As part of a large biographical research, this presentation has two goals. First, I provide and evidence-based account of Layla Murad’s relationship with the Free Officers’ regime since 1952. Then, I analyze how Egyptians have told Layla Murad’s story since the interruption of her career under Nasser until now to juxtapose these narratives with historical evidences-based account. I use these narratives to show how Egyptians constructed Layla Murad’s persona as a reflection of their understanding of their identity as it has continuingly changed over time, in part due to the prolonged Arab-Israeli conflict, Arab nationalism, and the current Islamization of the Egyptian society. The construction and representation of Layla Murad’s persona by the state and middlebrow intellectuals from all over the political spectrum have shaped the memory and meaning of her life to serve their needs; they have actually told their story, not hers. Layla Murad’s impressive career blossomed under the monarchy, and, for a short time, she was the voice of the new Free Officers regime. She was a female popular star and a Jew who converted to Islam in the gloom of the first Arab-Israeli war. Her career was ruptured shortly after Nasser consolidated his power in mid-1950s, and soon the definitive end of her cinematic career came just after Operation Suzanna and on the eve of the 1956 war; both events constituted a watershed for the Egyptian Jews. No life other than hers could provide the ruling regimes, Nasserists, Nasser-antagonists, Arab nationalists, neo-liberals and Islamists with a protagonist through which they could tell their version of the dramatic changes Egypt experienced since the fall of the monarchy. Layla’s legacy demonstrates the power of interpretation in the formation of historical meaning of Egyptian identity.

"Layla" (1942, directed by Togo Mizrahi), based on "La Dame aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas fils (1848), is a story about a prostitute who sacrifices herself to save the honor of the man she loves. In Mizrahi’s Egyptian adaptation, the kept woman is a singer named Layla (Layla Murad). The young man, Farid (Husayn Sidqi), issues from a conservative, upper-Egyptian land-owning family. This narrative about a virtuous courtesan was produced amidst the social struggle in Egypt to abolish legal prostitution. In 1882 following the British occupation of Egypt, colonial authorities implemented regulations to legalize and thereby regulate prostitution. A comprehensive Law on Brothels was promulgated in 1896, the year in which the opening scene of "Layla" is set. In this paper, I read "Layla" through the abolitionist movement’s tenet that prostitution debases the nation. This paper further argues that Layla affects social critique by identifying Layla not with the lowly street-walker, but with royalty. The character Layla is visually and narratively aligned with symbols of the Egyptian ruling family through the vernacular of fashion and via her mode of transportation. I also argue that the film’s advertising campaign simultaneously links the star, Layla Murad to her starring roles as characters named Layla, and elevate her to cinema royalty. This paper unpacks "Layla’s" implications for national honor, in the face of the King Faruk’s political impotence on the one hand, and the excesses of virility displayed in his philandering and debauchery. "Layla" is the fourth of five films Layla Murad made under the direction by Togo Mizrahi between 1939 and 1944. Layla Murad’s star power and salary grew exponentially during this time. I situate my close reading of Layla within a discussion of the successful and mutually beneficial collaboration between star and director.

Since the 1950’s the history of “Arab Jews” has been dominated primarily by two official narratives: an Arab narrative; and an Israeli-Zionist narrative, both of nationalistic nature. In the last decade, new voices emerged challenging these dominant views. This rethinking and questioning is reflected particularly in literary works, more than twenty novels were published since 2006, ten documentary firms and two TV series that discuss through the main figures the question of the “Arab Jew”. In this paper, I examine works of Arabic fiction written by young authors across the Arab world, which focus on stories of Jews and their destiny. The focus is on three novels, The Diary of a Jew from Damascus by Ibrahim Aljabin (Syria), 2006; The Tobacco Keeper by Ali Badr (Iraq), 2008 and The last Jews of Alexandria by Mutaz Fatiha (Egypt), 2008. Nostalgia, curiously and rethinking of discourses are reasons for this questioning, this questioning is reflected in novels, TV series, and documentary films. The figure and legacy of Layla Murad serve as a source of inspiration for these works, produced by authors and film makers who are neither themselves “Arab Jews”, nor their descendants. These authors are also too young to have personal memories of Jews living Jewish in their societies. This paper examines the source and reasons of this curiosity and nostalgia, it tracks the development of this new trend, discusses it and analyses the reasons behind this rethinking and questioning of official discourses by placing it in the wider historical, political and social context of the Middle East.