Synagog Ben Ezra

The synagog Ben Ezra of the Cairo () is oldest of Egypt. It is single by its Christian architecture, its Islamic arabesques, and its Jewish ornaments.

History

The history of this synagog is animated. The legend says that it is at this place that the girl of the Pharaon collected Moïse in her basket. The legend also says that Moise grew in these same places.

Under the reign of the Babylonian king Nabuchodonosor, the Jews returned in the country guided by Jérémie, found the traces of Brace accidentally, and there, very close to the town of Guizeh, they raised a synagog in the name of Jérémiah. Inside this temple a called special place Guenizah was built where the unfinished Torah allotted to Ezra Sopher (Ezra the Scribe), was buried. In the west of the synagog, the Church of Abou Serga is which contains a crypt whose history says that when Hérode, the Roman governor of Jerusalem ordered the execution of all the children of its kingdom, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus fled and sought refuge in this crypt which sheltered them for three months. It is recognized that Joseph being Juif, which it had of more logical to do, was to request asylum from his co-religionists. This fact, and much of others constitute an irrefutable proof of the existence of a Jewish District around the locality of the Old man Cairo, two thousand years ago.

In their works, several historians quote the synagog as located in these trimmings. One of them, Benjamin de Tudèle, from Spain in 1169 reports in its book written in 1170 qu' it visited the Jewish synagog in a place called Vieux Cairo and that there, it discovered the Torah of Ezra the Scribe. Another historian, the famous Italian Jew Jacob of Vittelina, come to Egypt before Benjamin refers to this synagog. A third, Rabi Youssef reports in its work written in 1630 that the original inscription of Sambar at the University of Bodelaine of Oxford contains several references concerning the synagog of Ben Ezra of the Cairo Old man. Among these references, there is a passage raised in the work of the El-Makrizi historian who lived at the 14th century, work entitled Khetat: " During my visit with the synagog of the Cairo Old man, I found southern part the place where several centuries before, the Old Torah of Ezra the Scribe was deposited ". Doctor Solomon Schichter of the University of Columbia, come to Egypt from time from Lord Cromer, supported the preceding reports/ratios about the synagog.

During the invasion of Egypt by the Romans (in 30 before J.C.), the invaders destroyed the synagog of the Jérémie prophet. In the year 641, Amr Ibn Al-Have, the large Arab general, overcame the Romans in Babylon and restored with their owners the goods usurped by the despoiling Romans. Coptes then claimed the ground on which the old synagog of Jérémiah had been built, justifying their complaint by the fact that Jérémie is quoted in New Testament like one their prophets. As they were more numerous than the Jews, they succeeded in convincing Amr Ibn Al-Have and the ground was allocated to them. On this same ground, Coptes then built a church which the El-Makrizi historian calls in his work the Church of the Ange Gabriel. As for the other historians, they refer to it by calling it Église of Saint Michel. Doctor Richard Gotheil of the University of Columbia and professor William Worell of the University of Michigan, in their work “Cairo” report that the Church was destroyed by the caliph fatimide El-Hakim Bi Amr-Ellah.

In 868, Ahmed Ebn Touloun, governor of Egypt, imposed on Coptes an annual tribute of 20 000 dinars out of gold.

In the year 1115, the chief rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra came from Jerusalem to Egypt and went on the spot where, quite front him, Moïse and Jérémie had made their devotions. He addressed himself then to the notable ones, informed them of what he knew of the synagog and asserted the right of possession of the ground. Then it intervened with Its Eminence the Alexandre patriarch the 56e and says to him that the synagog was to be restored with the Jews. The patriarch answered whereas the governor would claim the annual tribute of 20 000 dinars. Lastly, it was agreed that the synagog would be restored with the Jews as long as the tribute would be versed. Ben Ezra rebuilds the synagog which still bears its name.

Guenizah

The Gueniza H, warehouse of texts, whose old books of Torah, carrying one of the seven Names of God whom one cannot erase, of the synagog Ben Ezra was visited for the first time by the Hakham Karaïte Abraham Firkovich.
En 1894, the Rabbi conservative and American historian Solomon Schechter, paid one second visit of Guenizah. It updated 100000 fragments and specimens of different dates, of which:

the manuscript of Ben Ezra,
the marriage contract of Avraham Maïmonide,
of the Talmud S and Mishné handwritten Torah,
the Atlas of Brace called the Miraculous Rock or the Tomb of Jérémie
an old book of the Torah, written on skin of gazelle into 457 before the common era.
a board out of engraved wooden reporting the impressions of Amr Ibn Al-Have at the time of her visit
a drawing of the traditional candlestick with seven branches on skin of stag according to the opinion of Maïmonide Brace. Indeed, whereas the menorah is traditionally represented with bent branches, like on the Arch of Titus, Rambam estimated that its branches had actually been right.

With a special permit of the Congregation Jew, Professor Schechter carried some fragments in America, which were dispersed between the University of Columbia, Jewish Theologic Seminary of New York, British Museum, the University of Bodelaine and various places in Austria and in Turin.

In addition to Guenizah, the synagog of Ben Ezra offers to the visitors a ceiling in style arabesque of approximately 1115 of the common era, a Mikvé old 900 years and some houses built by the community Jew with the profit of the Jewish families in the need.

See too

the Guenizah of Cairo
the Large Synagog of Cairo

Random links: