Book Club @ the Walters! The Last Watchman of Old Cairo (Ch 5-8)

Hi everyone! Let's go see the actual door to the ark of the famous Ibn Ezra Synagogue from Old Cairo, on display at the Walter's Art Museum in Baltimore's Mount Vernon Neighborhood. We'll meet up at noon at the Museum's Centre Street Lobby.

So please join us to chat about The Last Watchman of Old Cairo while we enjoy the museum! Please read about the book and sign up to attend here on our website!

We encourage you to bring your copy of the book, but not necessary.

We'll be talking about Chapters 5–8
Theme: Discovery, Scholarship, and Ambition

Main question:

1. How do the parallel timelines complicate the idea of who has the right to preserve and interpret sacred texts?

Follow-up prompts
2) What ethical dilemmas around guardianship, scholarship, or ownership arise in this section?
3) How does ambition play out differently between the scholars and Joseph?
4) Where do we see tension between personal legacy and collective history?
5) Which relationship (father–son, siblings, etc.) reveals the most about duty and faith?