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Old Jewish Quarter (Haret el Yahud)

Description

History

Haret el-Yahud Street was the main thoroughfare in the Jewish Quarter of Cairo up until the expulsion of the Jewish population under Nasser [2]. The Jewish community had inhabited this area since at least the twelfth century, when 90% of the residents were Jewish [1]. One famous resident was Maimonides, the renowned philosopher and scholar who lived in Egypt during the late 12th century after his expulsion from Spain and rose to become the leader of this community [1]. A synagogue was built to honor him in the 19th century on the site of where he once taught [3]. Alongside the Spanish temples, there were once synagogues to serve the Karaite, Iraqi and Tunisian populations, as well as the native Egyptian community [1].
However, Haret el-Yahud was not a center of religious life, but of residential and commercial life as well. Many middle and lower class families lived in the labyrinth of streets that spread out, making up the Jewish Quarter [2], including the family of Daoud Hosni, a famous 20th century Egyptian musician and composer of Karaite Jewish descent [4].
Haret el-Yahud was also known for its jewelry makers, many of whom were Jewish [5]. Businesses selling gold and silver work had been in families for generations, only to be left in the hands of assistants and sold off after the exile of Egyptian Jews [2].

Haret el-Yahud today

Today, this Haret el-Yahud has been turned into what resembles more of a Chinatown than a place with significant Jewish heritage [2]. Many of the old Jewish jewelry stores and other businesses have been transformed into Chinese electronics stores [2].
Some residents still remember what the neighborhood used to be, talking about Jewish friends and neighbors who had disappeared over 50 years ago. They also recall an elderly Jewish woman named Marika, who stayed in Haret al-Yahud even after all her friends, relatives and neighbors had fled, but had died around ten years ago [2]. Other residents and store owners remember elderly Jewish people who had been relocated to Jewish nursing homes [2].
Besides the memories of the longtime inhabitants of the neighborhood, the only reminder of this once vibrant Jewish community are the synagogues. While Haret al-Yahud once was home to many temples today only a few remain [1].
The most prominent of these is the Maimonides Synagogue, located at the very end of the quarter. In 2008, the Egyptian government undertook a renovation of the synagogue whose cost is estimated between $1.5 million and $2 million [6]. The synagogue was restored carefully based on 19th century photographs, working on everything from reinforcing the ceiling with steel beams to building a new ark for the Torah [6]. A video of the restored synagogue can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNYG0ozwORM.
The other remaining synagogues are in much worse shape, including a Karaite synagogue whose existence has been nearly forgotten [1], as well as a synagogue whose existence is only marked by a red brick wall. A vendor who sells toys near it said, “This is all that is left. We know that behind the brick wall is a synagogue but it has no entry gates” [2]. No one seemed to remember this synagogue’s name, nor the people who worshipped there.

Cairo, Egypt

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