Egypt Opens Ben Azra Synagogue after Renovation

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center) attends the
inauguration of the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt,
August 31, 2023. (Egyptian Cabinet)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center) attends the inauguration of the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, August 31, 2023. (Egyptian Cabinet)
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Egypt Opens Ben Azra Synagogue after Renovation

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center) attends the
inauguration of the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt,
August 31, 2023. (Egyptian Cabinet)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center) attends the inauguration of the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, August 31, 2023. (Egyptian Cabinet)

Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated on Thursday the Ben Azra Synagogue, one of the oldest Jewish temples in Egypt, according to a cabinet statement.

“The restoration included meticulous architectural revamping as well as solutions to address and mitigate risks to the temple’s ceilings, isolating surfaces using the best insulation methods, cleaning stones, and reconfiguring the site to ensure proper visual appreciation of its historical significance. The temple also saw a complete maintenance of the lighting system, cleansing of copper, iron elements and marble columns, and restoration of the archaeological decorations and library,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa in a statement.

The restoration began in April 2022, according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which indicated at the time that the last restoration of the temple took place in 1991.

“The synagogue is one of the most important and oldest Jewish temples in Egypt, housing numerous valuable books about the customs, traditions, and social life of the Jewish community in Egypt,” the tourism minister explained.

It embraces the “Geniza”, which consists of a collection of books, scrolls, and papers specific to the Egyptian Jewish community, Issa added.

The “Geniza” was discovered in 1890, during a restoration that followed a roof collapse in one of the synagogue’s rooms. Closed from all sides, the roofless room stored books and historic papers for a long time until it was discovered, and the content was transferred to the Cambridge University.

Constructed in the 12th century, the synagogue was named after Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra. The rectangular-shaped building stretches over an area of 3,500 meters. It has decoration-free facades, and Basilica interior design boasting three parallel corridors; the largest of them is in the middle, and includes two platforms known as “The Miracle Atlas” and the “Bimah” for prayers.

On the second floor, there is a prayer balcony for women with two rooms for belongings. Behind the synagogue sets a purification well, and the roof and walls of the building are covered with gypsum, and feature Arabesque architectural decorations.

The libraries of the southwestern hallway include six adjacent closets in one rectangular frame, decorated with ivory, shells, and Hebrew carvings.

The Ben Ezra Synagogue saw several restorations, the largest of which was in 1889. At the time, most of the building was demolished and rebuilt again in the same old Basilica style. In 1982, a 10-year comprehensive restoration project was carried out by the Canadian Center for Architecture mission in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The Ben Ezra Temple is located on Mar Girgis Street, in the Religious Complex, near the Coptic Museum and the Church of Abu Sarga. It was originally a church called Al-Shama'in sold by the Orthodox Church in 882 to the Jewish community.

Recently, Egypt restored several Jewish synagogues and monuments. In 2020, it opened the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria. Dr. Hussein Abdel Basir, director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Egypt has 11 Jewish synagogues, nine in Cairo and two in Alexandria.

On Thursday, the Egyptian Prime Minister attended the opening of several archaeological sites alongside Ben Ezra, including the Babylon Fortress.

Issa explained that the restoration of the Babylon Fortress consisted of the development of its southern part below the Hanging Church, following the first phase of the project, which included cleaning all the external and internal facades of the fort, and the upgrade of the lighting system in various parts.

The minister added that the only remaining parts of the fort's buildings are the front door surrounded by two large towers. The Hanging Church was built over one of the two towers, and the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Melkites) was built over the other.



Swollen Rivers Flood Towns in US South after Dayslong Deluge of Rain

The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Swollen Rivers Flood Towns in US South after Dayslong Deluge of Rain

The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Days of unrelenting heavy rain and storms that killed at least 18 people worsened flooding as some rivers rose to near-record levels and inundated towns across an already saturated US South and parts of the Midwest.

Cities ordered evacuations and rescue crews in inflatable boats checked on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, while utilities shut off power and gas in a region stretching from Texas to Ohio.

“I think everybody was shocked at how quick (the river) actually did come up,” said salon owner Jessica Tuggle, who was watching Monday as murky brown water approached her business in Frankfort, Kentucky, the state capital along the swollen Kentucky River, The AP news reported.

She said that as each new wave of rain arrived over the weekend, anxious residents hoped for a reprieve so they could just figure out how bad things would get and how to prepare. She and friends packed up everything she could haul out of her salon, including styling chairs, hair products and electronics, and they took it all to a nearby tap house up the hill.

“Everybody was just ‘stop raining, stop raining’ so we could get an idea of what the worst situation would be,” she said.

Officials diverted traffic and turned off utilities to businesses in the city as the river was expected to approach a record crest on Monday.

For many, there was a sense of dread that the worst was still to come.

“As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant downtown.

“The rain just won’t stop,” Quire said Sunday. “It’s been nonstop for days and days.”

Storms leaving devastating impact The 18 reported deaths since the storms began on Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm.

The National Weather Service warned Sunday that dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage,” with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.

In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking River. Thirty years ago, the river reached a record 50 feet (15 meters), resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed.

The storms come after the Trump administration cut jobs at NWS forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of about 20%, or double the level of a decade ago.

Why so much nasty weather? Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.

The NWS said 5.06 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) of rain fell Saturday in Jonesboro, Arkansas — making it the wettest day ever recorded in April in the city. Memphis, Tennessee, received 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain from Wednesday to Sunday, the NWS said.

Rives, a northwestern Tennessee town of about 200 people, was almost entirely underwater after the Obion River overflowed.

Domanic Scott went to check on his father in Rives after not hearing from him in a house where water reached the doorstep.

“It’s the first house we’ve ever paid off. The insurance companies around here won’t give flood insurance to anyone who lives in Rives because we’re too close to the river and the levees. So if we lose it, we’re kind of screwed without a house,” Scott said.

In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived over the weekend at a storm shelter near a public school clutching blankets, pillows and other necessities. Just days earlier the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions of dollars in damage.

For some, grabbing the essentials also meant taking a closer look at the liquor cabinet.

In Frankfort, with water rising up to his window sills, resident Bill Jones fled his home in a boat, which he loaded with several boxes of bottles of bourbon.