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Last update - 17:52 01/11/2007
Cairo synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
tags: synagogue, Egypt, Diaspora 

Two historical moments were recorded Tuesday at the Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue in Cairo. The first was when Dr. Gaber Baltagi, an academic who writes poetry as a hobby, recited one of his works in Arabic and Hebrew, calling for peace among the nations. The second was when a loud shofar (ram's horn) blast, usually sounded at the closing of the Ne'ila service on Yom Kippur, echoed in the cavernous space of Cairo's great synagogue, bringing tears to the eyes of many of those present.

Members of Cairo's Jewish community - those who have remained here, as well as others who have moved away - plus many guests from Egypt and around the world, were there for a ceremony marking 100 years since the founding of the synagogue.

In attendance were the American ambassador to Cairo, the British ambassador, Israeli envoy Shalom Cohen as well as former Israeli ambassadors.
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During the ceremony, the Choir of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki sang songs in Hebrew and Ladino.

The building was recently renovated, with the approval and assistance of the Egyptian authorities. It was rededicated Tuesday.

"Jews lived here throughout the ages," said community president Carmen Weinstein. "I see no reason for Jews not to continue living here."

Weinstein is the second woman president in the history of this Jewish community. The first was her mother, Esther, who served in that capacity for many years.

"When my mother was president, she ran things and I did the dirty work. Nowadays I have to do both," she said with a smile, speaking from the synagogue's pulpit. The ceremony she directed Tuesday was a historic event for the community, whose future is still in question. Weinstein declared that she is proud to be Egyptian. As befits her position as head of the community, she thanked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak several times.

The Egyptian Jewish community is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Rabbi Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) lived and taught here in the 13th century. For generations, hundreds of documents were collected in what became known as the Cairo Geniza, whose discovery in 1896 contributed much to Jewish historical research.

One hundred years ago, when the Sha'ar Hashamayim was founded on Adly Street, it was a hub of activity. The community absorbed many waves of immigration from both Europe and the Middle East. The name plates still affixed to some of the seat backs tell the immigration story. Philippe Bach, Yosef Salameh, Felix Schwartz and Herman Horenstein are just a few of the names that can be found there.

Today the Cairo Jewish community has 30-40 members, most of them older women. One of them, Magda Haroun (nee Chehata), stepped up to the pulpit Tuesday to share her feelings. She said that the last time she remembers the synagogue being full was in the in the 1960s.

"We may be only 40 members now," she added, "but we have a glorious history behind us. Please don't let that die."

Haron has never visited Israel, for ideological reasons. Her parents were Communists, and she hopes to come only when a Palestinian state is established. Her father did not attend synagogue services, but Haron came with her grandfather.

"The future is frightening," she said, in an interview with Haaretz, "and I do not know if anyone can replace Carmen. I think that the Egyptian government should help preserve the Jewish heritage. Jews have been here since the time of the Pharaohs."

Among the participants at the event was Meir Cohen, a native of Cairo. He brought with him photographs from his father's wedding at the synagogue in 1947, and from his bar mitzvah in 1963. Like many Israelis born in Egypt, Cohen left along with his family after the deterioration of the Jewish community's situation in the late 1960s. He worked for Israel Television's Arabic department and was the spokesman at the Israeli embassy in Cairo in the late 1980s.

"With this event," said Cohen, "Carmen has resuscitated hundreds of years of Jewish life. Every detail here brings back memories of my father, members of my family and the prayer services here. This is the closing of a circle for me."

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  1.   It is sad 07:10  |  Bandar Michaels 01/11/07
  2.   Cairo Jews less fortunate than Palestinians 07:59  |  Dr. Jack 01/11/07
  3.   terrorist synagogue 09:32  |  Christian 01/11/07
  4.   cairo`s synagoghe 11:10  |  james hazan 01/11/07
  5.   #3 Stupid Christian 11:20  |  Hastaroth 01/11/07
  6.   #1 It is sad,indeed.... 11:27  |  Hastaroth 01/11/07
  7.   "CHRISTIAN"??.ARAB terrorists desecrated theChurch of Nativity 11:27  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
  8.   JEWS in Egypt in the 1950`s were forced to leave & their property 11:29  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
  9.   "HASTAROTH" bet you he is NOT a Christian.Just more of the same 11:38  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
  10.   first hand accounts 12:08  |  ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS 01/11/07
  11.   #9 Peter SM 12:10  |  Hastaroth 01/11/07
  12.   US Jews outnumber Israelis 12:11  |  Joeseph 01/11/07
  13.   Magda Haron 12:13  |  efraim 01/11/07
  14.   for #2. Dr.Jack 12:14  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  15.   Let my people go 12:16  |  aj 01/11/07
  16.   Magda Haron 12:20  |  efraim 01/11/07
  17.   for Peter S.M&Hastaroth 12:41  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  18.   Move the synagogue to Israel 12:46  |  Herbert Kaine 01/11/07
  19.   MUSLIM Cairo I wish us all peace.We& our children must have it 13:10  |  PETER SM 01/11/07
  20.   #18 to Herbert Kaine 13:10  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  21.   Better..... 13:12  |  Jeff 01/11/07
  22.   #18 to Herbert Kaine(cont) 13:20  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  23.   #17 To the Muslim 13:39  |  Hastaroth 01/11/07
  24.   14 13:39  |  Dre 01/11/07
  25.   Good for you Muslim 13:40  |  Phil 01/11/07
  26.   Correction for Herbert Kaine 14:00  |  RavenWoods 01/11/07
  27.   Moslem Cairo right now in Israel they are commemorating Moslems 14:08  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
  28.   #14, #17 Muslim, part 1 14:27  |  German 01/11/07
  29.   To RavenWoods and Herbert Kaine 15:32  |  JG 01/11/07
  30.   # 2 there are 1,5 Million in Gaza 16:03  |  Kris 01/11/07
  31.   Dr. Jack - 2 replies.... 16:41  |  Tess 01/11/07
  32.   for #27 Peter S.M 16:48  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  33.   Sorry Muslim, Egypt recruits anti-semites 16:49  |  Herbert Kaine 01/11/07
  34.   for German #28 16:55  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  35.   Egypt: Mother of all homelands! 17:08  |  Friend 01/11/07
  36.   An other brainwash from arabised lefties 17:09  |  Joseph E . 01/11/07
  37.   Christian - I second that! 17:09  |  American Christian 01/11/07
  38.   to Hastaroth#23 I have the reply 17:10  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  39.   to hastaroth #23 ( cont) 17:20  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  40.   #22 Muslim from Egypt 17:27  |  Itsik 01/11/07
  41.   #34 Muslim 17:31  |  Itsik 01/11/07
  42.   to Herbert Kaine #33 17:37  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  43.   #37 American moron! 17:37  |  Itsik 01/11/07
  44.   for Itsik #40 18:05  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  45.   #12 - Joeseph 18:35  |  MichaelF 01/11/07
  46.   #37 - American Christian 18:40  |  MichaelF 01/11/07
  47.   to Muslim 19:08  |  Nick 01/11/07
  48.   to MichaelF #45 19:20  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  49.   MichaelF - Maybe 19:20  |  American Christian 01/11/07
  50.   for Nick #47 19:45  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  51.   Muslim Brotherhood 19:50  |  Herbert Kaine 01/11/07
  52.   to Herbert Kaine #51 20:12  |  Muslim 01/11/07
  53.   to muslim 22:52  |  david 01/11/07
  54.   Advice to Slowman 23:55  |  Yoav Stern 01/11/07
  55.   to Brother Muslim 23:57  |  Nick 01/11/07
  56.   to Nick #55 02:41  |  Muslim 02/11/07
  57.   amen to carmen...and to magda 06:46  |  eric 02/11/07
  58.   # 33 to herbert kaine 07:21  |  eric 02/11/07
  59.   # 28 to the "german" re: genocide(take 2) 07:50  |  eric 02/11/07
  60.   to Muslim and Nick and.... 08:21  |  Aline 02/11/07
  61.   and now???? 08:25  |  Aline 02/11/07
  62.   Kaine you are Able to return to Brooklyn 08:55  |  Ari ben Yisrael 02/11/07
  63.   Muslim 09:21  |  sh 02/11/07
  64.   #59 "eric" 11:47  |  German 02/11/07
  65.   #59 "eric" part 2 12:16  |  German 02/11/07
  66.   #59 "eric" part 3 12:50  |  German 02/11/07
  67.   Daher, Cairo Synagogue 14:48  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 02/11/07
  68.   Cairo and Fostat 15:17  |  Dov Ber 02/11/07
  69.   Jews in Egypt 15:49  |  Lolita Cohen 02/11/07
  70.   to lolita cohen #69 18:48  |  Muslim 02/11/07
  71.   #`s 64, 65, & 66, german 05:55  |  eric 03/11/07
  72.   terrorist synagogue 15:17  |  Albert 04/11/07
  73.   AbdulNaasir`s Mistake [1] 13:26  |  ARTH 07/11/07
  74.   AbdulNaasir`s Mistake [2] 13:29  |  ARTH 07/11/07
  75.   Zionism and Arab Nationalism 13:36  |  ARTH 07/11/07
  76.   Zionism and Arab Nationalism [2] 13:44  |  ARTH 07/11/07
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