English

Synagogue and Tora studies

Dedicated to all my children and grandchildren 

Name of speaker: 
Mazzal (Saʿida) Samin (Uzi)
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Agriculture, housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
80
Year of immigration: 
1949
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Tal Meʾir - Boaron
Year of recording: 
2019

The spoken languages in Egypt

Name of speaker: 
Prof. Jacob Choueka
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Professor (emeritus) of computer science, head of the Friedberg Cairo Geniza Computerization Project, chief editor of the dictionary 'Rav Milim'
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
81
Year of immigration: 
1957
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Liran Osi
Year of recording: 
2018

Translation: 

General translation:

I was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1936. My mother came from Ḥalab in Syria.

At home we spoke Arabic and French. Amongst us brothers we spoke Arabic, and with mother we spoke French.

With the Muslim Egyptian Arabs we spoke Arabic.

 

Rabbi Naḥmias' righteousness

Name of speaker: 
Mazal-Mas‘uda Twito
Participants in the conversation: 
Yosef Twito
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Pensioner
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
75
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Rahamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Sewing dresses for Passover

Name of speaker: 
Sara ʾAtias
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Year of immigration: 
1955
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Rosh Hashana

Name of speaker: 
Julie-Dalia Bitan
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
82
Year of immigration: 
1950
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Translation: 

General translation:

They used to call Rosh Hashana “Moed” (time). For Rosh Hashana they cooked barkoksh.

She mentions the blessings on the signs. In addition, they ate fish and called them “Hut”, which contrary to other communities who feared of ʿAyin Haraʿ (the evil eye), refrained from using the name ‘fish’ and called it “fi uj l’adu” (in the enemy's face).

 

Rabbi Naḥmias

Name of speaker: 
Yosef Twito
Participants in the conversation: 
Mazal-Mas‘uda Twito
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Pensioner
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Year of immigration: 
1945
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Rabbi Naḥmias who saved a baby from death on the day of brit mila

Name of speaker: 
Yosef Twito
Participants in the conversation: 
Mazal-Mas‘uda Twito
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Pensioner
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Year of immigration: 
1945
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Passover Seder plate

Name of speaker: 
Sara ʾAtias
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Year of immigration: 
1955
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Translation: 

General translation:

Sara tells what they used to lay on the Passover plate, and how they used to bless.

She explains how they used to prepare the haroset.

She describes the ceremony they did with the Passover plate - circling it around the guests’ heads and giving a blessing.

Pogroms against the Jews of Algeria under the Nazis

Name of speaker: 
Sara ʾAtias
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Year of immigration: 
1955
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke, Suzi and Raḥamim Cohen
Year of recording: 
2018

Translation: 

At first, there was a good relationship between the Muslims and the Jews. They even used to invite one another to weddings. The Jews did not eat at Muslim weddings; just watched the celaebrations and played a musical instrument called Zarman. The Arabs came to Jewish weddings, ate and participated in the celebration.

Until the Germans came (during World War II). That was on a Shabbat day, suddenly aircrafts covered the skies and darkened the day. We ran to the road, but we did not exactly have anywhere to run away to. There were Muslims who exploited the situation.

There were Arabs who liked my father and warned him of those who wanted to hurt him. The suggested he should hide in his shop so he would not get hurt (her father was a goldsmith).

These acts were conducted by the Muslims under the hands of the Nazis who ordered them to harass the Jews.