 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 57,500+ | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel | 57,500[1] |
 Egypt | less than 20 (2021)[2] |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew, Egyptian Arabic (Judeo-Egyptian Arabic) | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism (Rabbinic and Karaite) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mizrahi Jews, Sephardi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Yemeni Jews | |
| Part of a series on |
| Jews and Judaism |
|---|
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.[3] 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[3] emigrated, much of their property was also confiscated (see 20th century departures of foreign nationals from Egypt).
As of 2016[update], 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.[4][5] As of 2019[update], there were at least 5 known Jews in Cairo and as of 2017, 12 were still reported in Alexandria.[6] In December 2022, it was reported that only 3 Egyptian Jews were living in Cairo.[7]
- ^ "Jews, by Country of Origin and Age". Statistical Abstract of Israel (in English and Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "BDE: One Of The Last Jews In Egypt Passes Away". The Yeshiva World. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Beinin-2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Egypt's Jewish community diminished to 6 women after death of Lucy Saul". Egypt Independent. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Parisse, Emmanuel (26 March 2017). "Egypt's last Jews aim to keep heritage alive". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Oster, Marcy (9 July 2019). "Only 5 Jews left in Cairo following death of Jewish community president". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Shawkat, Ahmed (15 December 2022). "How Egypt's last Jews will mark Hanukkah, and make sure their culture doesn't "disappear" with them". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-06-06.