One-stop blog on Jews from Arab and Muslim Countries and the Middle East's forgotten Jewish refugees, updated daily
Saturday, March 27, 2010
'Jews not allowed to pray' in Maimonides synagogue
Jewish community head Carmen Weinstein (in the green dress) listens while a friend reads out a letter from culture minister Farouk Hosni, promising that the restoration of Egyptian synagogues would continue. But that promise does not include Jewish worship in those synagogues (Video: Yves Fedida)
More proof, if proof were needed, that Egypt intends its synagogues to be museums. Lord forbid any Jew should actually want to pray in one. From the Elder of Zion blog, via Solomonia:
Zahi Hawass, the Jew-hating general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and Egypt's top archaeologist, has announced that he will not allow any Jew to pray in the restored Maimonides synagogue in Cairo.
He told a Muslim scientific forum that "his decision to close the temple was a reaction to Israeli attacks on Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem."
He stressed that he would treat the Maimonides synagogue the same as any other Egyptian antiquities, and that the decision to cancel the opening rededication ceremony of the synagogue was to keep history and politic separated.
But he would not allow any Jew or Israeli to pray there and he would not allow the Egyptian Jewish community to administer the site. He also said that this was a reaction to "provocative practices that carried out by the Jews in their celebration which was held in the temple." He was referring to the dancing and drinking of wine, which he felt offended a billion Muslims.
He said that Egypt still intended to restore ancient synagogues, and the next one to be worked on was the Temple of the Prophet Daniel in Alexandria.
Earlier today, Palestine Today (link not available) quoted Hawass as saying that the very opening of the synagogue was a "slap in the face" of Israel, showing that Egypt is a tolerant country.
Report in the Qatari newspaper Raya (Google translation) (with thanks: Lily)
Article in BikyaMasr
Hawass: 'I gave Zionist enemy a slap in the face' (Haaretz)
Arutz Sheva article
"Muslim scientific forum" is an oxymoron.
ReplyDeleteoff topic/
ReplyDeleteThis is a speech by David Littman at the UNhuman rights council, that body with an Orwellian name. He's talking about compensation for refugees.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/03/1922-uk-partition-of-palestine-1947-un-general-assembly-partition-plan-facts-and-figures-on-arab-jew.html#comments
Now that our Egyptian Synagogues are becoming Museums and Egyptian Antiquities, administered by the Egyptian Authorities and not by the One-Lady Jewish Community of Cairo, the real Egyptian Jewish Communities all over the world cannot include them anymore in their claims as Public Jewish Properties. The next Synagogue targeted, as Zahi Hawas said, is now Eliahu Hanabi Synagogue in Alexandria, which is the only Synagogue in Egypt still open for Egyptian Jews from all over the world to pray in. Very sadly, this last "bastion" in Alexandria is going to have the same fate as the Cairo Synagogues...
ReplyDeleteA JEW FROM EGYPT
What is even sadder is that a hundreds of year old tradition has been ended by the short sight of this reputed archeologist. In the past whenever a child was seriously ill many parents, whether they were Moslems, Christians (Copts)or Jews, would light candles and spend the night in the synagogue praying to Allah, Jesus or God for their recovery.
ReplyDeleteNow the synangogue will be closed for prayers by a man who supposedly believes in the Prophet.
What is even sadder is that a hundreds of year old tradition has been ended by the short sight of this reputed archeologist. In the past whenever a child was seriously ill many parents, whether they were Moslems, Christians (Copts)or Jews, would light candles and spend the night in the synagogue praying to Allah, Jesus or God for their recovery.
ReplyDeleteNow the synangogue will be closed for prayers by a man who supposedly believes in the Prophet.