{"id":1340,"date":"2024-11-18T12:02:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T11:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trame.cdec.it\/?post_type=storie&p=1340"},"modified":"2025-08-12T14:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T12:50:19","slug":"arlette-fishman","status":"publish","type":"storie","link":"https:\/\/trame.cdec.it\/en\/stories\/arlette-fishman\/","title":{"rendered":"Arlette Fishman"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Arlette Fishman was born in Cairo in 1926, the daughter of Albert and Grety Sussman, both of European descent. Her father, who was born in Romania, moved to Egypt after working in the textile industry in England for several years, attracted by the country\u2019s economic opportunities. Although Arlette\u2019s mother was born in Cairo at the end of the nineteenth century, her roots were Austrian; her parents had also settled in Egypt for economic reasons. The family\u2019s national identity was further complicated by their official nationalities. Grety had a Greek passport, obtained by her father for his military service after World War I. In contrast, Albert, who was Romanian, acquired a Portuguese passport after moving to Egypt, allowing him to travel more easily for work. Consequently, Grety, Arlette, and her brother Edwin were officially Portuguese nationals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Arlette and Edwin Fishman with their mother in their home in Cairo, 1936. Archives CDEC Foundation<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Fishman family lived in the affluent Kasr El-Nil neighborhood, which was primarily inhabited by wealthy Europeans, and their social life was heavily influenced by European culture. They enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle, and although they were secular and not strictly observant of religious practices, they respected major Jewish holidays and ensured Edwin\u2019s religious education so that he could prepare for his<\/span> bar mitzvah<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>

Arlette first attended French schools, then the English Mission College, and finally the American College for Girls, which was affiliated with the American University of Cairo, where she studied English, history, and philosophy. During Arlette\u2019s teenage years, Edwin became involved with the Jewish Maccabi sports club and became a Zionist activist. Following Edwin\u2019s example, Arlette also joined the Maccabi, even traveling with her brother to Palestine to experience life in a <\/span>kibbutz<\/span><\/i>. Together with Edwin, she came into contact with Haganah cells that were active in Cairo and also engaged in volunteer work, helping the poorer Jewish communities in the city, particularly in the Jewish quarter of Haret-el-Yahud.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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My life truly began there.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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