In the weekend Jerusalem Post, I read that the dean of Al-Zaqaziq University’s School of Law, Dr Nabil Hilmi, and a group of Egyptian expatriates in Switzerland, are preparing to sue “all the Jews of the world and the Jews of Israel in particular” for compensation for the wealth the bible says the Jews “stole” when Moses led them out of Egypt 34 centuries ago.
I am not too worried about such a frivolous claim. There is nothing new here. The Talmud recalls how Egyptian philosophers in the time of Alexander the Conqueror tried this trick, and were met with the Jewish argument that we were enslaved, without pay, for 210 years and thus entitled to pay, based on the then-standard rate. The Egyptian philosophers calculated that indemnification would render Egypt bankrupt in less than 100 years and promptly dropped the claim.
What does worry (but not surprise) me is that this is symptomatic of the anti-Semitism in Egypt, with whom we are apparently at peace. And how do I know this is anti-Semitism and not a bono-fide attempt to seek justice? Let’s look at some excerpts from an interview with Hilmi (or was that Himmler?):
If this is not sheer hatred of Jews and Judaism, then I don’t know what is.Hilmi: “Taking possession of the gold was understandable. This is clear theft of a host country’s resources and treasure, something that fits the morals and character of the Jews. Yet what was not clear to the Egyptian women were the reasons for stealing the cooking utensils, when other things may have been of greater value. However, one of the Egyptian priests said that this had been the Jews’ twisted way throughout history; they seek to cause a minor problem connected with the needs of everyday life so as to occupy people with these matters and prevent them from pursuing them to get back the stolen gold…”
“A police investigation revealed that Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, understood that it was impossible to live in Egypt, despite its pleasures and even though the Egyptians included them in every activity, due to the Jews’ perverse nature, to which the Egyptians had reconciled themselves, though with obvious unwillingness..”
Hilmi and his ilk would also be advised to stay clear of using the written Torah (old testament) to support any claims, since it has some very interesting things to say about who owns the land of Israel and what will befall the nations who raise up against the Jews.
