Astonished!!! I was too when I found out.
Despite being born and brought up in Calcutta (this name is an age-old habit which I find extremely hard to “fix”), I have never been around to explore the city like I would have loved to. So, whenever I visit, I try to make the most of it and head out to explore. Although I came across these establishments of Baghdadi Jews before, it wasn’t until January 2023 that I finally was able to visit all three of the synagogues.
Right in the middle of the bustling city, these buildings stand tall, but remain obscure because of construction and encroachment around so I wouldn’t be surprised if the resident Bengalis are not aware of these hidden pieces of Calcutta history.
Shrouded by the cacophony of a busy market, lies the “place of worship” of Baghdadi Jews who came to the “City of Joy” from present-day Iraq and Syria in the late eighteenth century. The population that was once in thousands has been reduced over the years and remains at a dwindling low of 20 or even less now. Despite this paltry number, there are three “synagogues” that cater to the continuity of their religious practice.
• The Magen David – official records consider this the largest synagogue in Asia!
• The Neveh Shalome – the oldest synagogue in Calcutta
• The Beth El – Iraqi synagogue where the menorah motifs which is the candelabra for the Jews, and the stars of David adorn the exterior and stained glass-window throws beautiful light across the synagogue floor.
To an outsider like me, knowing the fact that all these synagogues are under the care and supervision of Muslim caretakers has been intriguing. While I tried the grasp the reason behind it, I was explained by one of the caretakers that this has been ongoing since generations and literally their entire family is employed in all the three synagogues and are treated no different than family by the founder’s descendants. To many it might seem outrageous as Muslims and Jews are thought to be opposed to each other’s ideologies. But what remains not widely known is that, the Baghdadi Jews who shifted from several countries of Middle East, spoke Arabic, wrote it in the Hebrew script and remain well versed and at ease with Muslim culture, familiar with its customs and traditions.
A Little History on Baghdadi Jew of Calcutta
The first Jew to come to Calcutta was Shalom Obadia Cohen who visited from Aleppo Syria for trade. Known as Iraqi Jews since they followed the liturgy of Baghdad, landed in Calcutta in the 1790s and sought a praying space for which a hall was rented from an Armenian. Eventually a house was bought that was later to become what is known as Neveh Shalome in 1826. This house was later demolished to pave the path for the spectacular Magen David. Neveh Shalome was rebuilt in-line with the interiors of the old synagogue which was typically Middle Eastern with a few Western architectural flourishes.
As the Jewish community started expanding a larger synagogue was built by Joseph Ezra and Ezekiel Judah in 1855-56 which came to be known as Beth El. With fine touches of Western influence on the interiors it included a large blue, white and red flowered patterned stained-glass window above the entrance.
Magen David, which is the largest of all the three synagogues, was built by Sir David Ezra in 1884 in memory of his father. Although it was designed by a Christian the architectural style resembles the Italian Renaissance depicted by the elevated ceilings, pinkish-hued Mirzapur stone pillars adorned with pediments imported from London, captivate the eye.
As I remained amazed at the magnanimity of the structures and the intricate artwork on the exterior and the interior of the synagogues, the caretakers, each of whom have been taking care of the synagogue since decades were courteous enough to explain the rituals that are followed there.
Standard Structure of Synagogues
Despite migrating from a Middle Eastern country, the Baghdadi Jews were overtaken by the desire to adapt to the British or European style of living. And soon the Arabic influence of Judeo Arabic community was replaced by the influence of European culture and turned into Judeo European community.
The influence is also visible in their architecture wherein Jews of Calcutta wanted to include a steeple to their synagogue which is not a part of the actual synagogues’ architecture. But only after securing approval from the rather learned Rabbi of Baghdad, a steeple was added to Maghen David synagogue.
• Bimah - Centre place where the priest reads from the Toran
• Hebrew Lettering on The Ark – “Know Who It Is Before Whom You Stand”
• Minorah’s Ten commandments
• Aron HaKodsh – The Holy Ark that contains the Torah scrolls
• The Menorah - multibranched candelabra
• Star of David
• The Eternal Light
• Shabbath Lamp
• The benches are placed in the shape of a “U” since each section was for a family.
• Parokhet – The curtains that separate the spiritual from the material world which is the central feature of the Jewish religion.
• Pillared colonnade and the wrought iron balcony are a feature common to all the three synagogues.
• Men are women are not allowed to sit together in a synagogue and so the ground floor was dedicated to the men and boys while the ladies’ gallery upstairs is where the ladies and children would sit. This is prevalent even today.
• In Maghen David the cypress overlooks the old synagogue and there are Kabalic signs and mystical texts. Corinthian columns stand tall, supporting the balcony with wrought iron structures that are embossed in gold. From the balcony you can see the pattern tiles that are called Spanish Sephardic.
• There are 100 silver torahs which were written in Baghdad by scribes. If you made one mistake in the five books of Moses then it was not Kosher. These books are encased in wood, covered in silver. Most synagogues have a few but the ones in Calcutta had over 100!
Jewish Establishments In Kolkata
• Nahoum & Sons at New Market
• Jewish Girl’s School at Park Street
• Jewish cemetery at Narkeldanga
Jewish Festivals
• Sukkot – Festival of Thanksgiving
• Passover – Festival of Freedom
• Hanukah - Festival of Lights
• Shabuot - Festival of Weeks
Jewish Delicacies
Any food that fits the dietary restrictions followed in Judaism is described as Kosher. These rules are called kashrut. The guidelines encompass the selection of foods, their proper handling and cooking techniques, as well as the appropriate ways to combine them.
“Kosher” in Hebrew, means fit or proper. Any food fit for consumption by Jews is considered Kosher.
The laws divide foods into three categories:
• Meat, or fleishig: everything made from meat and poultry.
• Dairy, or milching: milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt.
• Pareve: any foods that are neither meat nor dairy, including fish, eggs, and plant-based foods.
Foods to avoid:
Apart from the rule that meat and dairy should be stored separately, there are certain food items that are not permitted by Kosher law.
Sea animals which do not have fins and scales, such as shrimp, lobster, crab, and oysters.
Meat or meat products containing containing meat from from pigs, rabbits, squirrels, camels, kangaroos, and horses.
Animal hindquarters which include sirloin, flank, short loin, shank, and round.
Scavenger birds such as eagles, owls, hawks, and gulls are not kosher.
Insects so it is essential that the fruits and vegetables be inspected and washed thoroughly consumption.
Some of the lip-smacking dishes are:
• Malfouf – the Middle-East cabbage delicacy
• Aloo makallah
• Baklava
• Makhbooz – almond samaboosas (crushed almonds, rosewater and sugar inside a thin filo dough)
• Pistachio mulfoof – a thin pastry with crushed pistachios inside
• Luzinas – confections made from nuts, sugar, fruit and vegetables including pumpkin and quince
• Jibben – a Jewish plaited, salted cheese
• Kulichas – a cake made from semolina, oil, sugar and eggs with a sprinkling of black poppy seeds
• Date babas – pastry filled with mashed dates and sugar
• Kakas – crisp bagel like rings of salt pastry, cheese and almond samboosas
• Sumsum – sugar candy encrusted with sesame seats
• Halva rashi – halva made from till seeds
• Hilbe – a green viscous chutney made from fenugreek (methi seeds)
• Zalata – a cucumber salad with mint and vinegar
• Mahashas – whole vegetables stuffed with chicken and mint flavoured rice.
What to remember when you head to the synagogues in Kolkata
• This is the only synagogue in India which allows non-Jews so be respectful.
• Carry your ID proof while heading. They are extremely strict and without proper identification proof they will not allow you.
• It remains closed for prayers on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Also, lunch hour is between 1 pm to 2:30 when the door remains closed. I stood outside the gates for close to 45 minutes. Making a puppy-face also doesn’t work!!
• In Neveh Shalome, the caretaker named Masud Hosain takes interest in sharing his knowledge about the culture and provides valuable insight. If you are someone who is inquisitive about knowing about the Jewish culture in Calcutta and also the history, you should indulge Masud!
• Magen David and Neveh Shalome share the compound so one does not have to exit Magen David to head to Neveh Shalome. Ask the security to show the way or look for the spiraling staircase.
• All the three synagogues are within walking distance of each other.
• Each guest is allotted 15 minutes to look around in each of the synagogues so make the most of it.
• Videography is not allowed, so respect the rules of the “house of worship” and refrain from taking videos.
From more than 4,000 to only 20 – the history of which is known to a handful few. Those who remained have ensured that the traditions and culture are still followed. And Jews from other parts of the world still congregate there. And while they do, the synagogues remain closed to the public.
But what I gathered from the visit to these splendid architectural heirlooms is, the unopposed integration of Jews into the Indian social structure that reflected harmony and respect meted out to the Jews who left their land to make Calcutta their home. As Flower Siliman, a Jewish resident of Calcutta had graciously stated “India can hold its head high and proudly say that we have never discriminated against Jews.”
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