Salvatore Fevola
Response 5/5
Lagnado, Lucette. The Man in the Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family’s Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World
Moving to new places is incredibly difficult- especially when the decision is forced. While America may have the connotation of being the land of opportunity, for Leon Lagnado it was the inverse. In the wake of the Suez Canal crisis, Leon and his family were pushed into Paris temporarily and subsequently New York. With this forced displacement came Leon’s desire to return to Egypt as he says “Ragaouna Masr: Take us back to Cairo.”
Leon had led a wonderful life in Egypt as he was affluent, and thus lived comfortably. However, not being able to take much money with him as his family left Egypt led to not only a complete local shift but a complete class shift. This would leave the Leon ““destitute, dependent on charity for himself and his family to survive.” In New York he was desperate enough that he sold ties out of a suitcase on the subway which still did not enable his family the ability to survive well. The solace that Leon found could not be in returning to his economic position as he had in Egypt, but it was trying to return to the culture he loved and missed so much.
Much like most immigrants in NY, the Lagnados found solace in the ability to surround themselves with the culture that is familiar to them. Enclaves give a support structure to ethnic groups by allowing for an easier adjustment into the broader community by having access to a smaller community within it. For Leon he had found comfort in his religious community, enjoying the freedom of religion that America had to offer. Enclaves are a reoccurring theme in most of what we read as it allows for people to be comfortable with the major life change that comes with moving to a whole new place. Seeing people that look and act like you helps you settle down quicker.
Questions:
- Is it valid to compare the situation that the Lagnados faced to the potential deportation of undocumented immigrants? (Having established lives and then being uprooted)
- Should enclaves try to assimilate more with surrounding cultures, or should enclaves focus on remaining segregated into specific cultures?
- Do you have your own enclave? If you do, do you find solace in that enclave? (The enclave doesn’t necessarily need to be ethnic.)
- Are enclaves as prevalent around the world as they are in American Cities?
