Shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 , the Cicurel store in downtown Cairo was damaged in the 1948 Cairo bombings , likely the work of the Muslim Brotherhood . A memorandum submitted to the Ministry of Commerce in 1948 described the Cicurel firm as " one of the pillars of our economic independence . " The damage was repaired and the stores reopened . Neglecting the signs of changing times , the Cicurels remained in Egypt as tension against the Jews continued to mount . On January 26 , 1952 , during the Cairo Fire , an enraged mob burned and looted , unabated , large parts of modern Cairo . The Cicurel store was targeted due to the perceived European character of the store and its largely Jewish staff . After being burnt down , the store was rebuilt . The Cicurels ' situation , as well as that of most Egyptian Jews , deteriorated in 1956 during the Suez Crisis and war . This time Les Grands Magasins Cicurel was placed under governmental control , along with all other Jewish businesses . The family was forced to sell its majority holding for a pittance to a new group headed by Muslim Egyptians . The store was nationalized in 1961 . Today , the old department stores continue to operate bearing their original name , but little else resembles the original stores . The spaces are “ dismantled and rented out by the meter to wholesalers to display low-priced merchandise and electric appliances . ” By the end of 1956 , when Les Grands Magasins Cicurel was placed under government control , the majority of the family had left Egypt . Only René , Joseph 's second son , remained in Cairo in a futile attempt to liberate some family assets . However , he gave up on that impossible task in 1959 and left for Switzerland first , then in 1962 for Paris , France . The rest of the family born in Egypt dispersed across Europe and South America : Clément ( 1918-1978 ) , moved to Italy , where he worked with the department stores La Rinascente and Marks & Spencer . The children of Clément , Joseph Alain ( 1945-2011 ) and Marianne ( 1940 - ) settled in Paris ( France ) . René ( 1916-2005 ) also settled in France and his son Paul Joseph ( 1945 - ) moved to Canada and then the United States , where he built a successful career in finance . Guy ( 1917-1980 ) , moved to São Paulo , Brazil , where he leased office buildings and remained for the rest of his life . Guy 's daughters Claude and Mona remain in Brazil . Sylvain ( 1920-1991 ) , moved to Lausanne , Switzerland , where he lived the rest of his life . Salvator 's son , Ronald Moreno , remained in Switzerland after his father 's death . His daughter Janine emigrated to Argentina where she became the Argentine champion of Dressage in 1989 and 1990 and also represented Argentina at the Pan American Games in 1991
1948 Cairo bombings
1948 Cairo bombings
Cicurel family