The Last Rabbi of Egypt: A Historic Meeting with Sadat

It was one of the most significant moments he experienced in his years as a rabbi. At just 19 and a half, he stood before the president of one of the largest Muslim countries in the world, engaging in a long conversation. Not only that, but he also received unrestricted "visa" access to the presidential residence afterward...

So what led Rabbi Menashe Malka to stand before Egyptian President Anwar Sadat – the Arab leader who initiated the Yom Kippur War against Israel? Why was he in Egypt at all? Without a doubt, this is one of the boldest stories of an Israeli rabbi.

"Rabbi Ovadia Sent Me"

The story of Rabbi Menashe Malka, 65, Rabbi of Moshav Melilot and religious court head in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, begins 45 years ago. It happened in the early 1980s, after the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Egypt's tourism market opened to Israeli travelers, and the local Jewish community needed a rabbi to lead them. "The community leadership turned to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Jerusalem's Rabbi Mashash with an urgent request to send them a rabbi," recounts Rabbi Malka.

In those days, Rabbi Malka enjoyed a close relationship with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. "A morning prayer quorum was held daily at Rabbi Ovadia's home, and I was one of the few privileged to participate. Rabbi Ovadia appointed me to fold his Tefillin, and during that time, we discussed halachic matters. We developed a very close relationship. Rabbi Ovadia instructed me to study all rabbinical ordination laws and ensured I passed the complex exams of the chief rabbinate.

"When he received that request from the Jewish community in Egypt, Rabbi Ovadia said to me: 'If Joseph the righteous went down to Egypt, then his descendant Menashe should go too...' I said, 'Rabbi, but I am still young.' Rabbi Ovadia replied, 'Because you are young, there are missions only you can accomplish.'

"A 10-minute Meeting Turned into Over an Hour"

To assist Rabbi Malka on his mission, Rabbi Ovadia turned to Israel's first ambassador to Egypt, Dr. Eliahu Ben Elissar, to serve as a coordinator between Rabbi Malka and the local Jewish community. "This was Dr. Ben Elissar's main task, and later, he also organized my meeting with Sadat."

Why did you meet with Sadat?

"We received reports that Egypt planned to build a massive tourist center in Cairo, which included dismantling the local Jewish cemetery and paving a major road instead. This cemetery housed, among others, Rabbi Chaim Capusi. It was only a matter of time until the plan was executed, and I entered a race against time to save the cemetery. With the Israeli ambassador's mediation, a meeting was scheduled for me and my interpreter with the Egyptian president. We were allocated 10 to 13 minutes, but in reality, it lasted over an hour," he explains.

Can you describe the night before the meeting? You were just 19 and a half, in a country recently considered an enemy state. Were you able to sleep at all?

"It was very difficult to fall asleep. I had great concerns about how I would handle this mission. But late at night, when I finally slept, I dreamt that Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira appeared and blessed me: 'Hashem will be with you, just as He was with our forefathers.' It calmed me," he reveals.

You mentioned your meeting lasted over an hour. What did you discuss the whole time?

"Sadat presented me with a halachic ruling from the French rabbinical court stating it's permissible to relocate graves according to Jewish law and asked: 'So what’s the problem?' I replied in Hebrew, 'If it were your father's grave, would you rely on this ruling?' The interpreter looked at me and whispered: 'This will be a diplomatic incident. I can’t translate what you said.' I told him: 'Either you translate, or I will, and it will sound even worse.'

"Ultimately, he had no choice but to translate. Sadat jumped up and exclaimed in Arabic: 'My father?!' Everyone in the room was startled. Then Sadat sat down and replied, 'But it’s not your father.' I answered him: 'All our sages are our forefathers.' He was shocked by my answer and wanted to know what could be done to prevent the cemetery's destruction.

"Later in the meeting, I said to him: 'Know, Mr. President, that the Sinai region belongs to the Jewish people. It is the desert we wandered for 40 years after leaving Egypt and where we received the Torah. Israel acted beyond the letter of the law by granting you control over this area.'

"Much Is Unseen Here"

As mentioned, the meeting between the young rabbi and the 62-year-old Egyptian president lasted over an hour, discussing religious and state matters and another subject Rabbi Malka won't disclose. "It’s related to state security, and I can’t discuss it. I can only say that we tried to facilitate the burial of an Israeli security agent who tragically died in Egypt under unfortunate circumstances."

On whose behalf did you discuss this with Sadat?

"I cannot elaborate further and ask not to speak about it. Much is unseen here."

Was your meeting with him ultimately successful?

"Yes," Rabbi Malka shares. "At the end of the meeting, Sadat explicitly instructed the state's executive branch to bypass the cemetery without touching any graves. Just before we left his room, Sadat invited me to meet with him anytime, offering to schedule appointments through his highest-ranking deputy, not through the usual channels."

Did you meet with him again afterward?

"Yes, but I can't elaborate on that."

"An Unforgettable Era"

During his time in Egypt, Rabbi Malka led the Jewish community, enhanced the kosher supervision system, renovated the central synagogue and others, and delved into the famous Cairo Genizah archives. There's a fascinating story behind this as well.

"Before Sadat's rise to power, during Nasser's leadership, hundreds of Jewish families fled Egypt. Many of these couples divorced, and some separated without divorcing. To clear these families from suspicion of illegitimacy, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef instructed me to search the Jewish community archives for divorce documents," he recalls.

Now, 45 years since his personal exodus from Egypt, Rabbi Menashe Malka serves as Rabbi of Moshav Melilot, head of a monetary court, head of the "Shomrei Hakodesh" yeshiva and kollel in Netivot, and one of the spiritual leaders in Israel’s south. But those days in Egypt remain unforgettable. "It was a thrilling and courageous era, and I thank Hashem that we succeeded in this sacred mission."