Author Archive
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Final Report
The Watson Fellowship requires its Fellows to submit a final report exlaining what we have gained from our fellowship year. I am reprinting the report I submitted to them below as an appropriate conclusion to all that I have learned and how I have changed over the last year. Enjoy
Before I left [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Miscellaneous by Ceci
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
Op-Ed on Obama’s Cairo Speech and My Response
The following Op-ed was printed in the NYTimes last week and was sent to me by 2 friends as something that may be of interest. It was and I drafted and submitted a response to the Times last week. Because I have not heard back from them, I thought I would post it here. Comments [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Uncategorized by Ceci
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Perspectives on Israel and Arab-Israeli Understandings
During my first few weeks in Cairo, I realized that a different approach was necesssary to appropriately conduct research on its Jewish community. The differences from the Moroccan and Tunisian communities are plenty; the Egyptian Jewish community is smaller and more secular, regular synagogue services are not available, and they are typically very wary of [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in Egypt by Ceci
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
A Passover Seder in Egypt
On April 8th, 2009, the Jews of Cairo gathered for a Passover Seder, just as Jews were doing all across the globe. However, only at this seder was the story being told set in the same place as our seats- a somewhat surreal feeling. I was both nervous and excited for the seder because [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Egypt, Miscellaneous by Ceci
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Contemporary Egyptian Jewish Life
Jewish life in Egypt, while in decline, still exists. Currently, the Adley Synagogue downtown and the Maadi Synagogue are opened alternately for Jewish holidays; while I was in Cairo, a Hannukah service and Passover Seder were held at Adley, and the Purim Megilah reading was held at Maadi. The Ben-Ezra Synagogue, in Coptic Cairo, as [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Egypt by Ceci
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
The Recent History of the Egyptian Jewish Community
I must first apologize for the inactivity on my blog for the last few months; I hope it serves as a sign that I have kept myself very busy. Currently, on the 8th day of Passover, I am on the beach at a Bedouin camp in Sinai, preparing for my own Exodus from Egypt. There [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Egypt by Ceci
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Interesting New York Times Article: Jews in Iran
My friend Lydia sent me this interesting article about the Jewish community in Iran, and I thought it may be relevant to post here…
February 23, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
What Iran’s Jews Say
By ROGER COHEN
Esfahan, Iran
At Palestine Square, opposite a mosque called Al-Aqsa, is a synagogue where Jews of this ancient city gather at dawn. Over the entrance [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Miscellaneous by Ceci
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
The Bahariya Oasis and the Black and White Deserts
Those who know me well are aware that I am not exactly the “outdoorsy” type. As such, I had yet to take a camping trip to the desert in the last six months, which is a popular activity for tourists and backpackers in every country I have visited. Finally, this past weekend, two friends [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in Miscellaneous by Ceci
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Falling from Greatness, After the Israeli Defeat of Gaza
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
To the Reader:
I wrote this piece a few weeks ago, and it has recently been brought to my attention [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Miscellaneous by Ceci
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Gaza & Israel: When is Enough…Enough???
Through my website, I have been in contact with some very interesting people. Jerry Sorkin is the founder of TunisUSA, a cultural tour company whose foundation has been built on using tourism [...]
