The Aghions, widely acknowledged to have been one of the great families of the modern Egyptian Jewish community, were one of a number of families from Italy that began laying down roots in Egypt in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They prospered initially through money-lending and trade with Europe and later through international commerce and banking. Collaborating, working, and marrying with other important families, the Aghions moved into real estate, development, and infrastructure throughout the …