Going to Jerusalem in 1615

From a new book, Ottoman-era Documents from the Cairo Genizah.

A Rabbi Shmuel set off for Jerusalem from Egypt in 1615 for a 20-day trek and required a document that he coulkd present to various government officials along the way which would provide him security from the dangers of raiding Bedouin as well as food and lodging. It also afforded him escorts for his protection although once he reached Jerusalem's gates, he would be required to make a payment to enter the city.

A Jew in Egypt, not European, a country ruled by the Ottoman Empire and going to Jerusalem, in the occupied territory of the former Judea in the early 17th century to spend the Pilgrimage Festival of Passover.

Think about it.

^

"The Palestinian Side of the Suez Canal"

I found the following in Hansard, the record of Bitish Parliamentary debates. The referred to Milner Mission was to make recommendations for the future relationship between Egypt and England after World War One when Egypt came under British martial law when a temporary Protectorate was declared. Its recommendations were to end that status and the negotiation of a treaty. It was published in February 1921.

The debate was held on March 14, 1922.

The following extract is from the words of John Mills. In 1923, he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the pro-Zionist Josiah Wedgwood.

Mills make the point that Egypt really never was any part of the British Empire and in doing so, makes reference to the concept that Palestine should extend well into Sinai, right up to the Suez Canal:

This point is specifically alluded to on page 6 of the Milner Report. I am quoting from the Report of the Special Mission, and it says: It appears to be frequently assumed in current talk and writing in this country that Egypt is part of the British Empire. That is not, and never has been, the case. That is most explicit, and to gentlemen of military experience who talk to us about the tactical value of this or that part of a country, I would suggest that on the Palestinian side of the Suez Canal you have a population who at the moment are welcoming British occupation, and, under the pledge given to the Zionists, it makes it a desirable circumstance for the transfer of the garrison; that in itself is an alternative place where troops can be kept if the Suez Canal is deemed to be such a dangerous part of our communication. Personally I think that the international pact which guaranteed the international character of the Suez Canal makes a very large number of these assertions valueless even if they ever contained some, amount of value. Having regard to the changed circumstances in the East, having regard to the changed circumstances on the Palestinian side of the Canal, we are justified in asking this Government and its military advisers to consider the alternative garrison for the troops, if they are necessary, in order that we may in fact as well as in word carry out this generation-long pledge to the Egyptian people.

Later in the debate Colonel Wedgewood notes:

Indeed, I think it is worth considering whether it would not be possible even to have the troops on the Eastern bank of the Canal instead of on the Western bank, provided that the Palestine-Egyptian frontier were shifted from the Akaba line up to the Suez Canal. That shift in the frontier would put us on the Suez Canal, in a position where we could adequately protect that Canal, with a base in the mandated country of Palestine, where we should be permanently on the spot to protect the Canal and look after our interests.

He is referring to the October 1, 1906, Separating Administrative Line between the Ottoman province of the Hejaz, the governorate of Jerusalem and the Sinai Peninsula which was agreed upon, following nine months of military action and diplomatic activity which nearly brought the British and the Ottoman empires to the verge of war. See here. 

It began in January that year when British forces from Egypt to build up a small post for the Egyptian border police at Umm Rashrash (now Eilat) in Naqb al-Aqaba. Their presumption was that "Naqb el-Akaba... is well within the frontier line settled upon between Turkey and Egypt" after the Wedj incident. 

Taba was then occupied by Turkish troops.

Oddly enough, one of the elements involved in the background to all this dispute was an

"1892 incident [that] was caused, according to Cromer, by the suspicions of the Sultan with regard to planned Jewish settlement on the shores of Aqaba: ‘...The result was that the Firman laid down the Egyptian frontier as drawn from Suez to El-Arish. The peninsula of Sinai, which had been administered by the Khedives of Egypt for the last forty years, would thus have reverted to Turkey... ’

^ 

Egypt's Sisi and the Temple Mount

Sisi?

"We are particularly grateful to Jordan for its efforts which came out of the meeting that I held just about a year ago regarding the tensions in Jerusalem at the Haram al-Sharif, the Temple Mount compound. And we talked about that a little bit today, and need to continue to make progress. But that came out of an important meeting between the Prime Minister of Israel, His Majesty, Foreign Minister Judeh, and myself, and a telephone call at the time from President el-Sisi."

Sisi?

From Secretary J. Kerry's Remarks: Press Availability with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on February 21, 2016.

My questions:

a. why did Netanyahu permit Sisi's involvement?

b. what did Sisi promise Netanyahu?

c. what did Netanyahu yield?

d. where are the cameras?

e. what happened to the halt in incitement?

“It is time for the international community to tell President Abbas to stop spreading lies that Israel wants to change the status quo or destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque. We are the ones who maintain the status quo and protect the holy sites in Jerusalem. We defend ourselves like every democracy would do in the face of such terror attacks. To generate hope we need to stop terror and in order to stop terror we need to stop incitement,” Netanyahu said.

What was going on and what is going on?

^

And If We Call Them "Jihadists"?

Reported:

Egypt's army spokesman Mohamed Samir said Saturday that military troops in North Sinai had raided a "terrorist den" killing 12 suspected militants. The attack, which took place near the restive town of Sheikh Zweid, also saw the arrest of 11 suspected militants and another six wanted by authorities. 
Around 36 houses and 40 huts allegedly belonging to jihadists were destroyed by the army.

If we call the Gazan Hamas/Islamic Jihad/Salafi terrorist as "jihadists", all is then okay?

^ 

Did An Israeli Suggest Hamas Kiss His Boot?

Was this something an Israeli official said?

In a January 9, 2014 interview on Channel One TV news, Israel's Deputy-Minister for Defense said: "We should discipline Hamas just as Egypt does... We must strike them so they learn to respect the Israeli boot," adding: "Onlythen will they kiss that shoe and learn what Israel is worth."

No.

But this is what was reported as said:

In a January 9, 2014 interview on Faraeen TV, Egyptian journalist MuhammadHassan Al-Alfi said: "We should discipline [Hamas] just as Israel did... Wemust strike them so they learn to respect the Egyptian shoe," adding: "Onlythen will they kiss that shoe and learn what Egypt is worth."

In full:

Muhammad Hassan Al-Alfi: I pray that Allah deems every word that I everwrote in defense of the Palestinian cause to be a sin, for which He willreckon with on Judgment Day, because they are not worthy of what he havedone for them. Our sons were killed and our economy was ruined in warsfought for their sake. We fought for their sake, and now, they are fightingagainst us, kidnapping our sons [in Sinai] and killing them.
The terrorist camps in Gaza must be attacked. The Al-Qassam Brigades, whichtrain them and send them over here, must be attacked. We should disciplinethem just as Israel did. We should not just retaliate. When you are weak,you get hit. We must strike them so they learn to respect the Egyptian shoe.
TV Host: Exactly.
Muhammad Hassan Al-Alfi: Only then will they kiss that shoe and learn whatEgypt is worth.

Thanks to IMRA. 

^

They Keep Getting Shot

There are complaints that Israel doesn't treat Gaza Arabs who are near the security fence properly.

I am fairly sure we're doing better than Egypt, however:-

Egyptian army shoots 2 Palestinians crossing through Gaza tunnel

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Egyptian army shot and wounded two Palestinian youths as they exited a tunnel from the Gaza Strip...Security sources told a Ma'an reporter in Cairo that after the two youths exited the tunnel, Egyptian border police chased them and subsequently opened fire.  The youths were taken under heavy guard to the Rafah General Hospital.

A military source said that the two youths were "smugglers" and would be taken for interrogation in order to discern the reasons for their crossing to the Egyptian side.

Perhaps the Egyptians assume they are terrorists?

^

Oh, So It's Okay to Blockade Gaza?

I guess it all depends on who does it:-

Egypt shutting economic lifeline for Gaza Strip, 

in move to isolate Hamas

Details:

The ­Egyptian military has launched what appears to be a campaign to shut down, once and for all, the illegal but long-permitted tunnels that provide a vital economic lifeline to the Gaza Strip and supply tax revenue to the Islamist movement Hamas.

The operation seems to be part of an effort to cripple Hamas, which rules the coastal enclave bordered by Egypt and Israel. The group is an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, whose ­standard-bearer held that country’s presidency before being ousted from power this summer.

Oh, this too:-

Egyptian security officials this month leaked military plans to create a “buffer zone” hundreds of yards wide between the two sides, replicating the barren no-man’s-land that Israel enforces inside Gaza to keep Palestinians from approaching the Israeli border.

^

Go Egypt, Go!

Item #1:-

Egyptian security forces Saturday blew up six tunnels under the Palestinian-Egyptian border to the southern Gaza Strip.  Alray reporter said two tunnels in Garadat area east of the Rafah crossing were completely destroyed in the evening. A cloud of smoke billowed out of the scene, no injuries among Palestinian reported.

Hours later, the Egyptian security forces planted bombs in 4 tunnels in the Brazil neighborhood in Rafah to detonate by remote control, while one tunnel was flooded with water before being destroyed.

 

Last Saturday, the Egyptian military destroyed two tunnels that have their entrances inside Egyptian houses at al-Sarsoriya area next to Brazil neighborhood of the Palestinian side.

 

The day before, the Egyptian army bombed three tunnels used for smuggling food stuffs, goods raw building materials that the Israeli occupation refuses to enter to the nearly 1.8 million population of the Gaza Strip.

 

The army had begun the crackdowns on border tunnels weeks before the military coup against President Mohamed Morsi

 

 

Item #2:-

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian naval forces on Friday shot two Palestinian fishermen near the Egypt-Gaza border and detained five others, Palestinian sources in Gaza said.

Egyptian forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, injuring 19-year-old Ibrahim Abdullah al-Najjar and 21-year-old Wael al-Bardawil.  They were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in the Palestinian side
of Rafah.

Egyptian forces detained Khalid Basla, Mahmud Basla, Maher Basla, Jamal Khaled Abu Shlouf, and Ismael Basla.

 

Item #3:-

 

Egypt's army on Friday destroyed two smuggling tunnels under the border with Gaza, security officials said.  The tunnels were used to smuggle cars and other goods.

Egyptian army engineers demolished the tunnels using explosives.
 

^

NYTimes: Israel's Fault

Following the opening salvo yesterday, the New York Times continues to concoct the new conspiracy theory that Egypt's woes are all ... Israel's fault.

First, as Leo Rennert points out

...in pursuit of external meddlers aligned against Washington diplomacy, the Times prefers to build a case against Israel and AIPAC...There’s more here than a whiff of Jewish conspiracy theories that fueled medieval anti-Semitism..  Notice that AIPAC is tagged as an ”influential” pressure group presumably capable of swaying the U.S. Senate.  AIPAC cracks the whip, purportedly, and 83 senators jump to Israel’s tune...As for Israel’s  supposed role in taking sides against the Muslim Brotherhood, the authors of the article never bother to identify their sources.   Never mind that Israeli officials from Prime Minister Netanyahu on down are on record as having decided that Israel will avoid  involvement in Egypt’s conflict.   So why rely on dubious, unattributed sources like “the Israelis” and “Western diplomats ” and “the diplomats believed,” and General Sisi “appeared to be”  etc.?  Could it be  that on-the-record pronouncements would have spoiled the conspiratorial atmospherics favored by the Times’ reporters?

 

And not given the Times a pretext to build a breach between Israel and the United States?

Jodi Ruderon continues with reliance on an "official, speaking on the condition of anonymity" and publishes:

Israel Escalating Efforts to Shape Allies’ Strategy

and writes:

Israel plans this week to intensify its diplomatic campaign urging Europe and the United States to support the military-backed government in Egypt despite its deadly crackdown on Islamist protesters, according to a senior Israeli official involved in the effort...the message, in part, is that concerns about democracy and human rights should take a back seat to stability and security because of Egypt’s size and strategic importance.

While that is a line of argument and/or persuasion consider that since the MB's Morsi government has been in power, certain human rights and democratic values have been harmed.  That would include the Copt Christians and given the destablization in Sinai, the anti-Israel terror with attacks on Eilat, facilitaitng weapons smuggling, Beduins-turning-into-Al Qaeda, murdering Egyptian soldiers, etc., you'd think we all need to be anti-MB.


Anything real she can depend on?


Nope:

Israeli leaders have made no public statements and have refused interviews since Wednesday’s brutal clearing of two Muslim Brotherhood protest encampments...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who convened an emergency meeting of his inner cabinet Friday regarding Egypt, has not spoken since the crackdown to President Obama...But Mr. Netanyahu has discussed the situation with Secretary of State John Kerry; Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was in Israel last week; and a visiting delegation of more than two dozen Republicans from Congress, led by the majority leader, Eric Cantor of Virginia.

And its always about the money:

While Israel is careful to argue that Egypt is critical to broad Western interests in the Middle East, its motivation is largely parochial: the American aid underpins the 34-year-old peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, so its withdrawal could lead to the unraveling of the agreement. More immediately, Israel is deeply worried that Egypt’s strife could create more openings for terrorist attacks on its territory from the Sinai Peninsula.

Ah, so regional instability is indeed a factor, one that affects not only Israel but Jordan and Saudi Arabia and are they not allies of the US and receive money too?


Interestingly, she does quote a firm right-winger academic:.

“This is a very big mistake to interfere in what happens in Egypt,” said Mordechai Kedar, a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University and director of its new Center for the Study of the Middle East and Islam...“Israel, by supporting explicitly the army, exposes itself to retaliation. Israel should have done things behind the scenes, under the surface, without being associated with any side of the Egyptian problem.”

And we have this rather contradictory point to the NYTimes' line:

...Yitzhak Levanon, Israel’s ambassador to Egypt until 2011, said the lobbying had not been aggressive.

“We are talking to a lot of friends,” said Mr. Levanon, who teaches a course on Egypt at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. “Pushing? I don’t think that this is the word. We are expressing what we believe is best for the region...We have to choose here not between the good guys and the bad guys — we don’t have good guys. It is a situation where you have to choose who is less harmful.”

So, no one quoted actually knows anything first hand but are punditing.



^
  

Something To Think About Re: Egypt

Aren't we all lucky that there are very few Jews left in Egypt?

Very few:

These were the members of the Jewish community in Cairo...It is no coincidence that there were no men at the meeting. The handful of Jewish community members includes only women, at least as far as is known. The assembled members  elected Magda Haroun, daughter of communist and intellectual Chehata Haroun. From that moment, Magda embarked on a not-very-long journey; the journey of witnessing the end of Jewish life in the land of the Nile.

That was published on April 25, 2013.

The news:

Egypt's Christians terrified after church attacks

---

Egyptian Protesters Turn Fury on Coptic Christians

---

The Dangerous Life of Christianity in Egypt

---

Egypt's Christians under pressure as churches are torched

---

If there were more Jews, they'd be pogromed, torched, raped, pillaged and slaughtered.


Note:

From the days of my early childhood in Egypt, anti-Semitism was not only a common phenomenon, it has been a national characteristic of my country. From Alexandria to Aswan, in every city and small town along the Nile river, anti-Jewish propaganda can be easily found in mosques, bookstores, on the radio, in newspapers and on TV.

Learning to hate Jews starts in Egypt the first moment you learn about their existence and continues long into adulthood.

And from this past June:

I know I’m not alone in having lied and said I’m Christian. Sometimes I truly felt uncomfortable about my interlocutor’s intention. “You’re not an Israeli or Jew are you?” a poor bookseller once asked in Cairo’s Azbakeya book market as I handed him the money. “Because we’re enemies.” I needed the book for class the next day, muttered a panicked no, and simply bolted away.

Satirical comment.

^

Playing Numbers Is Not A Game, and Yet...

From the headlines on the Egyptian violence:

24 hours of violent clashes left at least 300 dead and 2000 injured

More than 100 people are reported to have died in the crackdown

At Least 278 People Killed Across Egypt

Hundreds Dead as Upheaval Grips Egypt

Death toll in Egypt violence rises to 327 a crackdown on protesters leaves 327 dead and nearly 3,000 wounded At least 421 people died when security forces stormed two camps which supporters of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi set up in the city last month.

[Update on figures below]

As EOZ notes:

Last November, Israel and Gaza terror groups fought Pillar of Defense. Israel dropped hundreds of bombs on Gaza and the news coverage was non-stop, as was the vitriol against Israel for supposed wanton killings and disregard for civilian lives.

The one day with the most Arab casualties in Pillar of Defense was November 18. Guess how many were killed by Israel's fearsome war machine on that day?

35.

Either the Egyptian security forces' bullets are far more deadly than Israel's bombs and missiles - or Israel was extraordinarily careful in who they targeted and how.

In fact, in one day, Egypt has killed more Arabs than Israel did since January 2012 - including Pillar of Defense!

Reflect on that when you recall the media fury directed against Israel and the "crimes" charged against Israel.


_____________

P.S.

No one really knows how many pro-Mursi protestors were killed on Wednesday – the government says about 270, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has been saying more than 2,000. My assumption is that both parties are lying.

P.P.S.

1.  Supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi torched three churches in central Egypt on Wednesday in reprisal attacks as police dispersed demonstrations in Cairo, reports said.  The assailants threw firebombs at Mar Gergiss church in Sohag, a city with a large community of Coptic Christians who comprise up to 10 percent of Egypt's 84 million people, causing it to burn down, the official MENA news agency said.

2.  Churches across Egypt came under frenzied attack Thursday as the country became convulsed in violent turmoil...Morsi loyalists orchestrated nationwide assaults on Christian targets, wreaking havoc on churches, homes, and Christian-owned businesses throughout the country.

Coptic rights group the Maspero Youth Union (MYU) estimated that as many as 36 churches were "completely" devastated by fire across nine Egyptian governorates, including Minya, Sohag and Assiut — home to large Coptic communities.  The group, alongside media reports, said that many other churches were looted or stormed in ensuing street violence Wednesday.

Egypt's interior ministry told reporters in Cairo Wednesday that at least seven churches were ruined or torched by suspected Islamists.

MYU spokesman Antwan Adel said at least two were confirmed dead — in the cities of Minya and Alexandria — during the anti-Coptic attacks. No independent confirmation of this tally has appeared.

3.    At least 525 were killed Wednesday when the police forcibly cleared protest camps set up by supporters of toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a health ministry official said Thursday. Some 3717 others were wounded in the crackdown and ensuing clashes across Egypt, according to health ministry spokesman Mohamed Fathallah.  Egypt's interior ministry told reporters Wednesday night that 43 security personnel had lost their lives in the day's clashes.

^

After the Jordan Butt-in, Egypt's Turn

After Jordan butting-in on the matter of the Temple Mount*, it's Egypt's turn.

This week, the Egyptian Ambassador to Palestine Yasser Othman paid an inspection visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, 

during which he was briefed on the recent Israeli practices against the mosque, especially the escalation of daily incursions into him, and repressive measures against the worshipers and terraces of science students and insulting the Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Hussein by his arrest.

Among those conferring with him were the Mufti of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Shaykh Muhammad Hussein, Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab Chairman of the Islamic Waqf, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, and Joseph Mukhaimar, Abdullah Siam deputy governor of Jerusalem and Amer Abu Sham.

Ambassador Osman said that

Egypt has stood and stands all the time with the legitimate national rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and his today come commissioned by the Egyptian leadership, to emphasize on this matter and to send a message rejection of the unilateral measures taken by the Israeli side...the position of Al-Azhar also was clear about the encroachment of Israeli-Aqsa Mosque, and that Al-Azhar also has warned of sharing temporal and spatial Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning of growing extremism in the Israeli side, according to what was produced by the recent Israeli elections...noting that the Israeli actions last in the Al-Aqsa Mosque was unprecedented and violent against worshipers and students terraces science.The Mufti warned the Israeli government of the consequences of doing these procedures legislation, which aims to initiate the application sharing time at the Al Aqsa Mosque as a prelude to the split, and perhaps unlock racist extremist ideas which demands remove it.

To remind you: Egypt is run by the Muslim Brotherhood, partners with Hamas.


______________

*

Found:-
 

The official Jordanian news agency has reported that Jordan's ambassador in Israel is conducting intensive negotiations with the Israeli foreign ministry and Prime Minister's Office in an attempt to immediately halt "the entrance of extremist Jews into the Temple Mount area.   According to the report he claimed that the Israeli government "is responsible for preventing the systematic attack on holy sites.

Here:

- Jordan's Ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat, has called for an immediate end to the entry of Jewish extremists into Al Haram Al Sharif compound in occupied Jerusalem.

Obeidat, who made intensive contacts with the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the prime minister’s office, under the directives of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Nasser Judeh, said Israel, as the occupying power in Jerusalem, should stop the regular attacks against the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Such acts, he added, violate international resolutions and charters, undermine efforts to achieve peace in the region and provoke anger among Arabs and Muslims around the world.

And more.


^

Morsi Target of Comedy Central's Jon Stewart

Want more of this?

The clip:

Thanks to AL

______________

UPDATE

Check out first item here, which also notes The Lede.


^

No Red Lines, She Claims or, Feminism in Egypt

This is Horeya Farghaly:

And last September we learned

Horeya Farghaly has 

no red lines

Egyptian actress Horeya Farghaly has told an online newspaper that her role in the serial “Dawaran Shubra” will be a break from the norm, something she considers positive. She said that she was happy with her role and her character. She said that it was the first time she is acting in a drama series, especially in a sad role. She said that she had to practice for her character for many days before starting filming.

One of the biggest problems she faced during the shoot was when she was attacked by thugs on set in the Cairo neighborhood of Shubra.

The crew removed the actors from the location to protect them and tried to confront the men, but Farghaly went to  a military checkpoint and asked soldiers to intervene. Farghaly criticized those who stereotype her as a seductive actress, 

especially after her role in the movie “Call Me, Thank You.”  She said people changed their minds when they saw her last Ramadan in two serials playing totally different characters.

End of story:

Houriya Farghali perform Hajj
 
In an atmosphere of tranquility, and temporal dimension of the limelight and lenses, Egyptian artist nymph Farghali decided to travel to the Holy Land [Saudi Arablia, that is] accompanied by her mother, to perform the Hajj, to gain psychological and mental serenity caused by the proximity of the house of God and so did.

She expressed before leaving Cairo her happiness that her new film, "Photographer Dead", will participate in the official competition of the events within the Arab films Cairo International Film Festival in its thirty-fifth session, which will be held from 28 November to 6 December.

Where did those red lines go?

Did she yield to Islamism by going to Canossa, or was this an honest, genuine act of religious pilgrimage?

^

Egypt Demands West Cower and Kowtow

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil has said the US must do all it can to stop people insulting Islam.

Or, in my narrative, Islam demands the West cower and kowtow.

Read and comment.

From the BBC interview:

In an interview with BBC Arabic, Mr Qandil said it was "unacceptable to insult our Prophet" but also not right for peaceful protests to turn violent...all sides needed now to improve their view of each other.
"Egyptians, Arabs, Muslims - we need to reflect the true identity of Muslims, how peaceful they are, and talk to the Western media about the true heart of the Muslims, that they condemn violence," said Mr Qandil.
"At the same time we need to reach a balance between freedom of expression and to maintain respect for other peoples' beliefs."  When asked whether he thought the US should change its laws governing freedom of speech laws, he replied: "I think we need to work out something around this because we cannot wait and see this happen again."
"This is a small number of people doing irresponsible work and everybody's paying the price."

But think: how do suppose we Jews feel when it's not a matter of a film insulting Muslims but our very theology and national existence that upsets them, from the Koran until this day?

^

An Anti-Jewish Riot in Egypt

In 38CE, that is.

I came across this article, The Alexandrian Riots of 38 C.E. and the Persecution of the Jews: A Historical Reconstruction. By Sandra Gambetti in the Journal for the Study of Judaism and went searching.

She's published a book and the blurb:

Scholars have read the Alexandrian riots of 38 CE according to intertwined dichotomies. The Alexandrian Jews fought to keep their citizenship - or to acquire it; they evaded the payment of the poll-tax - or prevented any attempts to impose it on them; they safeguarded their identity against the Greeks - or against the Egyptians. Avoiding that pattern and building on the historical reconstruction of the experience of the Alexandrian Jewish community under the Ptolemies, this work submits that the riots were the legal and political consequence of an imperial adjudication against the Jews. Most of the Jews lost their residence never to recover it again. The Roman emperor, the Roman prefect of Egypt and the Alexandrian citizenry - all shared responsibilities according to their respective and expected roles.

From a book review by Torrey Seland::

..she argues that the Jews were not expelled from Alexandria as such but secluded into a small part of it labeled the Delta District (Δ)...

... Gambetti takes as her point of departure the summer of 38, when the Alexandrian Jews were pushed back into the Δ section of the city, which suggests that the problem was not the Jews qua Jews, but where they lived. Chapter Two (pp. 23-55) deals with the rights of residence of the Jews in the Ptolemaic times. She argues, inter alia, that at that time the Jews had their own politeuma, but it was limited to the territory of their garrison...Chapter Four (77-85) deals with the early years of Flaccus’ prefecture. Gambetti argues that Flaccus did not favor the Jews, though his policy remains unclear in many aspects. That he did not deliver the Jewish decree to the emperor was more due to the difficult situation of Flaccus’ own situation than his reluctance to deliver it.

The fifth chapter, The Precedent for the Riots (pp. 87-136), which is central to Gambetti’s argument, presents her reading of P. Yale II 107. The main conclusion of her discussion is that this papyrus deals with a conflict between two groups opposing each other before Gaius, the Emperor; the one party was the Alexandrians, the other was composed of Alexandrian Jews. The case before Gaius is dated to March 37, possibly in Rome. But the two groups, which in fact were delegations, had left Alexandria as early as about August 35. According to Gambetti’s reading, the Jews seem to have lost their case...the danger of losing one’s patris. Gambetti’s conclusion, important for her whole study, is that the accuser and supplicants – mentioned in this papyrus – were Jews, and that they lost their case: “The reason for this loss was residence; the representative of the Jews apparently registered his idia in a mistaken part of the city; his guilt extended to the whole group” (p.136).

The following three chapters (pp. 137-193) deal with the events of 38 CE:...When it comes to the events of the riot in 38, Gambetti suggests that they were primarily due not to the ‘mob’ (contra Philo), but to political leaders of some sort (p.171), most probably the leaders of the gymnasium. Furthermore, the famous edict of Flaccus, declaring the Jews to be “foreigners and immigrants” in the city, Gambetti reads to denote not all Jews but primarily the Jews living outside their designated area, that is outside the Δ district...Gambetti discusses here the old Egyptian enmity against the Jews as a possible factor. In dealing with the cultural and demographic aspects of the riots, she focuses on the roles of the professional and religious associations in the city. Then, in the final main chapter (pp. 213-238), the author deals with the years 39 and 41...

It is

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the situation of the Jewish community in antiquity.

But what actually happened to the Jews?  The background is here.  And, according to one account:

...the Jews were trapped. They had been living in all five quarters of the city; now they were ordered to live in one part, close together. It may be that Flaccus thought that this segregation would help the Jews, because it now became impossible to attack them as individuals. Whatever the motive, the result was the first known ghetto in history. Of course, the houses the Jews had left, were plundered by the Egyptian and Greek mob.

It was impossible for the Jews to leave their quarter: they were stoned, clubbed, or burned and the dead bodies were mutilated. Others were brought to the arena or crucified. Philo gives a shocking eyewitness account. Thousands must have perished, and -according to Philo- Flaccus did nothing to prevent it; instead, he sided with the attackers. Members of the Jewish council were arrested and whipped in the theater to celebrate the birthday of the emperor; others were crucified (31 August, a sabbath).

After this, the situation seems to have relaxed a bit: as long as they stayed in their ghetto, the Jews were more or less save; the governor had shown the Greeks that he was one of them, and it is possible that he now had the credit to persuade the mob to calm down. It was a cynical solution, but the killing may have ceased.

^

Dennis Ross Goes All Over the Place

Take note how Dennis Ross vacillates, displaying remarkable 'flexibility' in his thinking on Egypt:-

...there is reason to be concerned...None of this means that Egypt’s path of change is foreordained. It does mean that the president, who has largely surrounded himself with members of the Muslim Brotherhood or sympathizers, dominates all of Egypt’s institutions of power...In this respect, Morsi and the Brotherhood seem to recognize reality. But in another important regard, they appear determined to deny it...it’s clear that the group the Brotherhood is wedded to its ideology and cannot admit anything that might call its basic philosophy into question...it is not acceptable to deny reality and foster a narrative and policies based on untruths and fictions. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood should know this...They must respect the rights of minorities and women; they must accept political pluralism and the space for open political competition; and they must respect their international obligations, including the terms of Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. The record to date is not good...

That was classic "all over the place".

And nowhere.

^

Raped, Will She Now Rape Us?

Natasha Smith, a student journalist, underwent an horrible experience recently in Tahrir Square.

Despite what happened to other Western and female journalists, she went there and was raped.  Her account is here.

The lesson she learned?

Here:

I understand that I was naive and, arguably, stupid to have been near Tahrir Square. I take full responsibility for poor judgement in this respect. However I did not simply march into Tahrir Square with a camera held up high; I was so captivated by the atmosphere on the bridge that I just kept walking, and tried to turn around as soon as I released how close to Tahrir Square I actually was. Again, my lack of spatial awareness was my own mistake, as I was not familiar with the area. I had felt so safe on the bridge surrounded by women and children, and I wish I had turned around as my friends and I had originally planned, before we became caught up in the wonderful, celebratory atmosphere. I understand why many people feel I am foolish to plan to return to Egypt. But I will take a long time to prepare for my next visit, will set up a wide support network to ensure my safety, and will never take the kind of risks I did last Sunday again. Moreover, I feel a sense of duty to bring something good out of all this,

Can you trust this journalist's work?  Is she smart enough, is her perceptions introspective enough to give us the truth or is she "captivated", caught up and that her misinterpretations will cause us to have our minds raped by her documentary?

^

Temple To Be Restored!

Oh.

Sorry.

That restoration?

Not in Jerusalem.

In Egypt.  Three temples:-

This week the Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA) and ARCE
launched a comprehensive restoration project to clean and restore the
Mut precinct, as well as to develop the area surrounding it, so that
it cam be opened to the public next year. MSA Minister of State Mohamed Ibrahim explains that the development work will take a year l and will include a comprehensive cleansing of the temple's walls; restoration of the reliefs and establishing a visitors' centre displaying illustrations of the temple in antiquity,as well as its original plan and restoration and excavation works carried out from 1976 up to the present.

...Meanwhile on Luxor's west bank restorers and workmen are hard at work
at the temple of the goddess of rebirth and femininity, Isis, at Deir
Al-Shelwit, four kilometres south of Medinet Habu. A development
project similar to that at the Mut Temple is now being conducted by
the MSA in collaboration with ARCE at the Isis Temple so that it too
can be opened to the public next year...

Going upriver along the Nile, another development project is being
undertaken by Egyptian restorers at the Hathor Temple on Philae Island
south of Aswan. On the east side of the Isis Temple archaeologists are cleaning, consolidating and restoring the blocks that once formed the temple to Hathor built by king Ptolemy VI and extended in the reigns of Ptolemy
VII and the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius.

Oh, well. Maybe next year in Jerusalem? ^

With Logic Like This, We Can Make Peace?

Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament on Sunday called on the Mufti to quit after a visit to Jerusalem, stepping up pressure on the state-appointed official over a trip that critics say bestowed recognition of Israeli control of the city.

Is that crazy or what?

And they call the site a "holy place".

Wholly illogical.

^