Israel Matzav: Egypt scraps Maimonides synagogue re-dedication

Egypt scraps Maimonides synagogue re-dedication

Egypt scrapped the official government ceremony that had been scheduled for Sunday to re-dedicate the Maimonides synagogue in Cairo. The ostensible reason was Israeli restrictions on Muslim prayer on the Temple Mount over the weekend. The real reason: There was singing and dancing at the Jewish community ceremony last Sunday.

Egypt’s top archeologist canceled today’s official inauguration of a restored Jewish synagogue in Cairo after singing and dancing broke out during a March 7 ceremony organized by the Jewish community.

The acts at the Moses Ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides, synagogue were a “provocation to the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims in Egypt and around the world,” said Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which oversees all monuments in the country, in an e-mailed statement in Arabic. Egypt’s government paid for the restoration, he said.

The decision to scrap the ceremony follows Israeli restrictions on Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem for prayers. Arab governments and Palestinians also condemned Israel’s move last month to put two religious sites in the West Bank on a list of Israeli national heritage sites.

In an English-language version of the sstatement, issued several hours after the original release, Hawass didn’t make any reference to dancing and drinking during the earlier ceremony, blaming only the actions of Israel against the Palestinians. Hawass couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

The reality is that but for Farouk Hosni's candidacy for Secretary General of UNESCO, the synagogue would never have been restored. Hosni lost and lashed out at the Jews, blaming them for his loss. So this behavior by the Egyptians cannot be regarded as surprising.

Israel Matzav: Egypt scraps Maimonides synagogue re-dedication