Note Jews in Maadi

I was walking down road 12 trying to find my way back to the main road just looking at all the villa's and gardens that were along the street. Mostly I was just walking and not really paying much attention to where I was going. I turned down a street to notice that there was huge building the divided the road. Tall hedge and trees seemed to hide it. I never saw this building before. I slipped thru the hedge and wandered around the building. It seemed deserted and it was tightly locked up. The shaded walk ways had a light cover of leaves on the ground, which meant that someone came to sweep sometimes. Birds lived there in abundance and their song made the paths peaceful and serene. The windows were too high for me to peer into. When I finished walking around the building I step out between the hedges into the hot sun and looked up at it. There at the top of the building was the Star of David. The building was a synagogue.

When I got home I asked my mother if there were Jews in Egypt. She said that she did not know if they were there any more, but I should take better notice of the names of stores in Maadi. I looked at her and her eyes were dancing in laughter.
"What store?" I wanted to know.
Mom took a piece of paper and wrote the name of the department store that was in the center of Maadi and wrote on it….Benzion. Then she rewrote it for me Ben Zion.
It was there right out in the open....a Jewish department store.

A while later I asked Salem about the synagogue. He said that he did not know who cared for it, but the Jewish cemetery was just past his house.

(Please note that the jewish cemetery was distroyed in the late 80's)