No Government Officials Attend Funeral for Deputy Head of Egypt's Jewish Community

The Deputy Head of Egypt's minuscule and dwindling Jewish community, Nadia Shehata Haroun, who was also the younger sister of community head Magda Haroun, died late last week and was buried yesterday. A rabbi was flown in from Turkey: the only open synagogue has no rabbi and the Haroun family refused to use one from the Israeli Embassy. Their late father Shehata Haroun was a leftist and a strong critic of Israel.

While the report in the (state-owned) Ahram Online merely notes that "Hundreds gathered at Adly Street Synagogue in downtown Cairo on Tuesday to pay respects," it fails to mention what Egypt Independent does note: "Govt absent in Jewish community vice president funeral."

I previously discussed Egypt's Jewish community last year when the previous President, Carmen Weinstein, died. Note to that while Ahram puts the number remaining at less than a hundred, the other sources estimate it at 20. All are believed to be women now, and worship is not held in the one open synagogue for lack of  a minyan.