The synagogue in Manila is named Beth Yaacov and is Orthodox Sephardic. The spiritual leader is Rabbi Atais, who comes from Israel and who is also a schochet and the only mohel in Asia. When I met with him, he had recently returned from Hong Kong where he went to perform a brit mila. The president of the synagogue is an American who is employed by a Philippine company. There is an Israeli embassy and I met the ambassador on my last trip when I attended a Passover seder held at the synagogue.
Manila also has a Jewish cemetery.
It was rebuilt in 1947. In the wake of the terrorist attacks on America two weeks ago, mental health professionals have advice on how everyone can deal with feelings of sadness or anxiety that won't go away. When I sat down to write this, the first Chai Life column, not only was I going to introduce myself, I was going to write about many of the upcoming Jewish events that are planned in and around Broward County for the upcoming week. This certainly could apply to Rabbi Sol Landau, who over the past two decades has touched the hearts of temple-goers throughout a wide range of states. The one who has difficulty understanding and forgets quickly.