Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo

By Seif Kamel
   Although the Jewish history in Egypt extends to the era of the
Old Testament and the Pharaonic period, only a few Jewish
monuments remained in Egypt until today. Some Egypt travel
packages include visits to various Jewish monuments around the
country.
   Perhaps the most famous Jewish monument in the land of the
Nile is the Ben Ezra Synagogue located in Coptic Cairo, near
downtown in the Egyptian capital.
   The Ben Ezra Synagogue was factually a church that was
established during the 8 th century. However, almost all the
sections of the church were badly damaged by the 11 th century
and the land was sold to Ben Ezra, a Rabbi who originates from
Jerusalem who built this distinctive Synagogue in Cairo.
   The extensive restoration works carried out in the Ben Ezra
Synagogue in 1980s unearthed many several rare manuscripts
and other historically significant documents. Today, many
tourists who travel to Egypt would pay the Ben Ezra Synagogue
a visit.

Egypt link: https://www.righttravel.info/country/egypt-1.html