Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue - Mumbai, India
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N 18° 55.546 E 072° 50.042
43Q E 271888 N 2094012
Built in 1884, the impossibly sky-blue Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue still functions and is tenderly maintained by the city's dwindling Jewish community.
Waymark Code: WM66WP
Location: India
Date Posted: 04/14/2009
Views: 9
The interior is wonderfully adorned with colourful pillars, chandeliers and stained-glass windows - best viewed in the afternoons when rainbows of light shaft through. [Lonely Planet (
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Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue was built in 1884 by Jacob Elias Sassoon and his brother Albert in memory of their father Eliyahoo Sassoon. It is situated in Colaba, the absolute centre of the Town close to the well known hotels of the Taj Mahal and Oberoi Sheraton now Hilton Towers and many other hotels which are situated nearby.
In the earlier years there was a huge Bagdadi Jewish Community living in the area. Most of the affluent Community members lived in the areas close to the Synagogue. The Jewish Club and the David Sassoon Library were close to the Synagogue and in the High Holidays especially "Rosh Hashanah" and "Yom Kippur" the entire Synagogue was full up, with extra chairs being placed between benches all around the Synagogue in the men's gallery.
Ex - Prime Minister Of Israel
Mr. Shimon Peres
(At Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue)
The ladies, offcourse were seated on the upper floor which was also completely packed. Now this Synagogue caters to the local Jewish Community and especially to the foreigners who come from all parts of the world. There is regular "Minyan" on 'Erev Shabbath' and Shabbaths. After the morning service 'Kiddush' with a "Shulhan" is served to all members attending the services.
Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue has had the only recognised Kosher 'Mikvah' for the past over a hundred years and people from Asia would come and make use of the 'Mikvah’.
Judiasm in India (
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India has a legacy of three distinct Jewish groups: the Bene Israel, the Cochin Jews and the White Jews from Europe. Each group practiced important elements of Judaism and had active synagogues. The Sephardic rites predominate among Indian Jews.
The Bene Israel ("Sons of Israel") lived primarily in Bombay, Calcutta, Old Delhi and Ahmadabad. The native language of the Bene Israel was Marathi, while the Cochin Jews of southern India spoke Malayalam.
The Bene Israel claim to be descended from Jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century B.C.E. The Bene Israel resemble the non-Jewish Maratha people in appearance and customs, which indicates intermarriage between Jews and Indians. The Bene Israel, however, maintained the practices of Jewish dietary laws, circumcision and observation of Sabbath as a day of rest...... (More From Jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
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