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, Eduard Matasek[1]
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.[2] The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.[3]

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.[2] Today the community numbers 30-40 members, most of them older women.[2]

Although it is considered a Sephardic synagogue, many Ashkenazi Jews were members of the congregation and contributed to its construction and upkeep.[4]

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.[3]

See also

References

  1. Raafat, Samir (2 September 1999). "Gates of Heaven". Cairo Times.
  2. 1 2 3 Stern, Yoav. Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline, Haaretz, 04-11-2007. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
  3. 1 2 Bomb hurled at main synagogue in Cairo
  4. 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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