Kolkata has always had a diverse community that includes Chinese, Tamil, Armenian, Tibetan, Greek and Jews and India (historically) has provided shelter and asylum to people facing persecution, but if someone doesn’t take you by the hand and show you where the two synagogues (…”synagogue” means house of assembly, house of worship…) of Kolkata are, you’ll never find the them. Both Magen David and Beth El, Synagogues (Historic Protected Heritage Monuments)…View image…. are buried in the extremely busy BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square) area, the center of British power during the 1800′s and reasonable close to the Kolkata Flower Market and Howrah Bridge. Down narrow streets, surrounded by busy wholesale/retail shops and warehouses, you not only will have trouble finding them but also need written permission to visit.

Malini tried to locate them on the day’s Kolkata sightseeing without any success. We arrived back in Kolkata for a short day between Orissa and Sunderbans and decided to revisit David Nahoum’s famous Nahoum’s Confectioners shop in the New Market. Both to tell Mr. Nahoum how disappointed we were and buy more delicious buns. Nahoum’s was founded in 1902 and the original owner’s grandson is the person you see for written permission.

David Nahoum, Nahoum’s Confectioners in New Market, Kolkata
Mr. Nahoum instantly delegated one of his employees to jump in a taxi with us (ha…for once the taxi driver couldn’t charge us double with a local along), take us to the first synagogue and give instructions to the caretaker there to walk us to the second synagogue where we’d find a taxi back to the New Market. Extremely kind of him. The majority of Kolkata/Calcutta Sephardic Jews immigrated from Iraq and the Jewish community (approximately 6,000) has dwindled to only about 15 in Kolkata (per Mr. Nahoum). The first recorded Jewish immigrant to Kolkata came from Syria in 1798.

You enter Magen David from a courtyard set back from Canning Street and is the “newer” (built between 1883-1884), larger and more ornate of the two synagogues… View image… The Magen David Synagogue was founded by the Ezra family in memory of his father and is of post-Renaissance period design. The Ezra family was the most influential family in Kolkata at this time, and was also responsible for building Beth El Synagogue, the Chowringhee Mansions and Esplanade Mansions.

Chowringhee Mansions in Kolkata, India
Similar to typical synagogues of this time, women would sit and worship separate from the men on the upper level gallery. Magen David Synagogue is the largest synagogue in the East, lit by gas, had beautiful stained glass windows and was ornately decorated. From Magen David Synagogue, the caretaker walked us 10-minutes to Beth El Synagogue on Pollock Street….

Magen David Synagogue, Kolkata, India 

the ten commandments inside Magen David Synagogue, Kolkata, India 

inside of Magen David Synagogue taken from the Women’s Gallery, Kolkata, India
Beth El Synagogue, constructed in 1856…View image…, had an outside matzo (unleavened bread) oven used for baking Passover matzo and mikvah ..a ritual purification and cleansing bath that Orthodox Jews take on certain occasions (as before Sabbath or after menstruation)….View image…was smaller, older and more intimate that Magen David Synagogue. It was interesting to read the plaque outside stating the Ezra family purchased the property and founded Beth El Synagogue with their own money. The plaque was erected by the congregation in gratitude and memory…View image…

Beth El Synagogue, Kolkata, India 

Beth El Synagogue’s matzo oven, Kolkata, India 

one of Beth El’s Rabbis, Kolkata, India
ex-Marine and I were glad we made the effort visiting some of Kolkata’s remaining Jewish history and, on a side note, the cab driver doubled the fare back to New Market….

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