Background:

Shiḥāta Hārūn (1920–16.3.2001), one of the founding members of Ḥizb al-Tajammuʿ (National Progressive Unionist Party) and former lawyer is an Egyptian Jew. He was also among the many Egyptians arrested in 1967. His Jewish identity is intertwined with Egypt’s history and he never left his home country. Hārūn argues that although he is a Jew, he does not feel any religious significance to the state of Israel and does not wish to visit until the Palestinians are given their rights. Furthermore, he speaks of the dying Jewish community in Egypt.

Side A:

Hārūn speaks of Edward William Lane, 19^th century author of a book about Modern Egypt. In this book, Hārūn says that Lane wrote that at the middle of the 19^th century, there were approximately five thousand Jews in Egypt whom he studied. It is only during the last war in 1973, between Egypt and Israel that he heard there appeared to be a kind of non-written order to clear the Jews from Egypt. Hārūn boldly asserts that if Jamāl ‘Abd al-Nāsir had come to deport him, he would have calmly waited, but he would never leave voluntarily. According to Hārūn, in 1956, most Jews were allegedly shuffled aside and when in 1961 everything had been fully nationalized in Egypt, the few Jews who remained, also left Egypt because they could no longer find jobs. Hārūn says in the 1930s, there were approximately 100,000 Jews in Egypt, but very few had Egyptian passports. Hārūn, who himself is an Egyptian Jew, did have a passport because he had all the papers to prove to the government that he was an Egyptian. Most of the Jews did not have these papers to proof their Egyptian roots.

Cornelis Hulsman lets Hārūn speak , until Hārūn notices that Hulsman might be questioning the authenticity of his story. Hārūn confronts Hulsman, whereby Hulsman states that he is merely trying to compare it to what Dr. Rifʿat al-Saʿīd – General-Secretary of al-Tajammuʿ party – had said about the Jewish community in Egypt.

Hārūn continues, and says the French and the British governments at that time helped those Jews who could not deliver the proof of their Egyptian origins. Hārūn says he was not asked by the government to leave, but was instead put in concentration camps in 1967, as a manoeuvre of the government to make Hārūn leave Egypt nevertheless. Due to Hārūn’s active political role in Egypt, he had gone through many court cases in 1975 during his time as a lawyer. Even though Hārūn’s entire family had left for Israel, he wanted to stay in Egypt because he believed he was Egyptian. Hārūn says it was not just his tendencies of patriotism that forced him to stay, but also the fact that he took part in many fights for freedom and liberty, alongside fellow Egyptians who fought for the same rights. He was fighting as an Egyptian for the Egyptians, not as a Jew fighting for the Jews. He mentions that despite the persecution, he had many advantages over other non-Jewish Egyptians and argued his life was better than theirs.

Hārūn continuously stresses the fading of the Jewish community in Egypt; he says this is because of the world’s evolution which will not permit Jews to return to Egypt. Even his own family is mixing with non-Jews; his daughters married Muslims, which means the Jewish community will not be pursued from their side either. Hārūn believes he has no future as a Jew; instead he has a future as an Egyptian.

Side B:

According to Cornelis Hulsman, Israeli activist Yael Lerer argues that Israelis are claiming Arabs to be anti-Semitic in order to cover up their own anti-Arabism. Shiḥāta Hārūn agrees with Lerer’s bold statement and says he has never been to Israel and is not planning on going until the mistreating of the Palestinian ends and the Palestinian question is settled. He has many friends and family in Israel who visit him in Egypt, but he refuses to visit them in Israel because of the aforementioned political reasons. The day the Palestinians receive their rights, is the day Hārūn will travel to Israel. Hulsman mentions that many Jews perceive the state of Israel as holy, although Hārūn argues he does not affiliate with such feelings. Israel has no special or religious significance to him and even goes as far as calling most Israelis murderers and accuses those Israelis who have American ancestry, to be potentially affiliated with the CIA, but he cannot say so for sure. Hārūn believes that the state of Israel is contrary to all Jewish beliefs and ideas. The 10 commandments are neglected, even though according to Hārūn, the Jews were the first ones to give the world moral laws. He believes these moral laws ought to be maintained, but Israel continues to portray immoral behaviours.