Mumbai: The Jews living in the Raigad district have pooled funds to rebuild a synagogue at Ambepur near Alibaug, which was closed two decades ago after the last Jewish family left the village.
The Magen Isaac synagogue will be rededicated for worship on January 12 in a ceremony to be attended by Jews from Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Israel. Jewish families and the Raigad Jewish Association raised funds to renovate the synagogue, while sticking to the blueprint of the old structure. With a capacity of around 50 worshippers, the place was first built as a prayer hall before being upgraded to a synagogue.
The synagogue has been rebuilt with material similar to that used in the old structure, said Advocate Herzl Bhonkar, Raigad Jewish Association president. He added that the old structure was built in the architectural style of Konkan temples. Advocate Bhonkar further said the synagogue, earlier called Ner Israel, was built in 1874 and repaired in 1974.
After the Jewish family managing it moved to Mumbai 22 years ago, the synagogue fell into disrepair and it was further damaged in Cyclone Nisarg in 2020. “It was about to collapse hence we decided to rebuild it,” said Bhonkar. Benjamin Waskar, a resident of Revdanda near Alibaug which has five Jewish families, shared how the community keeps visiting synagogues in areas with no Jews so that the structure is not neglected.
“In villages where there are no Jewish families anymore, a family from the closest village visits to light the lamps,” said Waskar.
About Bene Israel
Raigad district is home to a distinct Marathi-speaking Jewish community called the Bene Israel. They are believed to be descendants of Jews who survived a shipwreck more than a millennium ago. The community, locally called Shaniwar Telis, worked as oil pressers and carpenters. The populace dwindled after members first migrated to Thane, Mumbai and Pune during the colonial era, and to Israel after its creation in 1948. Around 10 synagogues survive in towns and villages like Panvel, Alibaug, Pen, Revdanda, Mhasla and Nandgaon. However, the existing community comprises just 30 families. Across India, the Jewish population has fallen from a peak of nearly 50,000 during independence to 4,000 people, most of whom live in Mumbai and Thane.
