Deputy leader of Egypt’s Jewish community buried

Nadia Haroun’s funeral attended by handful of Jews and several Egyptian public figures

By AP 11 March 2014, 7:34 pm

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Egyptians carry the coffin of Nadia Haroun, the deputy head of the dwindling Jewish community, outside the Jewish synagogue, Shaar Hashamayim in Cairo, Egypt, March 11, 2014 (photo credit: AP/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO — The deputy head of Egypt’s dwindling Jewish community has been buried.

Nadia Haroun, lawyer and architect, was 59.

Haroun’s sister Magda, leader of the community, led the ceremony in Cairo’s downtown Gates of Heaven Synagogue Tuesday. It was attended by a handful of the remaining members of the aging community along with several Egyptian public figures.

Longtime friend Nevin Amin said Haroun died Thursday of a heart attack. She is survived by a son and daughter.

Most of Egypt’s once-thriving Jewish community left more than 60 years ago. Today, fewer than 40 remain.

Haroun was a daughter of prominent politician Chehata Haroun, known for his anti-Zionist politics. He defended Egyptian Jews against accusations that they had more loyalty to Israel than Egypt, at the peak of the Mideast wars.