Ben Ezra Synagogue
| Ben Ezra Synagogue | |
|---|---|
The former synagogue, now Jewish museum, in 2011 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard, Palestinian minhag |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status |
|
| Status |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Fustat, Old Cairo |
| Country | Egypt |
Location of the former synagogue, now museum, relative to the Nile Delta | |
| Administration | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities |
| Geographic coordinates | 30°00′21″N 31°13′52″E / 30.0058°N 31.2310°E |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | Southeast |
| Length | 17 meters (56 ft) |
| Width | 11.3 meters (37 ft) |
The Ben Ezra Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת בן עזרא; Arabic: معبد بن عزرا), sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת אל גניזה) or the Synagogue of the Levantines (al-Shamiyin), is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found.
It is also known as 'the Synagogue of the Palestinians' or 'of the Jerusalemites'.
Given the small population of Egyptian Jews, the synagogue is no longer active and is largely a tourism site and Jewish museum.
The geniza or store room of the synagogue was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of forgotten, stored-away Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts. The collection of approximately 40,000 items, known as the Cairo Geniza, was brought to the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England at the instigation of Solomon Schechter. It is now divided between several academic libraries, with the majority being kept at the Cambridge University Library.