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The Man in White Sharkskin SuitMain MenuNostalgia for CairoWhy Leon's story in Lucette Lagando's The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit is emblematic of Egyptian Jewish life in the Mid-20th CenturyThe Lagnado JourneyA map detailing the stops that the Lagnado family made in their travels after they left EgyptThe JFK AssassinationAn introduction an American identityThe DivaOm Kalsoum and her connection back to the Egyptian Jewish communityRejectedLeon's inability to find proper employment leads him to focus on the minor things he missesAlways MovingThe actions one takes to feel like their younger selfDeath of NasserInvestigating the differing coverage of Nasser's death in 1970ExodusA look at the scale of the Egyptian Jewish losses and where they reside nowStart All Over AgainA short film delineating the nostalgia of 1950's CairoConclusionA summary of the ideas found in the exhibit and a culmination of the itemsJason Kerman02bba575c496f18660515d8de306e20fb64921fc
Candy Store
12017-12-08T04:34:15-08:00Jason Kerman02bba575c496f18660515d8de306e20fb64921fc271382Murray, James T., and Karla L. Murray. Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York. Gingko Press, 2012.plain2017-12-08T14:20:22-08:00Jason Kerman02bba575c496f18660515d8de306e20fb64921fc
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12017-12-08T04:34:52-08:00Rejected3Leon's inability to find proper employment leads him to focus on the minor things he missesplain2017-12-08T13:08:27-08:00While one could never know what a candy store owned by Leon Lagnado might have looked like, it would be natural to think that the shop might look similar to what is displayed in the item above. Paskesz Kosher Candies was founded in the mid 1950's, and was open for almost 60 years until it closed in 2010. This shop acts a representation of Leon's contrasting failure to secure a $2,000 loan to open up a shop of his own, which surprised him and his family, as he was "The man who had done business with Coca-Cola couldn't be trusted to sell cigarettes and bubble gum." (216) After being such a successful businessman in Cairo, dealing with clients in all cash, he was relegated to an opportunity to open a sidewalk shop, an opportunity he was never able to capitalize on. This distinct difference in occupations is even more confounded when Leon begins to sell neckties, especially because it wasn't technically a job, just a way to make money to support his family. Eventually, the lack of successful business leads Leon to think about his time in Cairo in especially sentimental ways. For example, "Leon was particularly upset about the roses ... they emitted not a hint of perfume... How stark in contrast to the sprigs of jasmine whose perfume filled Cairo's night air." (220) The nostalgia spreads itself to the most minute of details, especially when the is no success to be had in the new home.
