Archive

Jewish Orphanage, Alexandria, Egypt

Description

Born in the Italian city of Leghorn in 1882, Prato served as the director of Florence’s Talmud Torah and Temple cantor from 1914 [2]. He took over as Alexandria’s head rabbi in 1927 and oversaw a period of prosperity enjoyed by much of Egyptian Jewry [3].

The orphanage was the rabbi’s final contribution to the community in Alexandria before his return to Italy where he served as Rome’s Chief Rabbi and director of the College Rabbinico Italiano [4][5]. Prato acquired a 20,000 lira donation from the wealthy Alexandrian Jew Jacques Aghion which the orphanage used to open its doors in 1934. It initially housed 25 children [6]. Prato hoped to see the orphanage grow through continuing gifts and donations [7]. The rabbi’s interest in founding an orphanage likely stemmed from his passion for the religious education of young people, as well the fact he was an orphan himself [8]. Additionally, the practice of Jewish orphans raised in Christian institutions likely contributed to what he saw as a prominent need in Alexandria’s community [9].

History of the Jewish Community of Alexandria, Colonial to Modern Period:

Alexandria served as Egypt’s primary port which attracted a wide range of people from across the Mediterranean, giving the city incredibly vibrant ethnic and cultural diversity. The city’s Jewish community was transformed during the colonial period, rising from a population of hundreds at the beginning of the 19th century to over ten thousand by the century’s end [10]. Immigration, coupled with the development of trade and commerce, brought prosperity to Alexandria’s Jews. During this period, the prominent Menasce, Rolo, Aghion, TIlche, Goar, and Adda families amassed great fortunes and made significant contributions to the Egyptian economy [11]. It was during this period, under the reign of Muhammad Ali, that many of the community’s institutions, including schools and hospitals, were established. Wealthy families, including the Menasces, Sassoons, and the Sharvit brothers, constructed new synagogues to complement the long-standing Eliyahu ha-Navi, Zaradil, and Ezuz synagogues [12]. A Talmud-Torah was established in 1854, as well as a girls school shortly afterward in 1860 [13]. 1892 saw the opening of a second school for girls, Shadai Ya’azor, which in 1907 joined the former two schools in a central location [14].

With the nationalization of the Egyptian economy and the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine, as well as the end of the Capitulations system, Egypt’s Jews were increasingly marginalized and lost many of the advantages they once held [15]. Though in the earlier period relations had been generally positive, instances of Anti-Jewish violence rose dramatically, and the government did little to intervene [16]. Up to a quarter of the country’s Jews left after the 1948 war, with most of the remaining Jews leaving after the Suez War in 1957 [17]. Conditions for the Jews of Egypt grew increasingly dire, and some Jews were even placed in detention camps, such as the 350 Jews, including Chief Rabbi Nafusi, who were interned at the Abu Za’bal camp following the June 1967 Six-Day War [xviii]. As of 2014, only 18 Jews remained in Egypt [18].

Alexandria, Egypt

© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap