You might be familiar with the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in Kalaghoda; however, the city houses a few other synagogues that you might pass by on a daily commute, but are unaware of. An example of this could be the Shaar Harahamin Synagogue on Samuel Street in Masjid, which is Mumbai’s oldest and first Bene Israel synagogue that was built in the late 18th century. 

The Bene Israel Jews of the Konkan coast are one of three traditional Indian Jewish communities, along with the Baghdadi Jews of the Middle East, and the Cochini Jews of Malabar. Sifra Lentin, Mumbai-based writer and a Bombay history fellow at Gateway House, tells us, “The Bene Israel synagogue is symbolic of the history of its community.” Lentin will dive into the cultural history of the community in her upcoming talk with The Museum Society of Mumbai and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, hosted on Zoom.