On Sunday morning, an unidentified man flung a suitcase loaded with an explosive device at the Shaare Shamayim Synagogue in downtown Cairo.
In a city whose streets are flooded with books praising Adolf Hitler, authenticating the Learned Elders of Zion, and demonizing the apparent Jewish control of the global financial system, such an attack only follows a long trend of brutal anti-Semitism.
In front of the synagogue, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, rests a worn-out, dusty military pickup truck protected from the sun by a sagging dark green tent. Two armed guards sit in the front, while three others relax in the back, chain-smoking cigarettes, sipping coffee and reading their personal, frail Quran.
A black and white steel barrier separates the front of the synagogue from the street, where police officers take turns pacing back and forth, preventing cars from parking in front of the old, graying synagogue.
I visited the synagogue during my five-month stay in Cairo almost two years ago, a period when it was undergoing a much-needed renovation. Not knowing it even existed, when I saw it I quickly dropped my bag, reached for my camera and took a single photo.
As if I was stealing state secrets, two police officers sprinted toward me from across the street to yell at me. I pretended to delete the photo and turned away. To this day I am not entirely sure what set them off.
Egypt, the first Arab country to recognize Israel, is home to less than one hundred Jews today. This is compared to the 75,000 Jews that lived in the country in 1948. The Jews living in Egypt today are almost entirely elderly, employees of foreign embassies or foreign university students. In addition to a handful of Jewish tourists, when the synagogue opens its doors during major holidays, this small group comprises the congregation, surrounded of course by an army of police that on holidays expands for blocks around the decaying synagogue.
Despite its diplomatic peace treaty with Israel, anti-Semitism remains rife in Egypt. While the government has made peace, the people largely have not as affirmed once again by this most recent attack.
Luckily, no one was injured in the attack. While police are present to thwart attacks, they are merely the last measure. To truly prevent anti-Semitic attacks, anti-Semitism must be combated at a much earlier stage, not as the bomb is being thrown. Until Egypt reflects on why anti-Semitism damages its own interests, I am scared to say that anti-Semitism will only continue.
