Egypt's last Jews aim to keep alive heritage
Emmanuel Parisse
AFPMarch 25, 2017
View photos
The president of the Egyptian Jewish Community, Magda Shehata Haroun, at the Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue in Cairo (AFP Photo/KHALED DESOUKI)
Cairo (AFP) - Once a flourishing community, only a handful of Egyptian Jews, mostly elderly women, remain in the Arab world's most populous country, aiming at least to preserve their heritage.
Egypt still has about a dozen synagogues, but like many of the country's monuments they need restoration. Part of the roof of a synagogue in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria caved in last year.
In downtown Cairo, a bustling street lined with old hotels and shops leads to an imposing stone building modelled after an ancient Egyptian temple: the Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue, built around 1900.
Inside, Magda Haroun carefully unrolls Torah scrolls kept in the synagogue's ark.
The synagogue is mostly empty these days, but Haroun, 65, remembers when its benches were filled with worshippers, including her late father Shehata Haroun, a celebrated lawyer.
Haroun carries the title of president of Cairo's Jewish community -- six elderly women including herself and her mother -- and says her task is to preserve a centuries-old heritage.
"It's my duty, for future generations," she says.
Her mother Marcelle Haroun, 91, cries when she discusses her community's fading past.
"According to the stories, Jews lived in Egypt since the pharaohs. Do you want to make centuries of history vanish?" she says.
There were between 80,000 and 120,000 Jews in Egypt up until the mid-20th century.
They had an impact that far exceeded their numbers in trade and even cinema, with actress and singer Leila Murad dominating the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Taboo -
But the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 led to the disintegration of the community, with many leaving Egypt or being forced out under the regime of president Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Today, the Jews of Egypt are estimated to number 18, with 12 of them in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Magda Haroun's dream is for Jewish artefacts to be seen by the public, perhaps in a planned museum of Egyptian civilisation.
Officially, the government now makes no distinction between Pharaonic, Islamic, Coptic and Jewish heritage, and the antiquities ministry has come up with the funds to fix the roof of Alexandria's synagogue.
"The (antiquities) minister promised me that a museum of civilisations will open, representing all the civilisations of Egypt," said Magda Haroun.
The Egyptian civilisation museum partially opened in February with a small exhibition but there are no definite plans as yet for displaying Jewish artefacts in it.
However the minister, Khaled el-Enany, told AFP that in early 2016 he set up a committee to list "all the Jewish monuments and Jewish collections that are in the synagogues".
But on a public level, many Egyptians still have a mixed view of their Jewish compatriots.
"It remains a complicated question," says Amir Ramses, who made a 2013 documentary, "The Jews of Egypt", on the community's history.
"Mentioning the Jews in Egypt was a taboo," he said.
Just screening the film in Cairo cinemas was a struggle before he eventually obtained clearance.
When it was shown, the culture ministry requested that it be introduced as a work of the director's "imagination" rather than a documentary.
Although the tiny community has been spared recent attacks by jihadists targeting Christians, the Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue was attacked in 2010.
An assailant hurled a suitcase containing a homemade bomb at the synagogue's entrance, causing no damage.
Some in the community prefer to keep a low profile.
The head of Alexandria's Jewish community, Youssef Gaon, wanted to be quoted as little as possible when interviewed by AFP.
Gaon simply said he "trusts" the Egyptian government will help restore the country's Jewish heritage.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/egypts-last-jews-aim-keep-alive-heritage-031827251.html
Emmanuel Parisse
AFPMarch 25, 2017
View photos
The president of the Egyptian Jewish Community, Magda Shehata Haroun, at the Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue in Cairo (AFP Photo/KHALED DESOUKI)
Cairo (AFP) - Once a flourishing community, only a handful of Egyptian Jews, mostly elderly women, remain in the Arab world's most populous country, aiming at least to preserve their heritage.
Egypt still has about a dozen synagogues, but like many of the country's monuments they need restoration. Part of the roof of a synagogue in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria caved in last year.
In downtown Cairo, a bustling street lined with old hotels and shops leads to an imposing stone building modelled after an ancient Egyptian temple: the Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue, built around 1900.
Inside, Magda Haroun carefully unrolls Torah scrolls kept in the synagogue's ark.
The synagogue is mostly empty these days, but Haroun, 65, remembers when its benches were filled with worshippers, including her late father Shehata Haroun, a celebrated lawyer.
Haroun carries the title of president of Cairo's Jewish community -- six elderly women including herself and her mother -- and says her task is to preserve a centuries-old heritage.
"It's my duty, for future generations," she says.
Her mother Marcelle Haroun, 91, cries when she discusses her community's fading past.
"According to the stories, Jews lived in Egypt since the pharaohs. Do you want to make centuries of history vanish?" she says.
There were between 80,000 and 120,000 Jews in Egypt up until the mid-20th century.
They had an impact that far exceeded their numbers in trade and even cinema, with actress and singer Leila Murad dominating the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Taboo -
But the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 led to the disintegration of the community, with many leaving Egypt or being forced out under the regime of president Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Today, the Jews of Egypt are estimated to number 18, with 12 of them in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Magda Haroun's dream is for Jewish artefacts to be seen by the public, perhaps in a planned museum of Egyptian civilisation.
Officially, the government now makes no distinction between Pharaonic, Islamic, Coptic and Jewish heritage, and the antiquities ministry has come up with the funds to fix the roof of Alexandria's synagogue.
"The (antiquities) minister promised me that a museum of civilisations will open, representing all the civilisations of Egypt," said Magda Haroun.
The Egyptian civilisation museum partially opened in February with a small exhibition but there are no definite plans as yet for displaying Jewish artefacts in it.
However the minister, Khaled el-Enany, told AFP that in early 2016 he set up a committee to list "all the Jewish monuments and Jewish collections that are in the synagogues".
But on a public level, many Egyptians still have a mixed view of their Jewish compatriots.
"It remains a complicated question," says Amir Ramses, who made a 2013 documentary, "The Jews of Egypt", on the community's history.
"Mentioning the Jews in Egypt was a taboo," he said.
Just screening the film in Cairo cinemas was a struggle before he eventually obtained clearance.
When it was shown, the culture ministry requested that it be introduced as a work of the director's "imagination" rather than a documentary.
Although the tiny community has been spared recent attacks by jihadists targeting Christians, the Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue was attacked in 2010.
An assailant hurled a suitcase containing a homemade bomb at the synagogue's entrance, causing no damage.
Some in the community prefer to keep a low profile.
The head of Alexandria's Jewish community, Youssef Gaon, wanted to be quoted as little as possible when interviewed by AFP.
Gaon simply said he "trusts" the Egyptian government will help restore the country's Jewish heritage.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/egypts-last-jews-aim-keep-alive-heritage-031827251.html
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Badran: The reason for postponing the Basra Council session is to give members sufficient time to
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» The Contractors Registration and Classification Committee at the Ministry of Planning completed more
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Foreign Affairs: We discussed these files with the Romanian Senate
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Investment Authority to / Nina /: We will adopt future programming to implement projects and
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Their arms are "electronic flies"... Personalities who lost their positions seek to stir up strife b
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Decrease in dollar exchange rates in morning trading in Baghdad markets
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» An international organization: Plans to enhance the livelihood of affected displaced and returning f
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Dozens of factories are halted... Industry: We went into partnership with the private sector to rest
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Communist criticizes the decision to abolish the Kurdistan Parliament quota: positive disc
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms Iraq's aspiration for the participation of Azerbaijani companies in construction
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» An initiative by the President of the Republic to solve the problem of the region’s salaries
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» The Kurdistan government complains about Baghdad’s finances: It is ready to pay 59% of the salaries
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Al-Khanjar: The Democratic boycott of the elections puts the future of Iraq in danger
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Iraq is ranked seventh in the Arab world and 33rd globally in the misery index
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Trade announces the achievement of self-sufficiency in ration card materials
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Finance releases funding for state employees’ salaries for the month of March
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Elon Musk: 20 seats won by Biden and his party with the votes of “illegal immigrants”
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» A "paradigm shift" awaits the regions of the belt and outskirts of Baghdad
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» “Speicher and Malwiya Fund”..Parliamentary Finance talks about “illegal fees” in state departments
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Government admission of the failure of the meter campaign: Generators’ compliance is “almost non-exi
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Iraq is proceeding with the zero nuclear reactor project.. Find out its details
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» The decision to “reduce exports”... “unplanned” production for Kurdistan will cost Baghdad half a bi
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» The powers of Kurdistan.. The Federal Court confirms its commitment to what was agreed upon by the “
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Launching funding for state employees’ salaries for the month of March
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Syria top the "least safe" Arab countries
Yesterday at 7:23 am by Rocky
» Governor of Baghdad: 20 projects will be included during the current year in the city of Nahrawan
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» More than $242 million in central bank sales today
Yesterday at 7:17 am by Rocky
» Advisor: Sudanese is determined to close the displacement file
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The implementation of the 2023 budget witnessed a success that must be invested in
Yesterday at 7:13 am by Rocky
» The Baghdad Council will decide on the nomination of the committees in the coming days
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Samarrai: The Sunni community is not in favor of removing American forces
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» A warning from Al-Rasheed to those wishing to apply for advances and loans
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Azerbaijan expresses its desire to participate in the implementation of joint projects in the oil an
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Fuel cards arouse citizens' discontent
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» utube 3/18/24 MM&C Iraqi Dinar-- IQD-- Dinar Update -100% Electronic - Real Effective Exchange Rat
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 3/16/24 0:05 / 18:16 Iraq Federal Court Brings - Strength to Financial - Politic
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» MM&C 3/18/24 Sudanese Advisor: Iraq will leave government monetary dealing in mid-2024
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» A delegation from the Kurdistan government visits Baghdad to discuss the issue of localization of sa
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Director of the Central Oil Company: We are keen to provide the appropriate investment environment
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» The Energy Parliament calls for reporting generators violating government pricing
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A representative reveals the fate of the laws of “previous sessions”
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Politician: Coordination holds the keys to resolving the “Parliament Presidency” conflict
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq wants to carry out its peaceful activity in the field of atomic energy
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Including a minister and a parliamentarian... 38 arrest and recruitment orders were issued against t
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Integrity: Citizens’ cooperation resulted in detecting inflation and returning state funds
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Agriculture presents 97 projects to the Ministerial Council for the Economy
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We succeeded in implementing the 2023 budget, and we must continue to complete economic p
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Labor adopts new mechanisms to reduce the phenomenon of begging
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Electronically.. directing the collection of fees tomorrow in an Iraqi governorate
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Held in Brussels.. Iraq receives an official invitation to attend the Nuclear Energy Summit
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan has been paralyzed. There has been no liquidity in hand for 50 days, and the truth has bee
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» The dollar continues to decline against the Iraqi dinar on the stock exchange and exchange offices
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil reveals the reasons for Shell’s withdrawal from Nebras: It will be divided into
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» The Housing Fund advises loan applicants and launches a link for inquiries
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» He stressed that the government’s vision is to make one class not exceed 25 students...Government me
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim and Al-Halbousi stress the importance of choosing a speaker for Parliament in accordance wi
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Iron and Steel Company: Iraq is on the verge of a major industrial revolution
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Economists: Citizens still prefer cash transactions over electronic transactions
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» The compass of Iraq's foreign policy in a world of turbulent polarization
Yesterday at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: The federal budget is in the corridors of the Council of Ministers, and there
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Integrity calls on citizens to report the inflation of funds in the sector of the Ministry of Labor
Yesterday at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani directs the launch of initiatives for young businessmen and investors
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Representative agriculture emphasizes taking supportive measures for the local product
Yesterday at 4:37 am by Rocky
» An economist calls on the government to support and stimulate the private sector
Yesterday at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Ittihad: Employees and retirees in Kurdistan paid the price of political differences with Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Al-Samarrai and Al-Hakim discuss the importance of achieving political and constitutional entitlemen
Yesterday at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Only 23 million dunums. Iraq exploits approximately 50% of its arable land
Yesterday at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Türkiye considers it a political issue.. Where have the negotiations reached regarding Iraq’s water
Yesterday at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Sudanese receives an invitation to attend the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels - Urgent
Yesterday at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Central Bank sales exceed $240 million today
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:52 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance calls on the government to expedite sending the 2024 budget to Parliament
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:47 am by Rocky
» ‘We’re So Sick of It’: Northern Border Crisis Gets Worse
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:35 am by Bama Diva
» A representative holds Kurdistan responsible for the faltering legislation of the oil and gas law
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:27 am by Rocky
» Warnings of the danger of the increase in foreign labor in Iraq
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:26 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports to America decreased within a week
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:25 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs an “important” meeting to form the Kirkuk government
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:23 am by Rocky
» Investment confirms the adoption of a new method in new residential cities and explains its details
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:21 am by Rocky
» For the first time in 2024.. exchange rates fall to the threshold of 149 thousand in Baghdad
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:19 am by Rocky
» Including gold.. An increase in exports of 3 Turkish products to Iraq during 2024
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:18 am by Rocky
» A detailed integrity report regarding the Housing Fund... called for this matter
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:17 am by Rocky
» Resources count the number of trespassers in Baghdad.. What about restaurants?
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:16 am by Rocky
» At a cost of approximately two billion dinars... determining the completion rates achieved in the Ma
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:15 am by Rocky
» Parliament awaits the “Cabinet of Ministers” law
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:14 am by Rocky
» Provincial councils return after an absence with a heavy legacy
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:13 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the axis and meeting point of East and West
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:11 am by Rocky
» One million beneficiaries of health insurance early next May
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:10 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: Delaying the budget had a negative impact on the performance of the ministrie
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:09 am by Rocky
» The chaos of urban expansion threatens the agricultural character of Diwaniyah
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:08 am by Rocky
» A project to plant Japanese trees in Erbil
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:07 am by Rocky
» A team to prepare the national strategy for national security in Kirkuk
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:06 am by Rocky
» Next Tuesday...concluding a contract to expand the basic design of the city of Mosul
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:04 am by Rocky
» A festival to reduce food prices in Mosul
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:03 am by Rocky
» Technical committees between Baghdad and Erbil to resume oil exports through Türkiye
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:02 am by Rocky
» A model of economic diversification
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:01 am by Rocky
» Variation in the extent to which Iraq was affected by the decision to reduce the credit rating of {T
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq has made a commitment to receive the entire security file from the Ministry of Inter
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:58 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic stresses the important role of Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim in the first st
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:56 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Center for Combating Rumors warns against social media celebrities misleading their follow
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:54 am by Rocky