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The Qattawi Family: Jewish Affluence in Colonial Egypt
''The Qattawis were a bourgeois family in colonial Egypt with a long history of affluence during the Muhammad Ali dynasty from around 1805 until 1952. Many prominent family members were president of the Cairo Sephardic Jewish Community (CSJC), developed Egypt’s infrastructure, worked in banking and in the early 20th century took a strong stance in opposition to Zionism. ''

Prominent Family Members
Yusuf ben Ishaq Qattawi who wrote a history of mankind in Europe. Yusuf’s son, Yaqub Menasce Qattawi (1801-83), was one of Egypt’s leading money changers, was elected president of the CSJC, was the first Egyptian granted the title of Bey and held Austro-Hungarian citizenship before World War 1. Yaqub’s oldest son, Aslan Bey Yaqub Qattawi (1824-83) extensively developed the sugar industry in Egypt.

One of Aslan’s sons, Moise de Qattawi Pasha (1849-1924), served as the president of CSJC from 1883 until his death in 1924. He extensively developed Egypt’s urban planning, such as the affluent Ma’adi suburb, and developed Egypt’s public transportation system. After his death, his sons preferred to focus their work in business rather than with the CSJC: none of them became president.

Moise’s nephew, Yusef ‘Aslan Qattawi Pasha(1861-1942), became president of the SJCCC and served from 1924 until 1942. Yusef ‘Aslan studied engineering in France, but then returned to Egypt to work for the Ministry of Public Works. He then left Egypt to study the sugar refining industry in Moravia. After studying, he returned to Egypt again to become the director of the Egyptian Sugar Company and president of the Kom Ombo Company. In these roles he was responsible for developing 70,000 acres of desert in Kom-ombo into fertile land. Because of his economic power, Yusef had strong relations with Tal’at Harb, a promoter of Egyptian economic nationalism. When Tal’at Harb established the Bank Misr, which was seen as the embodiement of his doctrine of economic nationalism in Egypt, Yusef became vice-president of the board. King Fu’ad appointed Yusef to the Egyptian senate in 1927 and served until 1938.

Joseph Aslan’s youngest son, Rene Bey Qattawi,(1896-?) was the 5th and last president of the CSJC in the Qattawi family (president: 1943-6). Rene wrote four volumes in French of the history of Muhammed Ali. In 1935 he formed the Association of Egyptian Jewish Youth, which strongly opposed Zionism.