Cairo, Egypt – Government Cancels Maimon Synagogue Ceremony Because of L’chaim

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    Antiquities worker performing restoration work on the Ben Maimon Synagogue in Cairo (photo credit AP)Cairo, Egypt – The government cancelled the inauguration of a restored synagogue on Sunday citing objections to Israel’s treatment of Muslims in the occupied territories as well as alleged excesses during an earlier ceremony.

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    Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities spent seven months restoring the ruined Ben Maimon synagogue in Cairo’s ancient Jewish quarter and had been set to unveil it to the press Sunday, a week after its rededication in a private ceremony.

    Council head Zahi Hawass called off Sunday’s event following criticism in the press of the synagogue’s rededication ceremony, which was attended by Israeli diplomats as well the American ambassador. The cancellation was largely symbolic as the restoration is complete and the synagogue has been reopened.

    “This cancellation comes after what happened during the inauguration by the Jewish community who engaged in activities considered provocative to the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around world, including dancing and drinking alcohol,” Hawass said in the statement.

    He added that “Muslim sanctuaries in occupied Palestine are subject to aggression by the occupation authorities,” citing in particular Israeli security actions on the Aqsa compound in occupied Jerusalem.
    Officials with Cairo’s Jewish community had no comment about Hawass’ statement.

    The March 7 dedication ceremony at the synagogue, named after the 12th century rabbi and intellectual Maimonides, was closed to media and included half a dozen Egyptian Jewish families that long ago fled the country. No Egyptian officials attended the ceremony.

    A group of about 11 Hassidic Chabad Lubavitch rabbis also came to Cairo from the United States and Israel and sang at the event. Attendees also said toasts were made.

    Egypt’s Jewish community, which dates back millennia and at its peak in the 1940s numbered around 80,000, is down to several dozen, almost all of them elderly. The rest were driven out decades ago by mob violence and persecution tied in large part to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    Egypt and Israel fought a war every decade from the 1940s to the 1970s until the 1979 peace treaty was signed.

    Despite that treaty, Egyptian sentiment remains deeply unfriendly to Israel, and anti-Semitic stereotypes still occasionally appear in the Egyptian media.

    On Tuesday, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said his ministry was committed to restoring all 11 synagogues across Egypt, three of which have already been renovated. The best-known synagogue that of Ben Ezra, is located in Cairo’s Christian quarter near a number of old churches and was restored years ago.

    In his statement, Hawass lauded Egyptian efforts to restore its Muslim, Jewish and Christian sites without regard to their religion.

    “This is proof of the religious tolerance in Egypt, while Muslim sanctuaries in [occupied] Jerusalem and other Palestinian cities are subject to destruction and sequestration by Israel,” he said.


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    15 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    They made a Lechaim .

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Yep. There’s an old saying, When in Rome, do as the Romans. Someone should have respected local customs.

    MK
    MK
    14 years ago

    Once the Jews left Egypt in modern times, Egypt turned into a slum land. Read any modern history of Egypt.

    Not a farbrengen
    Not a farbrengen
    14 years ago

    Sounds like the Lubavitchers may have messed it up by drinking and dancing. If so, was it really necessary to do that? It wasn’t a farbrengen after all.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Reply to number 7: what then do you do by a chanukas habayis other than say l’chaim and express simcha? Should they have instead sat with their heads to the floor in the style of muslims? Wake up and smell the truth – muslims don’t need an excuse to complain about any Jews!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    We Yidden don’t need and don’t want the Mitzriim, from “Ervas Haaretz” to step foot in our holly places.

    It is not a Kovod for us and we should thank Hashem that these dumb Arabs found a silly reason why not to come, where they consider it appropriate for Arabs to Kill themselves and Murder others but not to Thank Hashem by saying L’Chayim.

    We don’t need them for our dedications it ads no Kovod for us and all we can say is Boruch Hashem that they decided to keep out.

    Let’s daven that they never change their mind about it.

    Ein Omrim Shira Ela Al Hayayin
    Ein Omrim Shira Ela Al Hayayin
    14 years ago

    If only these Mitzrriyim knew what else we say about them in the Hagada.

    Thee Mitzrrim have spent Millions for the Rambam – if only they knew that the Rambam said that their presumed navi Mohamad was considered to be Mentally Ill and a poshuter Meshugener, according to the Rambam.

    If only these Mitzrrim knew that was say Az Yashir thanking hashem that the Mitzriim have drowned and we say it on WINE Pesach Night!

    If only the Mitzrrim Knew how we thank Hahshem at how many numerouse punishments they got and each one of our sages tries to out do the other to calculate even greater numbers of punishements and even greater suffering of the Mitzriim.

    If only these Mitzrrim knew how we “bless them” ON WINE with the finest “blessings” during Shfoch Chamoscho.

    If only the Mitzriim knew that right now is the season where all Yidden celebrate GOOD RIDDENS of the Mitzriim and we celebrate getting rid of Mitzraim and we celebrate the demise of their Pharaoh and all their army and empire and all of the Mitzry-people, and this is our greatest Yom Tov and we celebrate this over 4 Big Cups of wine and we do it 2 nights in a row, repeatedly.

    Thank G-d that the Mitzriim have very little Sechel because ‘if they only knew’ …..

    Not the same
    Not the same
    14 years ago

    FYI, the Egyptians of today (or at least most of them) are not the same as the ancient Egyptians/Mitzrim mentioned in the chumash. Sancheirev came and mixed up the nations, as Chazal say, for one thing.

    egyptian jew
    egyptian jew
    14 years ago

    that is the best news that ever came out of egypt all they want is to show the world how to money of the jewish properties they the egyptians stole from the jews

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Who appointed these Lubavitcher as the shluchim of the World jewish community. TThey should be mature enough to recognize that their behavior as so called rabbis would reflect on the Jewish people and Judaism. Why not come to the White House for a photo op with our President pop open a bottle of Kedem have a few drinks and then dance , that would go over well with al concerned.