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Cairo community president's death reduces city's Jewish population to just five

Marcelle Haroun's passing leaves what is thought to be just a handful of Jews living in the Egyptian capital

July 9, 2019 10:28
Marcelle Haroun pictured in Cairo in February 2017
1 min read

Marcelle Haroun, president of Cairo’s tiny Jewish community, has died at the age of 93.

Her death was announced on Saturday.

“The Jewish Community in Cairo (JCC) has regretfully lost Marcelle Haroun, one of its pillars who will be sorely missed,” read a statement announcing her death.

Her passing leaves what is thought to be only five Jews living in the Egyptian capital, according to the Watani International portal.

The five remaining in Cairo, which was home to some 80,000 Jews at the time of Israel's establishment, are thought to be Ms Haroun’s daughter, Magda, who is head of the community, and four granddaughters.

Thousands of Jewish people started to leave Egypt after 1948, many more following in 1956 and 1967.

The Haroun family is said to have stayed in Egypt considering themselves Egyptian first, according to Watani.

Ms Haroun was known as a Jewish anti-Zionist and member of the Communist Party of Egypt.

In 2013 her daughter told Tablet that Ms Haroun, who was married to lawyer and politician Shehata Haroun, was her father’s “comrade.”

According to AFP there were also 12 Jews living in March 2017 in the coastal city of Alexandria.

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