There are few realities I tend to hold, adamantly and harshly, against Egypt, and that is, for all its capacity to retain structures and mummies, for thousands of years, it is incapable of retaining our loved ones near us today. To the most privileged, Egypt is a wondrous home where the idea of taking lagoon dips under the moonlight in Dahab, or sipping strong cocktails from rooftop bars, is not an impossible dream but a feasible reality. But, for others, the vast majority of its minorities, Egypt is a bitter and ungenerous space, ready to shun its most diverse sons and daughters. For years, I lamented the dwindling voices of its minorities – atheists, intellectuals, LGBTQI+ members – forced to eclipse under the shadow of a majority. Most of all, I mourned, and still mourn, the fact that my generation will be the last to see and experience the few remaining Egyptian Jews in Egypt. In fact, Egypt is saying goodbye to the last handful. They were 8 years old when they were expelled from Egypt. They were 14 and 10 years old. They were 20 and 12. The year…
Review: To Egypt with Love, a Literary Jewish Memento of a By(going) Era
February 4, 2022
