Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue (Cairo)

Coordinates: 30°03′05″N 31°14′37″E / 30.05139°N 31.24361°E / 30.05139; 31.24361

Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue
בית כנסת שער השמיים
Basic information
Location 17 Adly Street, Ismailia
Egypt Cairo, Egypt
Geographic coordinates 30°3′5″N 31°14′37″E / 30.05139°N 31.24361°E / 30.05139; 31.24361
Affiliation Orthodox Judaism
Rite Sephardic
Status Active on High Holidays
Architectural description
Architect(s) Maurice Youssef Cattaui
Completed 1899

The Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue (lit. Gate of Heaven) is located in Cairo, Egypt. The synagogue was also known as Temple Ismailia and the Adly Street Synagogue.

Its long-time leader was Chief Rabbi Chaim Nahum. In 2008, the synagogue marked its 100th anniversary.[1] The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.[2]

When the synagogue opened in 1899, there was a vibrant Jewish community in Cairo. The last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s.[1] Today the community numbers 30-40 members, most of them older women.[1]

Although it is considered a Sephardic synagogue, many Ashkenazi Jews were members of the congregation and contributed to its construction and upkeep.[3]

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.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stern, Yoav. Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline, Haaretz, 04-11-2007. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
  2. 1 2 Bomb hurled at main synagogue in Cairo
  3. ↑ Egypt Landmarks

Bibliography

Rivka Ulmer, “The Sha‘ar Ha-Shamayim Synagogue (Keniset Isma‘iliyah,) in Cairo, Egypt,” in Maven in Blue Jeans: A Festschrift in Honor of Zev Garber (Shofar Suppl.; West Lafayette, in: Purdue University Press, 2009), 431-40.

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