The Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue (lit. ''Gate of Heaven'') is located in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

. The synagogue was also known as ''Temple Ismailia'' and the ''Adly Street Synagogue''. Its long-time leader was Chief Rabbi

Chaim Nahum Chaim (Haim) Nahum Effendi ( tr, Haim Nahum Efendi; ; ) (1872–1960) was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century. He served as the Grand Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire.Kuneralp, Sinan. "Ottoman Diplomatic and Consular ...

. In 2008, the synagogue marked its 100th anniversary.Stern, Yoav
Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline
''Haaretz'', 04-11-2007. Retrieved on 2011-03-22. The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient

Egyptian temple Egyptian temples were built for the official worship of the gods and in commemoration of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt and regions under Egyptian control. Temples were seen as houses for the gods or kings to whom they were dedicated. Within t ...

s, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.Bomb hurled at main synagogue in Cairo
/ref> 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. Today the community numbers 6 members, most of them older women. Although it is considered a Sephardic synagogue, many

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

were members of the congregation and contributed to its construction and upkeep.Egypt Landmarks
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.

References

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. {{authority control Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Egypt Downtown Cairo Orthodox Judaism in Egypt Orthodox synagogues Religious organizations established in 1899 Sephardi Jewish culture in Egypt Sephardi synagogues Synagogues in Cairo Synagogues completed in 1899 21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations 19th-century religious buildings and structures in Egypt

See also

References

Bibliography