A Visit to the Maimonides SynagogueI have not heard this claim about the Maimonides Synagogue before (and I usually hear about these things). In April of 2005 I did note an article in Egypt Election Daily News which discussed, inter alia, the Maimonides Synagogue and which claimed that most of the Egyptian synagogues were in disrepair, some direly so.
13/11/2009
By Dr. Zahi Hawass
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- There is a ridiculous story being circulated by malicious and biased media organs that claim that a group of Jews had informed UNESCO that the floor of the Maimonides synagogue in the ancient Al-Jamaliyah district of Old Cairo is covered with garbage.
This group of Jews falsely claimed that Egypt does not look after its Jewish artifacts, and said that work to restore the Jewish synagogues had only begun in order to strengthen the position of Arab candidate Farouk Hosny with regards to being appointed head of UNESCO. Of course this campaign itself was only launched for ulterior motives prior the recent UNESCO elections.
On account my of position [as head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities], I had no choice but to visit the Maimonides synagogue with members of the press and news reporters in order to show the reality of what was taking place inside the synagogue. ...
Dr. Hawass's article is worth reading in full, but here are a couple more excerpts:
The undisputable truth is that all Jewish historical monuments, including synagogues and historical sites are part of Egypt's larger history. Any attempt to destroy or abuse this heritage would be nothing more than an attempt to remove part of Egypt's history. Any country which attempts to forget or ignore its own history is committing a crime against its future generations, and will unmistakably face a number of historical problems that cannot be solved other than by reviving the history that has deliberately been excluded.I am pleased to hear Dr. Hawass's very constructive view on this matter (especially in light of some of his other recent comments) and also to learn more about the Egyptian synagogue restoration project. More on the latter here.
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There are 9 registered synagogues in Cairo, along with a Jewish cemetery in the Al-Bassatin district. These ancient Jewish sites are preserved by the Council of Antiquities, in addition to a synagogue located in the city of Alexandria. These 10 Jewish temples have been part of an integrated restoration project since 2002. The restoration process is always preceded by scientific studies and research carried out by consultant engineers and researchers. These studies take around 2 years to be completed during which a comprehensive study on the site's soil topography is taken, along with groundwater analysis and other tests. Following this, the restoration process begins, although depending upon the condition of the site in question, this may take years to complete.
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