The Last Watchman of Old Cairo

Name: The Last Watchman of Old Cairo
Author: Michael David Lukas

Michael David Lukas

National Jewish Book Awards Winner 2018

Review
Judges' Remarks

Esther Nussbaum

– February 27, 2018

Joining the considerable list of books and articles inspired by the “discovery” of the documents of the geniza in the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Fustat (Old Cairo) in the late 19th century, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo plots a contemporary tale with flourishes of mystery, and current societal concerns.

Texts that include the name of God are considered sacred by Jews. When they are no longer usable, they are either buried or stored in a geniza – usually in an attic – in the synagogue. In the late 19th century, two widowed Christian sisters, scholars from Scotland, brought the documents to the attention of Dr. Solomon Schechter. He had the documents brought to Cambridge University, where he was a resident scholar; they have been studied there ever since.

Lukas creates a sense of the community of the time, with local members interacting with the sisters and Dr. Schechter, as well as with his supporters, whose motives in the dealings with the documents range from honest to nefarious. They make their appearance in the contemporary tale when Joseph al-Raqb, son of a Jewish mother and Muslim father, leaves graduate school in California to travel to Cairo, where his father remained after his mother left upon becoming pregnant with him.

Joseph’s mission is to uncover the story behind a reference to the ancient Ben Ezra synagogue in a newspaper clipping, sent to him along with the effects of his recently deceased father. This is in keeping with his heritage: Al-Raqb is a descriptive surname meaning “the watchman.” For generations, the job of guarding the synagogue, a respected position, was handed down from father to son.

Lukas’s narrative cleverly incorporates the negotiations for the geniza documents by the sisters Agnes and Margaret, Dr. Schechter and a young woman whose identity is not revealed at first, and the elders of the synagogue. It is revealed that the elders are seeking to include a young man of the community caught in “unnatural congress” to be sent to Cambridge along with the documents. The allusion to homosexuality resonates with Joseph, whose fascination with what he is uncovering will ultimately determine his future.

Many issues concerning contemporary scholars are raised in this fast-paced novel, which will interest fiction and nonfiction readers alike.

Esther Nussbaum, the head librarian of Ramaz Upper School for 30 years, is now education and special projects coordinator of the Halachic Organ Donor Society. A past editor of Jewish Book World, she continues to review for this and other publications.

Discussion Questions

In a beautifully written novel that toggles between Cairo in the eleventh century, the nineteenth century, and the present day, Michael David Lukas has created a captivating story detailing the history of Cairo’s Ibn Ezra Synagogue, its treasures, and the divisions among people in its midst. From the moment Joseph, a graduate student in literature, receives a gift from his late father, the adventure to uncover the past begins.

The novel’s eleventh-century moments and characters illuminate an era when Jews and Muslims frequently lived and worked together respectfully and agreeably. In the nineteenth century, the novel absorbs us with the search for ancient documents that may have been hidden in the Cairo Geniza. And in the twenty-first century, Joseph, the son of a Jewish mother and Muslim father, seeks to piece together the history of his ancestors, the al-Raqb family, to uncover how it resonates in the present day.

Part family quest, part detective story, Lukas’s novel weaves a thrilling tale that brims with intellectual and emotional passion. This historically significant and distinctly modern novel is filled with erudition and charm.