CAIRO — The US Embassy in Cairo, in partnership with the American Research Center in Egypt and representatives of American and Egyptian Jewish organizations, on Nov. 20 inaugurated a newly restored historic Jewish cemetery.

The US State Department issued a $150,000 grant to ARCE and partner Drop of Milk Foundation to restore the Karaites and the Bassatine cemetery. A private donation from the Karaite Jews of America provided additional amenities and landscaping for a memorial garden.

The Lichaa and Menasha burial site sits on 120 acres south of the city, and is one of the oldest operational Jewish cemeteries in the world. It holds the remains of many members of the Jewish community that lived in Egypt until the 1950s.

At the inauguration ceremony, US charge d’affaires Daniel Rubinstein stressed the US commitment to preserving the memory of the Jewish community's role in Egyptian history. “The Bassatine cemetery has served Egypt’s Jewish community since its establishment in 1482 by Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbey," he said. "The US government will remain Egypt’s committed partner in the preservation, restoration, and protection of Egypt’s valuable cultural and religious sites.”