Egyptian Policies
Explore policies, laws, and decrees impacting Jewish communities in Egypt.
Laws and decrees
Policies that Shaped Jewish Life in Egypt
Egypt's Jews were driven out less by a single expulsion order than by a series of laws that took away their nationality, jobs, and property.
| 1926 to 1929 | Egypt's nationality laws make citizenship hard for Jews to obtain; many remain foreign nationals or stateless. |
| 1947 | The Company Law requires that most employees of companies be Egyptian nationals, costing many Jews their jobs. |
| May 1948 | Under martial law, hundreds of Jews are arrested and Jewish owned property is placed under state control. |
| November 1956 | Military Proclamation No. 4 places the property of hundreds of Jewish families and firms under sequestration. A new nationality law bars 'Zionists,' a term never defined, from Egyptian nationality. |
| 1956 to 1957 | Jews leaving Egypt are often forced to sign statements that they leave voluntarily and give up their property, and may take only small sums of money. |
| 1967 | During the Six Day War, nearly all Jewish men are detained without charge, some for more than three years. |
The impact
What these laws meant
Egyptian Jews lost homes, businesses, and communal property, while synagogues and archives remained in Egypt. JIMENA continues to advocate for recognition of Jewish refugees from Egypt and for the protection of Jewish heritage.
JIMENA's advocacy
From JIMENA
Explore further
Keep exploring
Key dates in the history of the Jews of Egypt, at a glance. |
The story of the Jews of Egypt, from ancient times to today. |
Watch Egyptian Jews tell their own stories. |
Histories, memoirs, novels, and children's books in JIMENA's library. |
For the classroom
Think about it
- Choose one of these laws. How would it have changed daily life for a Jewish family: their work, their schooling, their home, or their freedom to travel?
Sources: Justice for Jews from Arab Countries: Egypt report; History of the Jews in Egypt.
Timeline of Jewish Presence
