Dr. Zahi Hawass, icon of the Egyptology and former Minister of Antiquities, said that he is very delighted at restoration of the Jewish synagogue in Alexandria which will be re-opened today.
He added that when he assumed responsibility of antiquities in 2002, the Jewish synagogues in Egypt were neglected and almost deteriorated as the archaeologist were afraid of restoring those buildings.
But he ordered to restoring those synagogues because they are a part of history of the country.
Dr. Hawass explained that the Egyptian Jews were a group of the populace like Muslims and Christian Coptic.
He affirmed that the Jews’ synagogues and their heritage in Egypt should be kept because they live in the country for hundreds of years.
The Jewish synagogue located in El Nabi Danial in the middle of Alexandria.
It is considered one of the oldest and important synagogues in Egypt.
It was built in 1345 and was shelled by the French soldiers during the years of the French campaign in Egypt and Syria from 1799 to 1801 which was led by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon ordered his soldiers to bomb the synagogue to build a rampart for artillery in area between Kum El Dekka and the Mediterranean Sea.
The synagogue was built again in 1850 under direction of the family of Mohamed Ali Pasha according to the Basilica system.
It includes two stories consecrated for prayer, the second one was allotted to women.
The marble altar situated in the eastern side of the building.
Inside the niche, there are a big collection of books of the Old Testament (The Torah) written on parchment and paper.
Those books were kept inside ornamented boxes. Pulpit of oration stands in front of the altar.
The synagogue also contains a big central library, among the contents there 50 old copies of the Torah along with another group of religious books, some of them were printed in the 15th century.
Alexandria was the homeland of a big Jewish community but it disappeared now. Many of the Alexandrine Jews immigrated to Israel after establishing of the Jewish state in 1948.
Number on the Jews in Alexandria was 4 thousand people in the 19th century. The number leapt to 18 thousand people in the first years of the 20th century.
The Jewish community grew to 40 thousand people in 1948.
Contributed by Ahmed Moamar
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