Affair , and the 1956 Suez War , Jewish (estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1948), and European groups like the French and British emigrated; much of their property was also confiscated (see 20th century departures of foreign nationals from Egypt ). As of 2016 , the president of Cairo's Jewish community said that there were 6 Jews in Cairo, all women over age 65, and 12 Jews in Alexandria . As of 2019 , there were at least 5 known Jews in Cairo and as of 2017, 12 were still reported in Alexandria. In December 2022, it was reported that only 3 Egyptian Jews were living in Cairo. Statistical Abstract of Israel (in English and Hebrew). The Yeshiva World . 17 November 2021 . The Times of Israel . "How Egypt's last Jews will mark Hanukkah, and make sure their culture doesn't "disappear" with them" .