Issues of Jewish History as Reflected in Modern Egyptian Historiography · 231Themes in the Egyptian Narrative
There Is No Jewish Nation
Most of the Egyptian historians included in this research agree that Juda-
ism is a religion and not a nation. This statement emanates from the Arab
concept that religion is not a main component of nationhood. Moreover,
it is based on undermining several foundations of the Jewish nationhood
such as blood relationship, common history and land, a unique cultural
heritage, and national aspirations. The first claim in this context is that
the Jews did not maintain any genealogical continuity from the days of
their forefathers until today, since over the course of time they assimi-
lated, freely and without coercion, with their new environment. The sec-
ond claim is that since the Jews were exiled from their land and scattered
all over the world, their historical continuity was interrupted, and they
became part of the historical development of the countries in which they
settled. According to the third claim, the Jewish nation did not create or
preserve unique cultural characteristics, seeing that its entire culture has
been copied from the surrounding ancient cultures in the Near East, start-
ing with the principles of the faith and the stories of the Bible and up to
poetry, grammar, and philosophy. And, finally, the claim that, since the
Bar Kochba revolt, the national aspirations of the Jewish nation ceased
to exist and its bond to the Holy Land was reduced to the metaphysical
level only. This is proved by the fact that the Jews integrated completely
into the countries in which they lived, and throughout most of their life in
the Diaspora they had no operative intention to return to the Holy Land
and establish an independent state there. In the following sections, each
claim is discussed in detail.
Blood Relations: The Polemic with the Claim of Racial Purity
There is a common claim in the research literature that casts doubt on
the Jewish claim that the Jews maintained their genetic uniqueness from
ancient times until today. Some historians call it “the claim of the purity
of the Jewish race”^3 and regard it as a myth intended to explain the rights
of the present-day Jews to Palestine. The counterargument is that already
in ancient times the Hebrews merged with the Canaanites, worshiped
their idols, and intermarried. This claim is based on verses from the Bible
that indicate mixed marriages between the Hebrew and the Canaanite