Hamishiya: The Story of Five Friends

Copyright © 2011 by Marcel Louza.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-5911-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-5912-6 (ebk)

iUniverse rev. date: 01/08/2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

The Louza/Cohen Family Saga

The Early Years

Jewish Community Life In Egypt

The Hamishiya Joins The Zionist Movement

Coping With World War Ii: El Alamein

The Creation Of The State Of Israel

France: Two Months Of Apprenticeship

The Promised Land: From Dream To Reality

Kibbutz: A Unique Life Style Experience

Becoming A Prisoner In A Lebanese Jail

The Hamishiya In Merhavia: The Years Of Maturity

Joining The Idf: The Hamishiya In Uniform

Antiterorist Commando Unit

Back To Civilian Life

Geneva University

The Sorbonne In The Sixties

An Expatriate In Lusaka, Zambia

Immigrating To Canada

Developing Hospitality Projects

Motel 5: The Hamishiya’s Joint Venture

A Disneyland Fan

Becoming A College Professor

All My Children

For Abba

The Hamishiya Full Circle

Epilogue

PREFACE

There are plenty of acquaintances in the world, but very few real friends (Anonymous)

While chatting casually in the backyard with my two sons Bruno and David, Bruno happened to ask me about my adolescent years in Alexandria, Egypt. He also inquired about my ongoing relationship with my four Alexandrian cronies: Jacques Meyrav(Maklouf), Jacques Leventhal(Jaco), Moses Lisbonne and Roger Behar. Yes, I said, this friendship is still surviving after more than sixty years!

Didier, Sacha, and Jessica, my other children, are also well acquainted with our special group of five, the Hamishiya (quintet in Hebrew), and the bond that unites us. I somewhat got carried away and started reminiscing… After pondering a moment, both my sons became excited: Dad, why don’t you write a memoir? We really want to know how the five of you managed to stay friends after so long, and would love to hear about your younger days, growing up with them.

When I asked each member of the Hamishiya whether they would like to join me in this venture, their response was most enthusiastic. Moses and Roger were appointed to design a website, and each one of the group will contribute his own input. Thus this memoir was launched and we agreed on the following title: Hamishiya, The Story of Five Friends.

This is a testament of the power of friendship, a story of an extraordinary bond between five friends that can illuminate the funniest as well as the hardest moments in life. The friendship helped define the ordinary moments of life as the ones worth cherishing.

The detailed episodes of my life with the five friends (the Hamishiya) in Egypt, Israel, the kibbutz, the army, and all the years thereafter, are the main themes of this memoir.

For a reader’s guide, visit www.storyof5friends.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wrote this memoir for the benefit of the younger members of the family.

It took the better part of one year to record a number of memories; therefore, I arranged the chapters in a chronological sequence of events. The narrative continues up to the time of my retirement.

I enjoyed reminiscing past events with nostalgia. Now, it is up to my children to carry on for the benefit of their families and future descendants.

Bringing this Memoir to fruition was a long and arduous process. Many individuals were instrumental in the achievement of the final product now before you.

To my friends and family, thank you for your unfailing support. I am especially grateful for the assistance of Moses Lisbonne and Roger Behar in the use of the Internet program for editing; my thanks go to Rachel Weinper (Jacques’ sister) who was the first reader of the chapters that I wrote. All gave me a lot of objective feedback and encouragement. Lastly, I wish to thank the members of the Hamishiya for the gift of friendship.

THE LOUZA/COHEN FAMILY SAGA

I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to a middle-class Jewish family, the youngest of three children. My brother Solly was the oldest, followed by my sister Linette. Irma Cohen, my mother, was the third in a family of five children, born to Zacharia and Julia Cicurel. As for my father, Albert Louza, he had six siblings; his parents immigrated to Egypt from Smyrna, Turkey, whereas my paternal grandparents came from Salonika, Greece. Both families arrived in Alexandria, around the beginning of the 20th century.

My father was in the export-import business for a variety of dried fruit. At the end of August of 1939, he went to Europe on a business trip when WWII was declared, a mere few days after his departure. He therefore could not return home as scheduled and had to stop in Paris, France. Suffering from a heart condition, the stress was too much for him, and he died of a heart attack while still in the French capital. My father’s demise was a turning point in my young life.

My mother was left to raise three children, assisted by her brother, uncle Victor (a.k.a. Vicky), who became our legal guardian and supported us financially. He was also a father figure to us. Every Sunday morning my brother, my sister and I visited him, and collected our weekly allowance, the fabulous sum of one shilling (five Egyptian piasters). Vicky was actually the child prodigy in the family. He had graduated from law school in Paris, France, at the young age of twenty, but was not allowed to practice in Alexandria before his 21st birthday! In the late 1940’s he used to go every Sunday to Le Zeppelin (casino located on the seashore) to play cards with his friends. He often invited me to come along, and always treated me with ice cream and pastries.

Vicky never married. Indeed, according to the tradition of those days, the females in the family had to be married first. My two aunts, Ines and Saretta, lived with him until they found husbands, and the years went by. Eventually, he was too old to be eligible for marriage, at least according to the customs of the day. Many years later, he moved to Milan, Italy, and lived with Ines and her family.

I was lucky to belong to a large extended family with uncles, aunts and numerous cousins. As the youngest of three children, I thrived on their unconditional love and protection. A few words about the Louza/Cohen clan seem appropriate at this time. Besides my uncle Vicky, my mother had three sisters. On the other hand, the Louza family was made up of my grandmother, Rachel Behora Mizrahi (Salomon Louza my grandfather, had passed away before I was born), and her seven children: four sons: Jacques, Albert (my father) Joe, Edouard, and three daughters, Esther, Violette and Selma, the youngest who was very energetic with a hearty laugh. She had a stellar reputation as a superb pastry chef and I particularly remember her famous boyos (fluffy dough squares) filled with a salty mixture of white cheese and spinach, as well as the travados, (half-moons dough) stuffed with nuts and sprinkled with powdered sugar, or dipped in honey.

Most of my relatives lived within walking distance, in a neighborhood called Ibrahimieh. Telephones were scarce in those days, so we had an arrangement with Nikita, the Greek grocer in the corner, enabling us to use his. Thus my relatives called us before visiting, or to plan outings. Nobody had a car, except for a cousin who owned a Citroen; he used to pick us up once in a while, as long as my mother paid for gas! My aunt Ines, however, hired a steady taxi driver who took us swimming.

Other times, a friend’s father drove us to Rouchdy beach where a British policeman directed traffic, if he gave us the thumb up, we understood the sea was calm and we enjoyed a beautiful day in the water. Another acquaintance owned the famous Mayfair Inn located along the sea shore, and his son invited us occasionally for ice cream desserts served by suffragies (waiters) in their elegant café. Stanley Bay Beach was our most frequent destination. We had a rented cabin for the summer, and organized picnics on the weekend. The family got together all year round, especially on such joyous occasions as weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and birthday parties.

Once a week we used to meet for dinner at my aunt Saretta who lived in Mazarita, for a spaguetti Boloniese made with a delicious meat sauce. My uncle Dodo and his brother Rene had a standard joke between them as who would reach for the Parmesan cheese first, and empty it all on his plate! To her great dismay, my aunt had to replenish the dish with the grated cheese, so everyone could help themselves…

My cousin Minouche, aunt Ines’ and Uncle Dodo’s only child, used to host the best birthday parties. After wonderful homemade refreshments, we played games such as musical chairs, spinning the bottle, etc. The best part of the afternoon was reserved for a magic show, performed by Gala Gala. The magician, clad with a red cummerbund, a tarbouche and white gloves, kept us enthralled as he made doves and rabbits emerge from hats; he also pulled streams of multicolored handkerchiefs from his mouth and sleeves.

Aunt Violette family lived in the Sporting neighborhood, adjacent to the famous racetrack. I used to travel by tram (streetcar) to visit them in their apartment, where one of the rooms was transformed into a chemistry lab. My cousin Elie and I used to pretend to be chemists, while experimenting with formulas we learned in school. It was educational and a lot of fun!

Among my mother’s relatives was a lawyer who sported a fez, as would befit his profession. In fact, he pleaded his cases in court, both in Arabic and French. He occasionally came to see us with his wife, his arms loaded with goodies, delicacies such as assorted cheeses, cold cuts and baguettes. It was a real celebration for us, the children, who referred to him as uncle tarbouche.

My own family lived on the third floor of a six-story building located in the European quarter, Camp Cesar. We used to hang laundry to dry on the flat roof of the building; a washerwoman came once a week to help out, as washing machines were not available then.

Moreover, we did not have a refrigerator, but managed with an icebox; a peddler did the rounds, carrying huge blocks of ice on his shoulder, protected by a thick burlap sack. Another peddler sold fresh fruits and vegetables off a cart, pulled by a donkey. I enjoyed going down to pet the donkey and get whatever my mother needed. There were many such vendors hawking their wares, while praising loudly the quality of their goods.

During the Jewish holidays, all the prepared pastries were sent in big trays to be baked in the neighborhood bakery; the baker used to slide the trays in his big brick oven, right next to the pitas and baguettes.

There were big department stores in the city, such as Orosdi Back, Hannaux, Cicurel, Levi-Benzion, Chamla, Oreco, Chalons, Salon Vert, etc., some dating back to 1882. Such stores were the venues of the latest fashions and represented one of the facets of cosmopolitan Egypt. We never patronized these big commercial establishments; for our clothing needs, a Greek dressmaker, Madame Panayotis, used to come to our place once every few months for the day. On