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17 Sheikh Hamza Street, Cairo: A Middle Eastern Historical Fiction
The life of a Jewish family in Cairo is dramatically affected by the rise of Arab nationalismA fascinating drama based on the biographic memoirs of the author, offering invaluable insight into Jewish history, North African Jewry and the history of the Middle East.
The Jewish Bentata family settles in Cairo, Egypt, at the beginning of the 20th century. After a few decades of leading a respectful bourgeois lifestyle suited for middle-class westerners in the Orient, the illusion of belonging begins to crack. As Rommel’s tanks bear down on the gates of Al Alamein, Arab nationalism raises its head.
In 1948, as the Israeli war of independence breaks out, the harassment reaches its Hosni, a charming yet ruthless criminal, takes advantage of the family’s political weakness. He forces himself on Suzy, the youngest daughter, threatening to harm her family if she refuses him. When he discovers that she has betrayed him by marrying an English soldier and escaping to London, he turns to her older sister, Sophie. Hosni collects evidence about Sophie's husband Zionist activity and threatens to hand it over to the authorities. While Henri is already arrested and sent to an internment camp in the desert, Sophie is given an offer that can't be refused. She may either buy his incriminating documents one by one or buy the whole lot of them together. Hosni is not picky about the payment "Payment can take the form of money or gold or jewellery. If you’d rather not part with your belongings, an intimate encounter is also an option."
The family's life in Egypt has hit a dead end. In the face of catastrophe, family members hurry to flee from Egypt. One part of the family escapes to Israel, others spread out to find refuge in France, Italy and Australia.
˃˃˃ A historical novel depicting the fall of a middle-class Jewish family in Egypt.Through the life of the Bentata family, the reader is exposed to an unperceivable mixture of East and West that existed for a small historic moment, a vivid kaleidoscope of culture, heritage, color, scent, and flavor. Stage by stage we witness the historical realisation of the prophecy given to Avraham, the patriarch of the Jewish “thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve the people there who will afflict them... and afterwards they will leave.”
˃˃˃ An adventure story reveals the roots of the Israeli-Arab Conflict and the political situation in the Middle East.A rare documentation of a surreal, rootless elite that managed to bloom in the fissure between a rotting, corrupt regime and the dying British Empire. Ignoring the domestic and regional shifts that spelled the end of Jewish existence in Egypt, they build their homes on the back of a dormant crocodile. As it woke up, the walls of existence began to crack.
Scroll up to grab a copy of 17 Sheikh Hamza Street today.
The Jewish Bentata family settles in Cairo, Egypt, at the beginning of the 20th century. After a few decades of leading a respectful bourgeois lifestyle suited for middle-class westerners in the Orient, the illusion of belonging begins to crack. As Rommel’s tanks bear down on the gates of Al Alamein, Arab nationalism raises its head.
In 1948, as the Israeli war of independence breaks out, the harassment reaches its Hosni, a charming yet ruthless criminal, takes advantage of the family’s political weakness. He forces himself on Suzy, the youngest daughter, threatening to harm her family if she refuses him. When he discovers that she has betrayed him by marrying an English soldier and escaping to London, he turns to her older sister, Sophie. Hosni collects evidence about Sophie's husband Zionist activity and threatens to hand it over to the authorities. While Henri is already arrested and sent to an internment camp in the desert, Sophie is given an offer that can't be refused. She may either buy his incriminating documents one by one or buy the whole lot of them together. Hosni is not picky about the payment "Payment can take the form of money or gold or jewellery. If you’d rather not part with your belongings, an intimate encounter is also an option."
The family's life in Egypt has hit a dead end. In the face of catastrophe, family members hurry to flee from Egypt. One part of the family escapes to Israel, others spread out to find refuge in France, Italy and Australia.
˃˃˃ A historical novel depicting the fall of a middle-class Jewish family in Egypt.Through the life of the Bentata family, the reader is exposed to an unperceivable mixture of East and West that existed for a small historic moment, a vivid kaleidoscope of culture, heritage, color, scent, and flavor. Stage by stage we witness the historical realisation of the prophecy given to Avraham, the patriarch of the Jewish “thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve the people there who will afflict them... and afterwards they will leave.”
˃˃˃ An adventure story reveals the roots of the Israeli-Arab Conflict and the political situation in the Middle East.A rare documentation of a surreal, rootless elite that managed to bloom in the fissure between a rotting, corrupt regime and the dying British Empire. Ignoring the domestic and regional shifts that spelled the end of Jewish existence in Egypt, they build their homes on the back of a dormant crocodile. As it woke up, the walls of existence began to crack.
Scroll up to grab a copy of 17 Sheikh Hamza Street today.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2015
69 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 31, 2015
The memoir/novel is beautifully written, complete with extremely vivid details and complex characterizations, set against the backdrop of critical historic junctures in Egypt, Europe and the establishment of the Israeli state.
December 20, 2015
An insight to,histoty
A look into the twists and turns of Middle East recent history, through the eyes of a Jewish Egyptian family and their
loyalty dilemia
A look into the twists and turns of Middle East recent history, through the eyes of a Jewish Egyptian family and their
loyalty dilemia
December 31, 2017
Excellent telling of a unknown story
This is not a strictly biographical memoir but the story rings so true as it is based in fact. The plight of Egyptian Jews in the twentieth century is rarely studied nor written. The complacency, the ignorance, the disbelief and, finally, the fear and terror are well-developed. Little mention is made of the Jews in Europe, the actual progress of World War 2, but the depiction of Egyptian Jews is so well written that you realize and understand the effects of those on other populations.
This is not a strictly biographical memoir but the story rings so true as it is based in fact. The plight of Egyptian Jews in the twentieth century is rarely studied nor written. The complacency, the ignorance, the disbelief and, finally, the fear and terror are well-developed. Little mention is made of the Jews in Europe, the actual progress of World War 2, but the depiction of Egyptian Jews is so well written that you realize and understand the effects of those on other populations.
September 3, 2018
Couldn't finish it. Between the writing that kept jumping tenses, and characters I had little sympathy with, this didn't work for me. I tried.
January 30, 2016
This is a biographical novel about a family living in Egypt during the 20th century. In the 21st century they succeeded in emigrating to Israel. This book shows what their lives were like during World War Two and the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Very engaging and enjoyable.
February 9, 2016
A Close Look at a Bit of History Often Ignored.
This type of book is not really my cup of tea; much too personal and the development of the characters seemed to drag. But the history it revealed was well worth reading this book. And I'm glad I did.
This type of book is not really my cup of tea; much too personal and the development of the characters seemed to drag. But the history it revealed was well worth reading this book. And I'm glad I did.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews