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The history of the Jews in Singapore dates back to the 19th century. Jews are currently a significant minority population in the country. Singaporean Jews or Jewish Singaporeans are citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. Uniquely, Singapore is the only remaining country in the region to have indigenous Jews. [1]
The first wave of Jewish immigration to Singapore were Jews of Baghdadi origin. The migration of Baghdadi trade diaspora occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries and was at its peak in 1817 due to the rule of Ottoman governor Dawud Pasha of Baghdad, who persecuted Jews during his 15-year rule. The first Jews to live in Singapore were the Baghdadi traders who were trading between the then-British ports of Calcutta and Singapore. [2] These settlers spoke Arabic and after arriving in Singapore, adopted the Malay language, then the main language used in Singapore. Approximately 180 descendants of these Jews still exist, which the Rabbi of Singapore, Rabbi Mordechai Abergel, described as the only remaining indigenous Jews of Asia. [1]
In 1841, three Jews, Joseph Dwek Cohen, Nassim Joseph Ezra and Ezra Ezekiel were given a land lease to build a synagogue in a small shop house at Boat Quay. The synagogue was the inspiration of the name of Synagogue Street. [3]
Synagogue Street was in the first Jewish quarter in Singapore, bordered by Wilkie Road, Mount Sophia Road, Bras Basah Road and Middle Road, which the Jewish called "mahallah" (meaning ‘place’ in Arabic), and was the gathering place for the Jewish community in Singapore. [3] The local Jewish community also had a minhag that allowed for travelling to synagogue on Shabbat via rickshaw. [4]
When Manasseh Meyer returned to Singapore in 1873, he found the synagogue in Synagogue Street in a deplorable state and set about planning a new one for the Jewish community. Jewish community leaders sold off the old synagogue to the government and bought new land for a new synagogue along Waterloo Street, then called Church Street because of the presence of the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul nearby. The Jewish community soon began moving into the surrounding areas of Dhoby Ghaut, Waterloo Street, Prinsep Street, Selegie Road and Wilkie Road. Today, several Jewish buildings still exist in the area.
Construction of Maghain Aboth Synagogue, began soon after the community was given the land, and was completed in 1878. A well was sunk for use as a mikvah (ritual bath). The consecration service was held on 4 April 1878 and conducted by either Lucunas or I.J. Hayeem or both men. In 1924, extensions were made to the building.
Over the years, as Jewish immigration to Singapore increased, the Maghain Aboth Synagogue began to become overcrowded during services. Because of friction between the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities over how the services should be carried out, Sir Manasseh Meyer decided to build a new synagogue which was completed in 1905, the Chesed-El Synagogue.
By 1931, the population had grown to 832, according to a census record that the 832 Jews and larger number of Arab residents were the largest house property owners in the city. [5]
By 1942, the same year Japanese occupation of Singapore started, the Jewish population had grown to a high of 1,500. During the occupation, many Jewish settlers were taken to POW camps located at Changi Prison and Sime Road. In the camp, the Jewish settlers were allowed to keep a kosher kitchen. [6]
After World War II ended, there was an exodus of Jews to Israel and Western countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As a result, the community dropped to approximately 450 in 1968, [7] even falling as low as 180 sometime in the 1960s. [6]
From the late 1980s, the Jewish community started growing due to increased economic development and a large Ashkenazi immigration rate to Singapore and as of 2015, the community had grown to a historic high of 10,456.[ citation needed ]
As of 2015, there are 10,456 Jews in Singapore. Approximately 180 descendants of the "first wave" Jews, who are mostly orthodox and began arriving almost 200 years ago, still exist, which the Rabbi of Singapore, Rabbi Mordechai Abergel, described as the only remaining indigenous Jews of Southeast Asia. [6]
One of the most well-known Jews in the history of Singapore was David Marshall (1908–1995). He was the first chief minister of Singapore in 1955, serving for 14 months while being leader of the Labour Front. He also led the first Merdeka Talks to London in hopes of gaining independence from the British but resigned after failing. Following his resignation, in 1957, he founded the Workers Party of Singapore, which is currently Singapore's second largest political party.
In his later life, he served as Singapore's ambassador to France, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal. He died in 1995 of lung cancer. [8]
Sir Manasseh Meyer (1843–1930) was a British businessman and philanthropist who was a benefactor to the Jewish community in Singapore. He was the Jewish community's most generous benefactor, being responsible for the setting up of its two synagogues — Maghain Aboth Synagogue and Chesed-El Synagogue. Chesed-El was built for the use of his family and others.
Together with three other wealthy Jews, Meyer bought a large piece of land in Moulmein Road for $5,407.12 for the Jewish Cemetery. Meyer also bought the adjoining piece of land for $8,681.40 and, after reserving a plot for himself and his second wife, Rebecca, presented it to the community. His wife Rebecca died in 1915.
In 1928, he donated $150,000 to the University of Malaya in Singapore (now the National University of Singapore), to build its science building, which has become a Singaporean national monument. Britain's King George V knighted him in 1929 after he donated $20,000 to the British military effort in World War I. Meyer Road in Singapore is named after him. [9]
Frank Benjamin is a merchant who founded retailing company F J Benjamin in 1959. In 1975, he opened Singapore's first single-brand store, Lanvin, in the Grand Hyatt hotel. [9]
Jacob Ballas (1921–2000) was a Jewish stockbroker and philanthropist born in Iraq. He was the inaugural chairman of the Malayan Stock Exchange, from 1962 to 1964, and later the Malaysia and Singapore Stock Exchange from 1964 to 1967, growing the paid-up capital of the bourses from about $870 million to $2 billion. [9] [10] Unmarried, his estate was said to be worth more than S$100 million and was divided between charities in Singapore and Israel. [10] His philanthropy in Singapore is marked by the Jacob Ballas Centre. [11]
Joseph Grimberg (8 April 1933 – 17 August 2017) was a prominent lawyer and former Supreme Court judge.
Harry Elias (4 May 1937 – 26 August 2020) was the founder of the law firm Harry Elias Partnership LLP and one of Singapore's top lawyers. [6] In 1985, he set up the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, in which lawyers defend for free those poor and accused of non-capital crimes. As of 2015, the scheme has grown to serve up to 6,000 people annually. [9] [12]
Maghain Aboth Synagogue is a synagogue located at Waterloo Street in the Rochor Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. The synagogue was constructed by 1878 and is the oldest Jewish synagogue in Southeast Asia. [13]
The synagogue is open throughout the year and is the primary synagogue of the Jewish community in Singapore, and is where many Jewish events and celebrations like Yom Kippur take place. [14]
On 27 February 1998, the synagogue was gazetted as a national monument of Singapore.
Chesed-El Synagogue is a synagogue at Oxley Rise in the River Valley Planning Area, within the Central Area of Singapore. Named Chesed-El, which means "Grace of God", the synagogue was completed in 1905 and is the second synagogue in Singapore.
The Chesed-El Synagogue was gazetted as a national monument on 18 December 1998.
The United Hebrew Congregation (UHC Singapore) was formed in 1993. It is Singapore's only Reform Jewish community and the latest addition to Jewish life in Singapore's modern history. [15] In 2016 it boasted a membership of over 400 Jews and their families, served by its resident Rabbi Nathan Alfred. Despite its membership size, the UHC operates as a synagogue without walls – services and events are held at various sites around the city. As of 2014, the UHC supports a weekly Jewish Religious School. The UHC and its members are dedicated to the Reform Jewish notion of Tikkun Olam, and have been engaged in various local and global fundraising and community service efforts. [16]
The Sir Manasseh Meyer International School (SMMIS) is Singapore's only Jewish international school, for students aged 18 months to 16 years. Admitting students of all nationalities and faiths, students choose to follow Jewish Education in Hebrew or World Religions in English. [17]
The school was founded in 1996 by Mrs Simcha Abergel as a nursery for young children, named "Ganenu Learning Centre". The school was later renamed to its current name in 2008, while on its 170 student capacity campus in Belvedere Close, off Tanglin Road.
In 2016, the school's new SGD$40 million campus in Jalan Ulu Sembawang opened, with a student capacity of 500 and facilities like a rooftop swimming pool, football field and 450 seater auditorium. [1]
The history of the Jews in India dates back to antiquity. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the Indian subcontinent in recorded history. Desi Jews are a small religious minority who have lived in the region since ancient times. They were able to survive for centuries despite persecution by Portuguese colonizers and nonnative antisemitic inquisitions.
The Ohel Leah Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at the junction of Robinson Road and Castle Road, in the Mid Levels on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.
Baghdadi Jews or Iraqi Jews are historic terms for the former communities of Jewish migrants and their descendants from Baghdad and elsewhere in the Middle East. They settled primarily in the ports and along the trade routes around the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
The Maghain Aboth Synagogue is an Hasidic Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 24/26 Waterloo Street in Rochor, within the Central Area of Singapore. Constructed in 1878, it is the oldest and largest Jewish synagogue in Southeast Asia and the second largest in Asia itself, outside of Israel.
River Valley is a planning area located within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. The planning area shares boundaries with Orchard in the north, Museum in the east, Tanglin in the west, and Singapore River in the south.
The Chesed-El Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Oxley Rise, in River Valley, within the Central Area of Singapore. The synagogue was constructed in 1905 and in 1998 it was designated as a national monument of Singapore.
Sir Manasseh Meyer was an Iraqi-born businessman, philanthropist and activist who was both a leader and benefactor of the Jewish community in Singapore.
Waterloo Street is a two-way street in downtown Singapore stretching from Rochor Road to Bras Basah Road. It passes through the planning areas of Rochor and Museum Planning Area.
Malaysian Jews are Jews living in Malaysia, whether immigrants or those originally from the country. The state of Penang was once home to a Jewish community, until the latter part of the 1970s, by which time most had emigrated due to growing state-sanctioned antisemitism. Indications of the growing racial and religious hostility in the nation in response to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has caused many Malaysian Jews to leave or flee the country. The Malaysian Jewish community consists of Jews of Sephardic origin who live discreetly amongst the Kristang people (Malacca-Portuguese), Mizrahi Jews, Malabar Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews.
Jews were among the first settlers after Hong Kong became a British colony in 1841. The first Jews arrived in Hong Kong from various parts of the British Empire as merchants and colonial officials. Among the first wave, the Baghdadi Jews stood out especially, including representatives of the influential families of Sassoon and Kadoorie. The construction of the Ohel Leah Synagogue in 1901 marked the beginning of a fully fledged religious life for the city's local Jews.
The history of Jews in Myanmar,, begins primarily in the mid-19th century, when hundreds of Jews immigrated from Iraq during the British colonial period. Cochin Jews came from India and both groups were part of the development of the British Empire, becoming allied with the British in Burma. At its height in 1940 the community of Jews in the country stood at 2,500 members.
Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, commonly called the Fairmount Temple, was a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 23737 Fairmount Boulevard, in Beachwood, Ohio, in the United States. The congregation was the oldest Jewish congregation in the Cleveland area through mid-2024. The congregation's membership exceeded 2,000 families in the mid-1990s.
The history of the Jews in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, in India, began in the late eighteenth century when adventurous Baghdadi Jewish merchants originally from Aleppo and Baghdad chose to establish themselves permanently in the emerging capital of the British Raj. The community they founded became the hub of the Judeo-Arabic-speaking Baghdadi Jewish trading diaspora in Asia.
The Ohel Rachel Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 500 North Shaanxi Road, in the Jing'an District of Shanghai, China. Built by Sir Jacob Elias Sassoon in memory of his wife Rachel, it was completed in 1920 and consecrated in 1921. Ohel Rachel is the largest synagogue in the Far East, and one of the only two still standing in Shanghai. The congregation worships in the Sephardic rite.
The Beth El Synagogue was an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Shanghai, China.
Ezekiel Saleh Manasseh was a Singaporean rice and opium merchant and hotelier of Iraqi-Jewish descent, who co-founded Singapore's Goodwood Park Hotel with his brothers Morris and Ellis. During the Japanese occupation, Manasseh was sent to Changi Prison where he died in 1944. Eden Hall was built as his home in 1904, and is now the official residence of the British High Commissioner in Singapore.
The Maghain Aboth Synagogue attack plot was a plan by 20-year old Amirull Ali, a member of the Singapore Armed Forces, to stab three members of the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in retaliation for the role of Israel and Jews in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Ali also planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Joseph Aaron Elias was a businessman and a member of the Municipal Commission of Singapore.
Meyer Road is a primary access street in Katong, Singapore. Named in 1921 after Sir Manasseh Meyer, it stretches from Tanjong Rhu Road to Tanjong Katong Road at a length of 1.4km. It is connected to many prominent past and present landmarks such as Katong Park and formerly the Crescent Flats and Meyer Flats as well as Katong Park Hotel. It is nicknamed "the Little India of East Coast" due to the large number of Indian residents living there.