What reopening the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue means for Egypt
There are hardly enough Jews in Alexandria to form a quorum to hold prayers, making the renovation and reopening of the oldest synagogue in Egypt all the more meaningful to the country's Jewish community.
Alexandria’s Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Egypt, symbolizes a time when the city had a lively and diverse community of Jews, Christians and Muslims. A stone’s throw from a church and a mosque, the synagogue reopened earlier this month after undergoing preservation and renovation.
Today the coastal city's Jewish population numbers no more than a dozen, a far cry from the 40,000 around the time of World War II. Egypt’s minuscule Jewish community, estimated by some to number around 20, welcomed the reopening of the synagogue with joy.
A few steps from the synagogue’s beautifully carved marble stairs, Magda Haroun, head of the Jewish community in Egypt, stood at the entrance to the building, taking in the restorations. She rejoiced at the “revival of the important legacy of Judaism in Egypt, after years of neglect.”
“Despite the fact that there are currently few Jews in Egypt, the synagogue will constitute an important temple open to all visitors and mark the history of Alexandria’s Jews,” Haroun told Al-Monitor. “I hope [Egyptian] synagogues will soon be open to everyone, and I hope they will remain places to nourish the mind and soul. We can use them to host classical music concerts or hold cultural debates, as they will not be visited for worship,” she said. Eliyahu Hanavi can easily accommodate 700 people.
