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The Keneseth Eliyahu Synagogue
Mumbai (Bombay), India
The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is celebrating its 125th anniversary, where the President of India, the Governor of
Maharashtra and the Ambassador of Israel to India have been invited to attend, among
other dignitaries. This shows the resilience of the Jewish community in Mumbai in light of the recent tragedies there.
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The Hacham, Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe has been invited to speak there on March 15, '09. The celebration will include a program a few days later at the Maghen David Synagogue in the Byculla area of Mumbai. |
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Click here for the invitation
to the event from the Chairman,
Mr. Solomon Sopher.
The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue
David Sassoon's grandson, Jacob Sassoon, built the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in the Fort area of Bombay in 1884, in memory of his father Eliyahoo Sassoon (founder of E. D. Sassoon and Company). Here land was at a high premium and the synagogue is set in a busy built-up area. The structure is outstanding, stone below and brick above. The interior is beautiful, with decorated pillars, the "tebah" and a fine "hekhal" flanked by carved marble and surmounted by a magnificent stained glass arch rising to the high ceiling. This is particularly beautiful in the light of the afternoon sun shining through the stained glass, as the "hekhal" faces west, Bombay being east of Jerusalem. The many sifrei torah, as in the other synagogues, made a grand display on Kol Nidre and Simhath Torah, with the Sassoon family sefarim cased in silver. Very few remain, as many were sent to Israel's new settlements with the establishment of the state. As in the other synagogues, Keneseth Eliyahoo has a spacious women's gallery. It also has a mikvah and rooms provided on the ground floor for an elementary school and other community activities.
The synagogue was filled to capacity during the High Holidays, particularly with the influx from Bukhara, Persia, and then numbers from Iraq after the Farhud in 1941. Additional services were then held for the Iraqi community in the neighbouring Cawasjee Jehangir Public Hall for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Magen David Synagogue
This synagogue was built by David Sassoon in 1861 in Byculla, where the family first lived. This was then the best location in Bombay before other areas were developed. The large synagogue was set in extensive grounds which were to prove very valuable. Built in the spacious style of Victorian architecture, it was fronted by pillars and a clock tower. The interior was in the style of the Baghdad synagogue, with the " tebah" for the hazan and the "hekhal" for the sifrei torah, and a spacious ladies' gallery. The prayers were conducted in the Baghdad "nosah". David Sassoon also built an elementary school to one side in the same large compund to provide an education for the community's children in Torah and proper behavior. This was later expanded into a high school by his grandson Jacob Sassoon, and renamed "The Sir Jacob Sassoon Free High School". The synagogue and school grounds became in effect a community center for the Jewish community of Byculla, where young and old would meet together in the evenings.
While very few Baghdadis now remain in Bombay and Poona, the synagogue buildings are well maintained and services continue to be held with minyanim composed of Baghdadis and the Bene-Israel community as well as the many foreigners who come their for business.
Articles on Synagogues by Rachel Manasseh.
Synagogue photgraphs: Sara Manasseh.
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