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■aiHMMBi
Long day!s journey
An American Jew in Cairo
CAPDS/GIFTWRAP/PARTY GOOQ5/INVTTES
b> Brooks Fudenberg
A rifle-toting policeman stands
at each of the tour gates of the syna-
agoeue in Cairo. The main entran
ces are closed, but the police direct
me to the side gate, xxhere another
policeman lets me inside the
courts ard.
1 am immediately welcomed hv a
smiling, toothless man whose bells
g:\e- term to his ssseatshirt. He
greets me with "Shalom." and in
broken English shows me to a
>rnall building which apparently
sers es the synagogue's administra
tis e and storage needs. Inside, a
htty-year-old man in Western bus
iness clothes welcomes me. and
asks ms reason for coming. "Are
sou Jewish' 1 ." he asks, and then.
"Welcome, welcome."
1 eonserse briefly xvith my ness
host. Everything in Cairo is covered
with a thin layer of sand, and the
religious artifacts aging in the
building are no exception.
Before 1948. Cairo had 150.000
Jews; today, there are 80. and this
synagogue. Shaarei Shamayim.
built in 190? to hold an estimated
300 people, is the only one of Cai
ro's fourteen synagogues still serv
ing a> a house o? worship. The
soaring columns and the light
pouring through the stained-glass
windows create a timeless atmos
phere. Ms host describes himself
as the rabbi; American experts tel!
me there is no rabbi in Cairo. At
the ark. ns host shows me Torah
scrolls trom the 1800's. 1 "00's. and
ibOO's. and then the "donation
box." An engras ed sign in the back
wall of the ->y nagogue tells me that.
“It is permissible to tip the syna
gogue attendants."
1 place a few dollars in the box.
and walk away from the ark. I
remember the Passoser service
"When God brought me out of
Egypt." Although it is Saturday
morning, the elegant synagogue is
deserted, except for myself and the
"rabbi.” 1 call out. "Shema Yisrael.
Xdonai Eiohanu,” softly at first,
’her, louder and louder until my
■ oice bounces off the walls, echoes
'rorn the ceiling. The "rabbi" joins
n ' Adonai Ehad ”
1 walk out into sand and winter
heat
That night, at a coffeehouse. 1
meet two young Saudis working
t >T Aramcc Their command of
the English language means I
pend time taiking w itn them,
ne^oming fast friends. Despite its
'e.’.r ctions. Cairo is the "on city
■■ the Arab world, and my new
friends desperately need to go to a
disco. Would 1 come along' 1 W hy.
sure; but, 1 say, "I'm Jewish. Will
that be a problem with the women
there'”’
" 1 t ou mean your religion is Jew
ish.’ One thing y ou will learn is that
people here don't care what some
one's religion is." the Saudis sac
"People here care about tw o things
money and sex."
The disco is at a Western hotel,
but it does not open until 11:30
p.m. My Saudi friends haxe not
shown up yet. so 1 go to the gift
shop. Four Cairenes are watching
"The Defiant Ones." a 1960*s
American movie about two pri
soners. one black and one white,
running from the law. They pull ur
a chair tor me to join them. The
conversation turns to the movie.
W hat are race relations like m the
U.S 1 “Well." 1 say. "it's like Cairo
Some people don’t like Christians.
Some people don't like Moslems
Some people don't like Jew s. Some
don't like blacks."
One of the Egyptians interrupts.
"No’ In Cairo we don't dislike
anyone -except the Jews And::';
not all Jews we dislike —it's the
Israeli Jew>. and the American
Jews, and some others, the ones
w ho w ant to take ex erything. take,
take, take But other—"
I interrupt "Let me show you
something ” 1 pull out my Star of
Daxid. His friends laugh at him.
Their faces say. “Boy. did > ou blow
it " He blushes, and continues
"You are Jewish But you are
no: an Israel; Jew You are from
the United States American Jews
are O K But the Israelis—all tnex
exer do is take We gi-e them
peace, and what do they g-.x e us 1 —
Nothing We cnose Israel oxer the
rest ot the worid — eve- oxer the
other Arab countries B-t the Is
raelis insist on taking Tana Our
Peopte
Power
helps
prevent
birth
defects
Support
March of Dimes
♦
♦
♦
t
i
SHIRLEY BASSEY is coring J*> o
LOLA FALANA is coming July L2
RITA MORENO is coming July 19.
SHECKY GREENE is coming July 26.
And you ?
.yet; Bfp*' s arc :<• :■< -
'JJ-/j'j V/f. YZ " YZ . V-r/X. r *>. ---
SAMMY DAVIS JR -Aug 2
JERRY LEWIS—Aug 9
NELL CARTER-Aug 16
TONY ORLANDO-23
WAYNE NEWTON-Aug 31
>y~,err/y* r ' t
o >€.x • ms ****
- . 3C<3 5--3POMCN S
attitude is. 'You want to make
peace 1 Fine. Gixe us a full peace. If
y ou don't want to gix e a full peace,
then go.' "
1 discuss other topics, then go to
the disco, where one of the clients
insists on buying me a drink. Jaffa
and Ahmed, my Saud. friends,
show up at 12:30—they had been
stopped by the police en route, or
so they say. There are few people m
the disco, and no unattached
women Jatta asks me to dance
with him. "No." I say. “1 am an
American Ir. America, men don’t
dance with men." Jaffa presses the
issue. "Michael Jackson is an
American." Jaffa tries hard to be
hospitable, but with the lack of
women, he and Ahmed soon give
up and head to another disco.
My taxi, which was supposed to
haxe waited for me. has disap
peared into the night. Sand collects
on my skin as 1 stand in the cool
night air. 1 find another taxi on a
dark road and ride past sand-
cox ered buildings back to my hotel.
The au’.hor u a Wmhinzion-based
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