[.ca] The Dispersion of Egyptian Jewry: Culture, Politics, and ... (ISBN 9774248902)

Unjust omission:
I agree with those who are upset that the author did not mention the detention camps of Abu Zaabal and Tura. This ordeal put an end to Jewish existence in Egypt. Our own neighbors from across the landing had 3 of their sons incarcerated for about two years. The father was deceased, and the mother was hard pressed to take care of the two girls. She had a nice store in downtown Cairo, but she had to close it, because she was always being blackmailed by other businessmen:"If you insist that we pay you what we owe, then we will tell the government that you have relatives in Israel." She used to come and cry to my mother. Egypt was indeed unjust to its Jews. The author also does not mention how Jewish people, who were among the most decent in Egypt, were always attacked in the streets of our neighbourhood. Even policemen would annoy them. For a while after the 1967 war, my older sister would accompany the two girls to their school and elsewhere. As a Moslem, I feel that Egypt owes an applogy. My parents to this day miss our neighbors, and always talk about them. Our economy was much better when the Jews were here. Any historian who omits this ordeal is not an honest one.

Dishonest scholarship:
The author is not honest when presenting the plight of Egyptian Jews. He belittles their suffering. In fact, he omits the most serious calamity that befell Egyptian Jewry: Incarceration and torture in the detention camps of Abu Zaabal and Tura between 1967-70. It is indeed dishonest scholarship, because the author covers the period before and after 1967-70, but not these three years. It seems that he is interested in blaming Israel for the fate of Egyptian Jewry, which is unfair. Israel welcomed Egyptian Jews after Egypt denied them citizizenship in in 1929 and employment in 1947 (The Company Law).

Dishonest scholarship indeed:
As someone who was incarcerated in 1956 and later, from 1967 to 1970, I consider that Benin committed an intellectual crime when he refused to mention that we, Egyptian Jewish males above the ages of 19, were incarcerated in the detention camps of Abu Zaabal and Tura. One of the detainees from Alexandria was 82 years old! I, as well as others, were personally tortured. For instance, I was forced to walk barefoot on broken glass. Another inmate was told to face the wall, and insult himself. He had to say: " I am a coward Jew, I am a Jewish donkey". Beinin must have known about Abu Zaabal and Tura. He wrote that he was in Egypt during that period. From the names he mentions in his book, it is clear that he talked to some of the former detainees. Israel gave me a second chance at life, and helped me recover. I believe his hatred of the Jewish state led Beinin to hide the truth.

A false narrative:
This false history begins as a lie and ends as a lie. This book ignores 100% its subject, which is the 'dispersion of Egyptian Jewry'. Instead this book spends its time bashing Israel and then blaming the Egyptian Jews when they were rounded up, abused, tortured and jailed, for what crime? For the crime of daring to be Jewish. This book never mentions half the events that took place with Egyptian Jewry following 1948, which is sopposed to be the basis of the text. This book, because of its political hatred of Israel, abuses the history of Egyptian Jewry in order to lash Israel, a tragedy of history and a tragedy on the subject. Seth J. Frantzman

...:
Joel Beinin wastes no opportunity to trash Israel, be it in the classroom, on radio or in print. This is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area. It may not be so well known outside of Northern California.