Beyond the archive? Histories and memories of the Egyptian Jews on the Internet

di Dario Miccoli
in Memoria e Ricerca n.s. 42 (2013), p. 189

Starting with the 1948 Palestine War and ending with the 1956 Suez War, virtually all the Jews left Egypt and in most cases migrated to Europe, Israel and the USA. However, even decades after the migration, Egypt remains for them an unforgettable homeland and a much-loved lieu de mémoire. This article aims to reconstruct how, in the last years, Egyptian Jews have historicized and remembered Egypt on the Internet. Looking at the websites of two Egyptian Jewish associations based in France and Israel respectively, it will become clear to what extent the Internet can contribute to there-narration and circulation of one’s past. Furthermore, the websites analyzed can be interpreted as part of a new kind of archive in which history, memory and autobiography mix together. Even though focused on a specific case-study, the article also investigates some of the challenges that historians are increasingly facing when it comes to the Internet and the usage of digital sources. Key words: digital history, archives, memory, Egyptian Jews; France; Israel