Celebrating Maimonides in Cairo (1935): Jewish historiography, Islamic philosophy and the nahḍa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The year 1935 marked the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Jewish scholar Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides. This article focuses on representations of Maimonides as a cultural hero during this anniversary year, taking as its central case the commemorations in Cairo. Specifically, the article examines Jewish historiography and discussions on the Jewish past in Egypt tied with debates on revival, commonly known as the nahḍa. It argues first of all that Egyptian Jewish and non-Jewish intellectuals dominantly embraced Maimonides as a philosopher, to be studied in the context of Arabic and Islamic thought. Second, these intellectuals stressed the critical role that Jews and Islamic thought at large had played in the transmission of knowledge to the West. Third, for the Jewish historians who organised the celebrations, Maimonides symbolised the rich heritage of Jewish intellectual culture in the Islamic world, which they perceived to be in current decline and stagnation. Lastly, the celebrations were entangled with discussions on heritage and ownership, as will be shown by the case of Jews in Egypt debating ownership of the Cairo Genizah.