Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue (Cairo)

For similarly named synagogues, see Shaar Hashamayim.

The Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת שער השמים, lit. 'Gate of Heaven'; Arabic: كنيس عدلي), also known as Temple Ismailia and the Adly Street Synagogue, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 17 Adly Street in Cairo, Egypt.^[2]

Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue
Hebrew: בית כנסת שער השמים Arabic: كنيس عدلي
The façade of the synagogue in 2013
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Nusach Sefard
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Status	Active
Location
Location	17 Adly Street, Cairo
Country	Egypt
Location of the synagogue, relative to the Nile Delta
Geographic coordinates	30°03′05″N 31°14′37″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Maurice Youssef Cattaui Eduard Matasek
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Ottoman Art Deco
Groundbreaking	1899
Completed	1908
[1]

History

Its long-time leader was Chief Rabbi Chaim Nahum. In 2008, the synagogue marked its 100th anniversary.^[3] The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.^[4]

Work commenced on the synagogue in 1899 and it was inaugurated in 1908,^[5] at a time when there was a vibrant Jewish community in Cairo. The last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s.^[3][5] Today the community numbers approximately six members, most of them older women.^[3][6]

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.^[7]

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.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  Renovations (2007)
• 
  Exterior guard (Cairo police)
• 
  Synagogue pews
• 
  Synagogue bimah
• 
  Older text from 1500s
• 
  Collections in the Library
• 
  Commemorative Plaque

See also

• Egypt portal
• Judaism portal

• History of the Jews in Egypt
• Synagogues in Cairo
• List of synagogues in Egypt

References

1. Raafat, Samir (September 2, 1999). "Gates of Heaven". Cairo Times.
2. "Synagogues: Cairo". Association Internationale Nebi Daniel. n.d. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
3. Stern, Yoav (November 4, 2007). "Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline". Haaretz. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
4. "Bomb Hurled at Main Synagogue in Cairo; No Casualties". Haaretz. Associated Press. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
5. "Shaar Hashamayim (Adly St.) Synagogue at Cairo, Egypt" (includes image gallery). Diarna.org. Digital Heritage Mapping. 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
6. 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.
7. "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.