On Sunday Oct 31, 2010, the Reunion of ex Alexandrians and a few Cairotes took place in the beautiful Mediterranean styled room at The Mykonos Restaurant, in Rockville, Maryland. It was a lovely luncheon and a friendly and warm Reunion.It was wonderful to meet again our friends from both Alexandria & a few from Cairo. Attending this friendly and fun reunion were: Marlene Lesley who was the Chair of the Reunion and whom we Thank warmly for getting us together. Also Many Thanks to the Gamaa who came from Maryland and Virginia : Liliana Brown; René & Sonia Mahlouf-Khoury; Ziza, Dora & Elie Pallia (Many Thanks to Elie & Ziza Paglia for the pictures); Blanche Sachs; Dr. Dinah Gruber; Jeanette Goldstein; Viviane & Irwin Pescov; Eliane Kasteloot ; Geoffrey Hazan &  Joan Vernikos; Michele Alexander & Vicky Berger. Hopefully next reunion will be for Sham el Nessim.
 I composed, all in prose, a short poem on The Vanished  Library of Ancient Alexandria which I dedicated to Sandro Manzoni who like, The Ptolemies,reunited the Intellect of the World by collecting books. Sandro also brought us back together through his warm thoughts, the Bulletins of l'AAHA filled with very interesting articles of Alexandria: Past & Present and illustrated with pictures of Alexandria and the many Reunions. The Bulletin of l'AAHA filled with news about our friends and relatives, scattered all over the world, enabled us to reach them, reunite and reminisce about The Pearl of the Mediterranean and our youth sunning on the beautiful seashores of El Agami, Abusir, Sidi Abdel Rahman & Marsa-Matrouh.
On behalf of all of us: Merci beaucoup Cher Sandro

Viviane

The Vanished Library of Ancient Alexandria

Ptolemies, ambitious rulers
of Egypt,seekers of knowledge
Searching distant lands
For books, cherished,
Preserved and honored
In their royal universal library,
Where philosophers, scientists,
Mathematicians, astronomers
Historians and artists
Once brought glory to Alexandria
The Pearl of the Mediterranean.
Pillaged, destroyed and vanished
By wars, its soul rested
For centuries in the blue sea
Until one day, at last
Cries from all over the world
Demanding the resurrection
Of this sacred sanctuary
Brought back from the deep
The wonders of its Hellenistic past!

Viviane Pescov
Oct 31, 2010 ( Reunion of the Washington/Baltimore Area AAHA at the Restaurant Mykonos, Rockville, Maryland)