page_title: Maghain Aboth Synagogue
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Maghain Aboth Synagogue / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Maghain Aboth Synagogue.
context_page_description: The Maghain Aboth Synagogue is a synagogue in Singapore. It is located at 24/26 Waterloo Street in the Rochor Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. The synagogue was constructed by 1878. It is the oldest Jewish synagogue in Southeast Asia. It is presently managed by the Jewish Welfare Board and it remains to be the main place of worship for the Jewish community in Singapore. Till today, there are still several Jewish buildings standing within its vicinity. Descendants of some of Singapore's earliest Jewish settlers are still living and doing business in Singapore.
context_section_description: As early as 1831, Singapore's earliest Jewish settlers were merchants from mainly Iraq and Iran who came to trade. In 1841, three Jews — Joseph Dwek Cohen, Nassim Joseph Ezra and Ezra Ezekiel — were given a land lease, measuring 503.07 sq m, to build a synagogue in Synagogue Street. The area is the earliest settled part of Singapore that today still has many of Singapore's religious monuments and preservation buildings.
  Near Raffles Lane, Synagogue Street was in the first Jewish quarter in Singapore just off South Canal Road, as a synagogue by custom is supposed to be within an easy walking distance from home. The synagogue started to hold a congregation of approximately 40 and served the local Jewish community for 30 years before it was sold. The building was later demolished after the World War II.
  In 1870, one of the Synagogue's new trustees, Joseph Joshua, negotiated to buy a plot of land owned by Raffles Institution at Bras Basah for $4,000 in order to build a new synagogue. However, not enough funds were raised to build the new synagogue within the 3-years period agreement. When Joshua's nephew, Manasseh Meyer, returned to Singapore in 1873, he found the synagogue in Synagogue Street in a deplorable state and set about planning a new one for the Jewish community. Meyer asked the former Attorney-General Thomas Braddell for permission to sell the old shophouse synagogue and to procure land for a new synagogue. The government approved and granted him the site in Waterloo Street, which until 1858 was called Church Street because of the presence of the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul nearby. The Jewish community soon began moving into the surrounding areas of Dhoby Ghaut, Waterloo Street, Prinsep Street, Selegie Road and Wilkie Road. Today, there are still several Jewish buildings standing there.
  Construction of Maghain Aboth, which means "Shield of Our Fathers", began soon after the community was given the land, and it was completed in 1878. A well was sunk for use as a mikvah (ritual bath). The consecration service was held on 4 April 1878 and conducted by either Lucunas or I.J. Hayeem or both men. In 1893, a U-shaped balcony was added to form the second-storey of the building with the purpose of accommodating the female members of the community. Later in 1924 to 1925, extensions were made to the building  and a more solid and permanent gallery was built which still remains in use in the present. Nevertheless, with the growth of the community, Maghain Aboth became rather crowded, prompting Manasseh Meyer to build Chesed-El Synagogue. It is a private synagogue which was completed in 1905 meant for his family and friends. Manasseh Meyer used to pay impoverished religious elderly men to attend service with him to form the minyan.
  During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, the synagogue was a significant gathering place for the local Jews to exchange news and collect funds to help those in need. In the past, oil lamps were used during services and they still remain in the present day, hanging from steel rods in loving memory of those who have passed on. The Maghain Aboth Synagogue was gazetted as a national monument later on 27 February 1998.
  In 2007, a seven-storey building called the Jacob Ballas Centre was added to the compound next to the Maghain Aboth Synagogue as seen in Fig. 1. It was named after the late Jacob Ballas who was seen as a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore. The centre provides facilities to meet the needs of the Jewish community such as offices and homes for the Rabbis and the Yeshivah boys, a women's mikvah, a slaughter room for kosher chickens, a kosher restaurant, a kosher shop and a social hall for events and functions including Shabbat and festival meals.
caption: Fig. 1: Jacob Ballas Centre under Construction beside the Maghain Aboth Synagogue [7]
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