Egypt: Timeline

View chronological details of Jewish life and presence in Egypt.

586 BCE
Following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and destruction of the First Temple, groups of Judeans flee violence, political upheaval, and forced deportation, seeking refuge in neighboring Egypt, where they establish communities that contribute to the development of one of the ancient world’s most enduring Jewish diasporas.
495 BCE
A thriving Jewish military community flourishes on Elephantine Island near Aswan, serving under Persian rule and maintaining its own temple, religious traditions, and communal institutions, as documented in the remarkable Elephantine Papyri, a collection of surviving letters and legal records that provide rare firsthand evidence of Jewish life in ancient Egypt.
332 BCE
Jewish scholars in Alexandria, home to one of the ancient world’s largest and most influential Jewish communities, translate the Hebrew scriptures into Greek, producing the Septuagint, a landmark achievement that expands access to Jewish religious teachings and reflects the flourishing intellectual and cultural life of Jews in Hellenistic Egypt.
115-117 BCE
A widespread Jewish uprising against Roman rule, known as the Diaspora Revolt or Kitos War, erupts across Egypt and other parts of the Roman Empire, prompting a brutal Roman military suppression that results in widespread death, destruction, and the near-annihilation of Alexandria’s once-thriving Jewish community, one of the most important centers of Jewish life in the ancient world.
969
Under early Islamic rule, Jewish communities in Egypt experience periods of relative religious tolerance and renewed intellectual and cultural vitality, establishing centers of rabbinic and Talmudic learning while strengthening communal institutions and contributing to the flourishing of Jewish religious scholarship.
1166
Moses Maimonides (Rambam), one of the most influential Jewish philosophers, physicians, and rabbinic scholars in history, settles in Fustat (Old Cairo) after fleeing religious persecution under the Almohads, establishing himself as a leading figure in Egyptian Jewish life and producing groundbreaking works of Jewish law, philosophy, and medicine that continue to shape Jewish thought and practice today.
1805-1956
As Egypt undergoes rapid modernization following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Jewish communities flourish in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities, making significant contributions to banking, finance, commerce, industry, urban development, arts, culture, and sports, while growing into a vibrant and diverse population of approximately 75,000–80,000 by the mid-20th century.
1890s
Scholars bring international attention to the Cairo Genizah, an extraordinary collection of hundreds of thousands of manuscripts and documents preserved for centuries in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat (Old Cairo), revealing an unparalleled record of Jewish religious scholarship, commerce, family life, and cultural exchange across the Mediterranean and Middle East.
1922
During the period of British occupation and influence, Egypt's Jewish community experiences significant cultural and economic growth, welcoming Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Europe and reaching approximately 80,000 people by the 1940s, even as restrictive nationality laws leave many Jews without Egyptian citizenship and limit their full participation in civic life.
1938
Large-scale anti-Jewish demonstrations erupt in Egypt amid growing opposition to Zionism and Jewish support for the Yishuv (the Jewish community in British Mandatory Palestine), fueling antisemitic rhetoric, intimidation, and hostility toward Egyptian Jews and marking a troubling escalation in tensions that would threaten the security of the country's longstanding Jewish community.
1945
Violent anti-Jewish riots erupt in Cairo amid rising nationalist tensions and antisemitic agitation, as mobs attack the city's historic Jewish quarter, set fire to a synagogue, and loot Jewish homes and businesses, leaving members of Egypt's longstanding Jewish community dead, injured, and increasingly fearful for their safety.
1948
Following Israel’s establishment and the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War, a wave of antisemitic violence sweeps Egypt as bombings targeting Cairo’s Jewish quarter and Jewish-owned businesses kill dozens of Jews, while Egyptian authorities arrest hundreds, confiscate property, and impose increasingly discriminatory measures, devastating the security and livelihoods of Egypt’s ancient Jewish community.
1952
Amid widespread political unrest and the collapse of Egypt’s monarchy, violent riots engulf Cairo on January 26, destroying hundreds of businesses and buildings, including Jewish-owned establishments, while the subsequent Free Officers Revolution ushers in a new era of nationalism and growing uncertainty for Egypt’s Jewish community.
1956
After the invasion of France, Britain and Israel during the Suez Crisis Egypt declares that Jews are enemies of the state and therefore a massive expulsion of Jews from Egypt begins. The Sinai Campaign is used to order 25,000 Jews to leave Egypt in two days, and their property is confiscated, and passports stamped with a “leave with no return” marking. Jews are allowed to leave with only one suitcase and the equivalent of twenty dollars.
1957
In the aftermath of the 1956 Suez Crisis, thousands of Egyptian Jews are expelled or pressured to leave amid widespread arrests, property confiscations, business seizures, and mounting government persecution, reducing a once-thriving Jewish community of approximately 80,000 in the 1940s to an estimated 15,000 by 1957 and accelerating the disappearance of one of the world's oldest Jewish diasporas.
1967
Following the Six-Day War, Egyptian authorities intensify their persecution of the country's remaining Jewish population, arresting and imprisoning hundreds of Jewish men, including teenagers as young as 16, without trial, subjecting many to harsh conditions and prolonged detention lasting up to three years or more. Renewed intimidation, restrictions, and forced departures accelerate the collapse of Egypt's ancient Jewish community, whose population dwindles to approximately 2,500.
1970s
During the 1970s, the remaining Jewish detainees are gradually released, while continued discrimination, insecurity, and the lasting consequences of decades of persecution compel most of Egypt’s remaining Jews to leave the country, bringing the near-total disappearance of a Jewish community whose history stretches back more than two millennia.
2005
Roughly 100 Jews remain in Egypt.
2010
Synagogue restoration begins.