The synagogue was established in 1886 by the Bene Israeli community, which came to India 2,000 years ago.
The Jewish community on Sunday will celebrate 131 years of existence of its popular and said to be most well-attended synagogue, The Tiphereth Israel Synagogue at Jacob Circle, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai (in pic). The celebration will have over 250 Jews participating in the festival.
The synagogue was established in 1886 by the Bene Israeli community, which came to India 2,000 years ago. “Back then, there was no overbridge adjacent to Mahalakshmi station. There was Talegaonkar’s building inhabited by Jews, from where the synagogue functioned as a small prayer hall. As the number of those praying increased, we felt the need to have a bigger prayer hall,” said Aaron Benjamin Kandlekar, the honorary secretary of The Tiphereth Israel Synagogue, whose grandfather (who has the same name) played a crucial role in erecting the synagogue where it stands now.
Aaron Benjamin Kandlekar, the grandfather, contributed a sizable amount of money to purchase the bungalow in a public auction. “The bungalow was known as Roshdel Bungalow. Its public auction took place on March 16, 1923. On March 23, 1924, the synagogue was shifted to this place after the bungalow was converted. As per the Hebrew Calendar that we follow, the 131st anniversary is on March 19 this year,” the grandson said.
For some time, the synagogue was also known as ‘Kandlekaranchi Masjid’ for the money his father had raised and the work he put in to make the synagogue a reality. Back then, 300 Jewish families would attend the prayer service at the synagogue. At present, it has 500 members (the exact count of families could not be provided).
“But it is still famous for attracting the most number of people. I am not a religious scholar, but the synagogue is known for the Halakhik way (a strict religious way) in which it conducts its prayers, besides for having the most number of people in a synagogue at any given time,” Kandlekar said.
In 1931, some members of the trust had differences and another synagogue was built in the Madanpura area and given the name Magen Hassidim Synagogue, which is more commonly known as Israeli Masjid in the neighbourhood. While Tiphereth Israel Synagogue means ‘Glory to Israel’ (believers), Magen Hassidim means ‘Gate of Righteousness’, according to the trustees.
“After the split, the Magen Hassidim synagogue was made in 1931. This is now the biggest and is popular among Jews for wedding functions,” said Isaac Talegaonkar, secretary, Magen Hassidim, which will observe its 86th anniversary on April 6 as per the Hebrew calender. “Ours is the most popular for marriages because it is the biggest and is spacious,” said Alex Talkar, another member of the trust that looks after Magen Hassidim.
On Thursday, a family had traveled all the way from Cochin for a marriage ceremony. “A number of people come here for weddings because a lot of their parents got married here,” said Talkar, who himself was married at the synagogue, like his parents. The trustee added that there was a time when there would be three to four marriages on Sundays. “We would fine people if they delayed their wedding,” he said.
The marriages are now fewer in number. From the 1950s onwards, the Bene-Isralei community has shrinked from 50,000 to 5,000 members. However, along with Jewish rituals, couples getting married can still be seen following the Indian influences that their ancestors adopted when they made India their home.
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