Maharashtra: Abandoned Synagogue In Raigad Rededicated For Worship By Bene Israel Community

The Bene Israel Jewish community have rededicated an abandoned synagogue in Ambepur in Raigad district.

The rededication ceremony last week was attended by nearly 175 members of the Jewish community from Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Pune. A Torah, the Hebrew holy book, brought from the Revdanda synagogue, was installed in the synagogue's sanctuary.

The synagogue, constructed in 1874, was repaired in 1974, but was shut down two decades ago when the last Jewish family in the village left. The synagogue was badly damaged by a cyclone in 2020.

The synagogue has been repaired using funds collected by the local Jewish community. Earlier called Ner Israel, it will now be known as the Magen Isaac synagogue.

Advocate Herzl Bhonkar, president of the Raigad Jewish Association, said that the Revdanda synagogue had a Torah that had been given to them. “The person who had given the book had asked them to give it for prayers. The Revdanda community asked us to install it at Ambepur,” said Bhonkar.

The Bene Israel say they are the 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 population declined 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. 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.

Jewish synagogues require a minyan or a quorum of 10 adults – all male for Orthodox and a mix of men/women in other sects – for prayer services. Facing a dwindling congregation, Jews in Raigad come together to create a minyan to ensure that prayers continue in the surviving synagogues. “Usually the communities in Alibaug and Revdanda gather for services on Saturday and festivals like Rosh Hashanah and Tom Kippur. We will follow the same practice for prayers at Ambepur.