The Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת שער השמים, lit. 'Gate of Heaven'; Arabic: كنيس عدلي), also known as Temple Ismailia and the Adly Street Synagogue, is an OrthodoxJewish congregation and synagogue, located at 17 Adly Street in Cairo, Egypt.[2]
History
Its long-time leader was Chief Rabbi Chaim Nahum. In 2008, the synagogue marked its 100th anniversary.[3] The synagogue was built in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples, and was once the largest building on the boulevard.[4]
Work commenced on the synagogue in 1899 and it was inaugurated in 1908,[5] at a time when there was a vibrant Jewish community in Cairo. The last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s.[3][5] Today the community numbers approximately six members, most of them older women.[3][6]
The building houses a collection of a few hundred books, ranging in age from the 1500s to contemporary times, 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.[7]
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.[4]
Ulmer, Rivka (2009). "The Sha'ar Ha-Shamayim Synagogue (Keniset Isma'iliyah,) in Cairo, Egypt". Maven in Blue Jeans: A Festschrift in Honor of Zev Garber. West Lafayette: Shofar Suppl.; Purdue University Press. pp. 431–40.
