PORTFOLIO

Traces of a Life: Jews of Egypt is a photo series that documents the remaining traces of Jewish life in Cairo, Egypt through photographs of abandoned synagogues, cemeteries and neighbourhoods that were once home Jews, Copts and Muslims alike.

In the spring of 2019, I journeyed with my camera and photographed places, homes, and people that I had previously known only through the memories I inherited from my Egyptian Jewish mother and my Coptic father. Today, efforts by scholars, heritage associations, and the tireless work of many have made it possible to access and learn about the Jews of Egypt.

I am grateful to the Cairo Jewish Drop of Milk Project, an organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of Egyptian Jewry, and its members, Magda Haroun, Samy A. Ibrahim, Maroua Abu Dagga, and with the warmest gratitude to my cousin Femony Okasha, for giving me the opportunity to witness and capture places I have only imagined. 

The Cairo DOM Project hosts researchers, filmmakers, historians, and other visitors interested in learning and preserving Egyptian Jewish heritage. I hope we continue to foster, remember, and celebrate our unique heritage, identity, and the once upon a time home, of Jews from Egypt.

This project was supported by the Direction de affaires internationales, de la Fédération de cégpes du Quebec, Canada and the Canadian Institute for Jewish studies at Concordia University.

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