FranklynDavitt2 at 14:05, 1 May 2026

2026-05-01T14:05:30Z

New page

{{Short description|Synagogue in Mumbai, India}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue
| native_name = {{langx|he|בית הכנסת אליהו}}
| image = Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue 1.jpg
| image_upright = 1.4
| alt =
| caption = The synagogue in 2020, post restoration
| map_type = Mumbai
| map_size = 250
| map_alt =
| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the synagogue in [[Mumbai]]
| coordinates = {{coord|18|55|41.19|N|72|49|57.25|E|type:landmark_region:IN_scale:100|display=it}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| location = 55, Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg, [[Kala Ghoda]], [[Fort (area)|Fort]], [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]]
| country = [[India]]
| religious_affiliation = [[Judaism]]
| rite = [[Nusach Sefard]]
| consecration_year =
| status = [[Synagogue]]
| functional_status = Active
| heritage_designation =
| leadership =
| website =
| architect = {{ubl|David Gostling|James Morris}}
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|[[Synagogue architecture]]}}
| architecture_style = {{ubl|[[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]|[[Victorian architecture|Victorian]]}}
| facade_direction = Western
| groundbreaking =
| year_completed = 1884
| funded_by = [[Sassoon baronets|Jacob Elias Sassoon]]
| construction_cost =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width_nave =
| height_max =
| dome_quantity =
| dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
| dome_dia_inner =
| minaret_quantity =
| minaret_height =
| spire_quantity =
| spire_height =
| materials = Stone; brick
| nrhp =
| added =
| refnum =
| designated =
}}

The '''Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue''' ({{langx|he|בית הכנסת אליהו||Gathering of Elijah}}), also '''Knesset Eliyahu''' and the '''Blue Synagogue''', is a [[synagogue]], located at 55, Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg, in the [[Kala Ghoda]] neighborhood, [[Fort (area)|Fort]], in downtown [[Mumbai]], in the state of [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]. Completed in 1884, it is the second oldest [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] synagogue in Mumbai. [[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]], and [[Oberoi Trident]] are nearby.<ref name=wmf.org>{{cite web |title=Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue |url=http://www.wmf.org/project/keneseth-eliyahoo-synagogue |publisher=[[World Monuments Fund]] |access-date=23 May 2015 |archive-date=29 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529072751/http://www.wmf.org/project/keneseth-eliyahoo-synagogue |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=jacobsassoon.com>{{cite web |title=Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India |url=http://www.jacobsassoon.com/synagogues/keneseth-eliyahoo |publisher=Sir Jacob Sassoon Synagogues and Allied Trusts |access-date=23 May 2015 |url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529065531/http://www.jacobsassoon.com/synagogues/keneseth-eliyahoo |archive-date=29 May 2015}}</ref>

The synagogue was established by [[Sassoon baronets|Jacob Elias Sassoon]]<ref name="Datta">{{cite news |last1=Datta |first1=Rangan |title=Inside the synagogues of Mumbai |url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/forbes-lifes/inside-the-synagogues-of-mumbai/63125/1 |access-date=21 January 2021 |date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128132817/https://www.forbesindia.com/article/forbes-lifes/inside-the-synagogues-of-mumbai/63125/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the building is maintained by the Jacob Sassoon Trust. The building's significance is attributed to its Jewish traditions as well as Indian and English colonial influences. It was designed by the British architectural firm Gostling & Morris of Bombay.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-10 |title=Mumbai's iconic 'blue' Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue open to public, after year-long restoration |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/mumbais-iconic-blue-knesset-eliyahoo-synagogue-open-to-public-after-year-long-restoration-6053951.html |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=Firstpost |language=en |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714042933/https://www.firstpost.com/india/mumbais-iconic-blue-knesset-eliyahoo-synagogue-open-to-public-after-year-long-restoration-6053951.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The basement part of the edifice is built in stone masonry and the superstructure is built in brick masonry. The exterior facade of the synagogue was painted [[turquoise]], was returned to its original colour of white, with bright indigo boarders during a restoration process in 2018–2019.<ref name="Datta"/> The sanctuary within the interior of the building is in western direction, towards [[Jerusalem]].

==Background==
[[File:Keneseth Eliyahu synagogue.jpg|thumb|Panoramic image of the synagogue]]
Prior to the arrival of [[Baghdadi Jews]] in India, the [[Jews]] residing in Bombay — the name then used for Mumbai — had settled in the towns of India, living peacefully with other communities in India.<ref name=Birnbaum/><ref name=Khan/> Harry D. Wall, in an interview to the ''[[New York Times]]'', has said that among the Jews who now remain in Mumbai are a group of Jews known as Bene Jews or [[Bene Israel]] who were reportedly descendants of seven [[Israelites|tribes of Israel]] who, in the 2nd century BC, were shipwrecked on India's [[Konkan coast]] while escaping persecution in the [[Galilee]].<ref name=Birnbaum/><ref name=Explore>{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/travel/exploring-the-worlds-jewish-communities.html|title= Exploring the World's Jewish Communities|date= 16 September 2014|work= The New York Times|last= Brennan|first= Emily|access-date= 25 February 2017|archive-date= 25 July 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183854/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/travel/exploring-the-worlds-jewish-communities.html|url-status= live}}</ref> They found that living in India, amidst a cosmopolitan community consisting of [[Hindus]], [[Buddhists]], [[Jains]], and, much later, [[Muslims]], was a very cordial environment, totally free of [[anti-Semitic]] feelings.<ref name=Birnbaum/><ref name=Khan/>

The Jewish merchant community, which played a significant role in the commercial development of then Bombay (now Mumbai), consisted of Jews from Iraq, Syria, and other [[Middle East]]ern countries who immigrated in the late 18th century under the threat of persecution. They found the environment conducive to continuing their trade and settled in the city, becoming prosperous in business ventures such as textile mills and international trading.<ref name=Birnbaum>{{cite book |last=Birnbaum |first=David |title=Jews, Church & Civilization |volume=VII |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OKacF3YbSgYC&pg=PA324 |publisher=David Birnbaum |year=2010 |id=GGKEY:79ST9DTYU28 |via=[[Google Books]] |pages=325–26 }}</ref><ref name=Khan/> In 1784, the British government took over the [[East India Company]]. With this change, many business opportunities emerged in India, and Bombay in particular, encouraging immigrants to set up businesses. In 1790, one such business magnate was Shalom ben Ovadiah HaCohen, a Baghdadi Jew who had migrated from [[Aleppo]] (Halab), in Syria to Bombay; other Jewish businessmen from [[Baghdad]], [[Basra]], and Yemen followed him.<ref name=Dana>{{cite book |last=Dana |first=Leo Paul |title=Asian Models of Entrepreneurship: From the Indian Union and the Kingdom of Nepal to the Japanese Archipelago: Context, Policy and Practice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmuiJVAuvt4C |year=2007 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-256-878-6 |via=[[Google Books]] }}</ref>{{rp|88}}

== History ==
In 1832, [[David Sassoon (treasurer)|David Sassoon]] immigrated to Bombay and established himself as a magistrate of the cotton industry. He built the [[Magen David Synagogue (Byculla)|Magen David Synagogue]] in [[Byculla]]. Mumbai in 1864; this was in addition to the older Magen Hasidim synagogue. His son, [[Albert Sassoon]], transformed the weaving industry in Bombay.<ref name=Explore/><ref name=Dana/>{{rp|88}} To cater to the increasing need of the Baghdadi Jews, Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue was constructed on a premium piece of land in the hub of Bombay's commercial area by Jacob Sassoon, grandson of David Sassoon, commemorating his father, Eliyahoo Sassoon. It was established in 1884.<ref name=Khan>{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Jeremy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/world/asia/03jews.html |title=Jews of Mumbai, a Tiny and Eclectic Group, Suddenly Reconsider Their Serene Existence |date=2 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=14 November 2024 }}</ref><ref name=Mumbai>{{Cite web |url=http://www.midrash.org/article/historical/baghdadian-synagogues-in-india/2 |title=Baghdadian Synagogues in Mumbai (Bombay) & Poona (Pune) |work=The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue |date=5 January 2012 |publisher=Midrash Organization |access-date=22 May 2015 |archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725184154/http://www.midrash.org/article/historical/baghdadian-synagogues-in-india/2 |url-status=live}}</ref>

More Jews came from [[Bukhara]], [[Persia]], and, following the [[Farhud]] pogrom in Iraq in 1941, many more immigrants shifted to Bombay. They all used to assemble in the Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue in large numbers during festival days and on [[Rosh Hashana]] and [[Yom Kippur]]. On many such occasions, in view of the large crowd of devotees, overflow prayer services were held in the neighbouring Cawasjee Jehangir Public Hall.<ref name=Mumbai/>

In 1985, President [[Zail Singh|Giani Zail Singh]] visited the site to honour the centennial of the synagogue's construction. [[India Posts|India Post]] issued a commemorative stamp in honour of the centennial.<ref name=Dana/>{{rp|89}}

The [[2008 Mumbai attacks|first-ever terrorist attack on Jews in Mumbai]] occurred on 26 November 2008.<ref name=Khan/> Rabbi [[Gavriel Holtzberg]], who had conducted Sabbath services on the previous day and also held religious discourses at the Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, was killed, along with his wife and a few other Jews at the [[Nariman House]], a community center operated by [[Chabad]]. Whilst there was no specific attack on the Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue or its congregation, the terrorists' actions sowed fear among the Jewish community members residing in Mumbai, and also forged a closer bond between the city's Baghdadi and Bene Israel Jews.<ref name=Khan/><ref>{{cite news |author=Viswanath, P. V. |url=https://forward.com/news/14676/talking-with-a-terrorist-an-endless-call-to-india-02937/ |title=Talking With a Terrorist: An Endless Call to India |work=[[Forward (magazine)|Forward magazine]] |date=4 December 2008 |access-date=14 November 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Prince-Gibson, Eeta |url=https://forward.com/news/14676/talking-with-a-terrorist-an-endless-call-to-india-02937/ |title=After the Terror |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=23 December 2008 |access-date=14 November 2024 }}</ref>

== Architecture and fittings ==
Designed by Gostling & Morris of Bombay<ref name=wmf.org /> in the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] and [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] style,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/1933/ |title=Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India |work=Diarna.org |date=2015 |publisher=Digital Heritage Mapping |access-date=14 November 2024 }}</ref> the building's base is of stone masonry while the superstructure is of brick masonry.<ref name=Mumbai/> The external frontage of the synagogue, initially painted grey, is painted [[turquoise]], and the synagogue is popularly known as the ''Blue Synagogue'' of Mumbai.<ref name=Khan/> The synagogue was returned to its original colour of white, with bright indigo boarders during a restoration process in 2018–2019 carried out by conservation architect [[Abha Narain Lambah]].<ref name="Datta"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Little-known facts about Mumbai's newly restored Keneseth Eliyahoo synagogue - Elle India |url=https://elle.in/article/keneseth-eliyahoo-synagogue-mumbai/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |language=en-US |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714043104/https://elle.in/article/keneseth-eliyahoo-synagogue-mumbai/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The inner space contains ornamented pillars, and the sanctuary faces west towards [[Jerusalem]]. The ''[[Bema#Judaism|bimah]]'' (reader's platform) is bordered on both sides by ornately carved marble, over which is placed a tall, stained-glass arch that reaches the ceiling. Women worshippers sit in an upstairs gallery. The synagogue contains a number of [[Sefer Torah|Torah scrolls]], along with silver-cased [[Sefer (Hebrew)|sefarim]] (religious books) belonging to the Sassoon family. On the ground floor, there are meeting and school rooms, and a [[mikveh]] (immersion pool).<ref name=Mumbai/> The staircase, windows, timber balconies, ceiling, walls, and roof are in need of restoration.<ref name=wmf.org />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Candle lighting at a synagogue in Mumbai.jpg|Lighting a candle in the synagogue, 2026
Synagogue inside.jpg|Interior view
Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior 4.jpg|[[Bema]] of the synagogue
Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg|[[Sefer Torah|Torah]] cases
Knesset Eliyahoo, Mumbai.jpg|The synagogue exterior after restoration in 2019
Knesset Eliyahoo 2019.jpg|The synagogue exterior
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|Judaism|India}}}}
* [[History of the Jews in India]]
* [[List of synagogues in India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue}}
* {{cite web |url=https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/gallery/kneseth-elyahoo/ |title=Kneset Eliyahoo |work=Synagogues360 |date=2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |format=moving panoramic images of the synagogue interior }}
* {{cite web |url=https://cja.huji.ac.il/browser.php?mode=set&id=30444 |title=Kneset Eliyahoo Synagogue in Bombay (Mumbai), India |work=The Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art |publisher=[[Center for Jewish Art]], [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] |date=n.d. |access-date=14 November 2024 |format=images of the synagogue }}
* {{cite web |title=Mumbaiwale: Agog over a synagogue |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbaiwale-agog-over-a-synagogue/story-m5WBgqHzP23iatUxumJZNN.html |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |date=9 February 2019}}

{{Synagogues in India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1884 establishments in India]]
[[Category:19th-century religious buildings and structures in India]]
[[Category:19th-century synagogues in Asia]]
[[Category:2008 Mumbai attacks]]
[[Category:Neoclassical architecture in India]]
[[Category:Neoclassical synagogues]]
[[Category:Sassoon family|+]]
[[Category:Synagogues in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Sephardi synagogues in India]]
[[Category:Synagogues completed in 1884]]
[[Category:Victorian architecture in Asia]]
[[Category:Victorian synagogues]]
[[Category:Synagogues in Maharashtra]]

Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue - Revision history

FranklynDavitt2 at 14:05, 1 May 2026