Chaar Hachamaim Synagogue
History
Its long-time leader was Chief Rabbi Chaim Nahum. In 2008, the synagogue marked its 100th anniversary. The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.
Work commenced on the synagogue in 1899 and it was inaugurated in 1908, at a time when there was a vibrant Jewish community in Cairo. The last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s. Today the community numbers approximately six members, most of them older women.
The building houses a collection of a few hundred books, ranging in age from the 1500s to contemporary times, concerning or relevant to the history of Jews in Egypt.
Although it is considered a Sephardic synagogue, many Ashkenazi Jews were members of the congregation and contributed to its construction and upkeep.
The synagogue underwent minor exterior renovations in 2007.
In February 2010, a booby-trapped suitcase was hurled at the synagogue from a nearby hotel. The suitcase caught fire, but no one was hurt and no damage was reported.
Gallery
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Renovations (2007)
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Exterior guard (Cairo police)
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Synagogue pews
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Synagogue bimah
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Older text from 1500s
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Collections in the Library
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Commemorative Plaque
See also
References
- ^ Raafat, Samir (September 2, 1999). "Gates of Heaven". Cairo Times.
- ^ "Synagogues: Cairo". Association Internationale Nebi Daniel. n.d. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ Stern, Yoav (November 4, 2007). "Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline". Haaretz. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ^ "Bomb Hurled at Main Synagogue in Cairo; No Casualties". Haaretz. Associated Press. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ "Shaar Hashamayim (Adly St.) Synagogue at Cairo, Egypt" (includes image gallery). Diarna.org. Digital Heritage Mapping. 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ Meital, Prof Yoram (August 17, 2024). "Study of Cairo's synagogues reveals an Egyptian Jewish 'Golden Age' abruptly ended". The Times of Israel (Interview). Interviewed by Gavriel Fiske. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ "Egypt Landmarks". EGY.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007.
Further reading
- Ulmer, Rivka (2009). "The Sha'ar Ha-Shamayim Synagogue (Keniset Isma'iliyah,) in Cairo, Egypt". Maven in Blue Jeans: A Festschrift in Honor of Zev Garber. West Lafayette: Shofar Suppl.; Purdue University Press. pp. 431–40.