Rachel Mizrahi, known as Shelly, was born in Beirut in 1932 to Toufic and Marie Farhi, both of whom were born in Damascus. Her maternal family came to the Middle East after the Inquisition, while her paternal grandfather migrated from Isfahan to Damascus, where he married a woman of ancient Livornese origin. Due to difficulties in obtaining local citizenship, the Mizrahi family retained their Persian passports, which Marie had acquired through her marriage to Toufic, and ith “they subsequently obtained them for their three children: Edouard, David, and Rachel.
In Beirut, the Mizrahis lived in a spacious and elegant house on the Rue Georges Picot, near Wadi Abu Jamil, the neighborhood where most of the city’s Jewish community resided. This area, which was home to families from all social backgrounds, was sometimes referred to as a ghetto. The family home reflected a style that combined elements of Syrian-Lebanese architecture with European influences, an expression of Western cultural presence in the region.
We had a large living room...
Trascrizione
Interviewer:
What was the furniture like?
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
Very beautiful. My mother had exceptional taste.
Interviewer:
Did she have the furniture brought in from somewhere? What kind of furniture was it?
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
We had a large living room…you know, [in Lebanese homes, when you entered] through the front door, you’d immediately be in the living room; there was no entryway.
Interviewer:
What I meant to ask was whether it was furnished in a Lebanese or a Western style?
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
The first part was a Western-style living room—very beautiful, very refined, with a huge window from here to there. So the first half on the right, facing the Rue Georges Picot, was European. The other part, which led to the dining room and then to the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard on the other side, was the Arab-style living room with mosaic work. These things were brought from Damascus; it was a typical Damascus craft, using nacre [mother-of-pearl]. I still have a living room set from my father and mother in my home today.
Shelly’s father was deeply engaged in his work as a journalist and held an important role, as in the late 1920s, he was among the founders of Le Commerce du Levant, an economic magazine that is still published in Lebanon today. As a prominent editor, he maintained numerous contacts with political and diplomatic circles, both local and international. In Shelly’s recollections, relations with the Christian and Muslim Lebanese population were peaceful, though social interactions remained limited.
Shelly Mizrahi studied at the Alliance Israélite schools in Beirut, where she received a solid education shaped by French culture, also learning Arabic and Hebrew. With the creation of the State of Israel, relations between the Jewish minority and the local population began to deteriorate, prompting the family to move to Paris temporarily while they considered their future. In the French capital, they lived in the 16th arrondissement, and Shelly attended the Lycée Jean de La Fontaine in Auteuil for two years.
After this period, Shelly returned to Beirut with her mother and continued her studies for a year at the Collège Protestant. Her brothers remained in Paris to continue their education, while her father traveled to the United States in search of new professional opportunities, though his role at Le Commerce du Levant soon brought him back to Lebanon.
Shelly’s education led her to develop a strong connection to French culture, but her ties to Arab culture remained equally important. Arabic language, cuisine, and music were central elements of her daily life, nurturing her sense of belonging to her roots.
After this period, Shelly returned to Beirut with her mother and continued her studies for a year at the Collège Protestant. Her brothers remained in Paris to continue their education, while her father traveled to the United States in search of new professional opportunities, though his role at Le Commerce du Levant soon brought him back to Lebanon.
Shelly’s education led her to develop a strong connection to French culture, but her ties to Arab culture remained equally important. Arabic language, cuisine, and music were central elements of her daily life, nurturing her sense of belonging to her roots.
A lot of Arabic music—Egyptian and Lebanese too
Trascrizione
Interviewer:
What kind of music did you listen to?
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
A lot of Arabic music—Egyptian and Lebanese too. There’s a beautiful Lebanese repertoire, with great Lebanese singers, but they say the Nile water does something special to the voice, because the most beautiful voices in the Middle East come from Egypt. The Nile’s water fosters a resonance that maybe comes from the soul.
Interviewer:
Didn’t you also listen to French songs?
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
A lot. American ones too. From my time—who was there? Maurice Chevalier? No, he was from before my time. Jacqueline François…those kinds [of singers].
Interviewer: Did you have a record player
Rachel (Shelly) Mizrahi:
Yes, and two radios. The radios were about this tall, I don’t know if you remember.
Interviewer:
They were like pieces of furniture.
Alongside his wife Marie, Toufic Mizrahi would spend his free time at “Our Club,” a gathering place for Beirut’s Jewish community. Shelly and her brothers actively participated in scouting groups, taking part in numerous camping trips. The Mizrahi family also often went on day trips around Beirut and spent their summers in the mountainous region of Aley. Within the family, the sense of belonging to Judaism was strong, but it was expressed more through the observance of traditions than through regular religious practice, which was mostly limited to the holidays.
In the early 1950s, Shelly returned to Paris with her family and attended a girls’ finishing school in the Panthéon district. After a period in France, she returned once more to Beirut, where in 1957 she married Azral (Ezry) Diwan, originally from Aleppo, who had emigrated to Milan in 1946 for work reasons, following his uncle’s example. The wedding was held at the Maghen Avraham Synagogue in the Wadi Abu Jamil neighborhood. The event was even covered in some newspapers, as ministers and members of the Lebanese government and press representatives attended the reception at the Saint Georges Hotel. For Shelly, the marriage also represented an opportunity to leave Lebanon and build a new life elsewhere. After the wedding, she moved with her husband to Italy, where their three children were born.
In Milan, Shelly led a full life, divided between family, cultural interests, and community involvement. She joined the ADEI association and attended the historic Sephardic-Oriental Temple on the Via Guastalla, which was inaugurated in 1954 to allow the growing Sephardic segment of Milan’s Jewish community to observe its own rite. Happy with her life in Italy, she maintained a solid French cultural identity, never losing touch with her Jewish and Arab roots.
In Milan, Shelly led a full life, divided between family, cultural interests, and community involvement. She joined the ADEI association and attended the historic Sephardic-Oriental Temple on the Via Guastalla, which was inaugurated in 1954 to allow the growing Sephardic segment of Milan’s Jewish community to observe its own rite. Happy with her life in Italy, she maintained a solid French cultural identity, never losing touch with her Jewish and Arab roots.
