Historically, there has been a Jewish community in Old Cairo since the time of Moses. The basilica-style temple of Ben Ezra Synagogue, is one of the few remaining synagogues in Egypt.

Late in the 1800s, a hoard of ancient manuscripts, known as the Geniza Documents, were found on the site. (A Geniza is a place in a synagogue in to which obsolete paperwork is discarded.) There were about 250,000 documents found including an ancient Torah, portions of which are now owned by various institutions in Europe and America.

Documents still on site include a copy of the Torah. dating to the 5th century B.C.. written on gazelle skin, a drawing of a seven-branched candlestick on dear skin, and the manuscript known as the Atlas of Moses. On November 25,1997, the Jewish Heritage Library, contained within Ben Ezra was inaugurated.