Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue (Cairo)

30°03′05″N 31°14′37″E

Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue בית כנסת שער השמים‎
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Sephardic
Status	Active on High Holidays
Location
Location	17 Adly Street, Cairo Cairo, Egypt
Geographic coordinates	30°3′5″N 31°14′37″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Maurice Youssef Cattaui, Eduard Matasek[1]
Completed	1899

The Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue (בית כנסת שער השמים‎, 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 6 members, most of them older women.^[2]

Presently, it houses a collection of a few hundred books, ranging in age from contemporary to the 1500s, 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.^[4]

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.^[3]

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

See also

• Maimonides Synagogue
• Ets Hayim Synagogue
• Ben Ezra Synagogue
• Synagogues in Cairo
• Cairo Genizah
• History of the Jews in Egypt

References

1. Raafat, Samir (2 September 1999). "Gates of Heaven". Cairo Times.
2. Stern, Yoav. Cairo Synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline, Haaretz, 04-11-2007. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
3. Bomb hurled at main synagogue in Cairo
4. Egypt Landmarks Archived 2007-06-08 at the Wayback Machine

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.