Everyday Activist - Jews of Egypt: The End of a Journey

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2016 at 09:00 PM

Jews of Egypt: The End of a Journey

Movie Review by Everyday Activist X CalgaryMovies.com

What I loved about the movies for the 2016 Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival's Jewish Communities in the Arab World documentaries is that they show a different, more personal side to the roots of the Arab Israeli conflict. From the film Tinghir-Jerusalem, which will also screen at the festival, I learned about passports that will allow you out of a country but not back into it. In Egypt, while most Jewish people had left, twelve women remained. The documentary talks about their story to preserve their history for future generations, before they all die.

Two sisters, Nadia and Magda formed the nucleus of the group to lead the mission these women had to preserve Jewish culture in Egypt. They did impressive amounts of work compiling documents, finding treasures such as a midwife’s log book of all the births and watched how her documentation changed with the political climate. The synagogues which had suffered neglect, had a new lease on life with the hope of encouraging people of all faiths to come into enjoy events such as concerts or plays. What makes the story so touching is that they might not live long enough to see the fruits of their labor, but they keep on going.

Looking at their family history it’s easy to see why they stubbornly hold on their mission, despite its futility in many ways. Their father didn’t want to leave Egypt and faced persecution for his beliefs. They commented that when their father was detained for taking a stand, friends and neighbors of all faiths helped them. He managed to stay long enough to be buried in an Egyptian cemetery. His daughters were cut from the same cloth, wanting to honor their homeland until death. I can’t imagine that type courage.

JEWS OF EGYPT: THE END OF A JOURNEY will play at Festival Hall in Inglewood (1215 10 Ave SE), Thursday March 24th at 6:30 pm as part of the 2016 Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival's Jewish Communities in the Arab World Documentary Night. Tickets are $30 and include a screening of TINGHIR-JERUSALEM, ECHOES FROM THE MELLAH at 9:15 pm, food and discussions with the directors.

Calgary Showtimes: Jews of Egypt: The End of a Journey > | Tinghir-Jerusalem, Echoes from the Mellah >