Jewish Egyptian Star Leila Murad's Life Inspires New Musical

The life story of Leila Murad, the Jewish-Egyptian singer and actress who achieved stardom across the Arab world, converted to Islam, and faced accusations of espionage, is being brought to the stage in a new musical. The production was created by Yafa Tusia Cohen, who is also a distant relative of Murad.

Cohen, interviewed on Kan News, stated, "Leila paid a heavy personal price, it's important that she enters the Israeli canon." Murad, born Lilian Mordechai to a Jewish family in Cairo, became a cross-border cultural icon in the 1930s and 1940s. Her songs were popular from Baghdad to Casablanca, and she starred in box office hits alongside her then-husband, actor and director Anwar Wagdi, forming a high-profile couple in Egypt.

Despite her immense fame, Murad's life was challenging. She converted to Islam to marry Wagdi. With the establishment of Israel and escalating tensions with Egypt, the Jewish community faced growing hostility. Murad herself was accused of spying for Israel, which cast a shadow over her career.

"I was interested in examining the price she paid and what went through her mind," said creator Yafa Tusia Cohen, who previously created the successful one-woman show "Ana Faiza" about her mother, Faiza Roshdi. "It's important to me that Egyptian and Eastern culture in general becomes part of the Israeli canon," Cohen emphasized. "When I started talking about Leila Murad, many didn't know who she was, despite her being a key figure in our culture and community."

The new musical will premiere on the 19th of the month at the Dofek Theater in Petah Tikva, with subsequent performances in November and December at the Cameri Theater Cafe in Tel Aviv.