Israeli (Newspaper)

The two similarly named publications appeared in different countries, languages, and eras. Israël was a multilingual Jewish newspaper project in interwar Egypt, while Israeli was a free daily distributed in 2000s Israel. The earlier title used the accented French form Israël; the later paper used Israeli. They were distinct publications separated by decades and continents.[1][2]

Israël, formally cataloged with the subtitle "Hebromadaire National Juif Indépendant," was founded in 1920 by Dr. Albert Mosseri, a member of Egypt's Jewish elite and one of the foremost leaders of the Zionist movement in Egypt.[1] The surviving online archive identifies it as a French-language weekly published in Cairo and covers the period from 22 June 1922 to 1 June 1939, comprising 664 issues and 3,158 pages.[1]

The French edition formed part of a deliberate multilingual project: Mosseri also produced Arabic and Hebrew editions of the paper, although the editions differed in their editing.[1] This trilingual structure reflected the founders' understanding of Jewish life in Egypt as a meeting point of three cultures—Hebrew representing revitalized Jewish culture, French the dominant Western culture, and Arabic the ruling culture of the Middle East.[1]

The Hebrew edition appeared for four years and the Arabic edition for fourteen, while the French edition proved the most stable of Egypt's Jewish newspapers during the interwar period.[1] At its peak, circulation reached 2,000 copies. The paper used journalistic models associated with Western and modern Arabic journalism in Egypt and contained editorials, articles, and varied sections.[1]

Mosseri supported both Zionism and Egyptian nationalism, reflecting a period when some believed Jewish nationalism could coexist peacefully with other national movements in the region.[1] His Zionism did not advocate mass Jewish emigration from Egypt; instead, it expressed a distinctive religious, cultural, and communal identity inspired by the Jewish national enterprise in Eretz Israel. Researcher Dr. Hagar Hillel characterized this form of nationalism as "Jewish National Reformism."[1]

Israël was the first modern Jewish community newspaper in Egypt and served as a model for later publications.[1] It also trained a succession of young journalists who subsequently became prominent in journalism and other areas of public affairs.[1]

After Albert Mosseri's death in 1933, his widow Mathilda continued his projects.[1] Born in Hebron to the prominent Mani family of Baghdadi origin, she was the only woman in Egypt heading a newspaper intended primarily for male readers.[1] The newspaper ceased operations in 1939 when she decided to return to and settle in Eretz Israel. Before departing Egypt, she sought to unite Israël with La Tribune Juive, a newer Jewish-Zionist newspaper regarded by many as its natural successor.[1]

A separate publication called Israeli emerged in Israel in the 2000s. A July 2007 report described it as Israel's first free newspaper.[2] Its early distribution model placed copies at gas stations and train stations, bringing news to readers in transit rather than relying on traditional subscription or newsstand sales.[2]

Contemporary reporting said the newspaper was established with investment from Jewish American billionaire Sheldon Adelson and businessman Shlomo Ben Tzvi, who also owned and controlled the religious newspapers Makor Rishon and Hatzopeh.[2] A 2025 Jerusalem Post commentary separately stated that Adelson entered Israel's media market in 2006 by acquiring a 50 percent stake in Israeli.[3]

Amos Regev, who had edited Israeli for a short period, was subsequently expected to oversee the planned free newspaper Israel Today, later known as Israel Hayom, which Adelson intended to launch following his departure from Israeli.[2]

Differences between Adelson and Ben Tzvi led to a judicial dispute.[2] Adelson filed a suit seeking more than NIS 10 million, alleging that Ben Tzvi had transferred millions of shekels from their company's treasury to other companies under Ben Tzvi's ownership. Ben Tzvi claimed that Adelson sought full control of the company and accused him of engineering a scheme to prevent a potential deal with Maariv.[2] Ben Tzvi also sought to bar Adelson from creating a competing free newspaper.[2]

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli's circulation fell by at least 25 percent during the dispute and after Adelson stopped providing money to the newspaper.[2] Speculation cited at the time held that the paper was close to shutting down. A 2025 Jerusalem Post commentary summarized the subsequent sequence by stating that, after disagreements with Ben Tzvi, Adelson launched Israel Hayom in 2007.[3]