The Muslim Caretakers Of One Of Kolkata’s Oldest Jewish Synagogues

In stark contrast to the rest of the country’s rampant religious bigotry, few Muslim families in Kolkata have been the caretakers of one of the last three standing Jewish synagogues in the city. The three main synagogues of the city, Beth El, Meghan David, and the Nave Shalome, built in the 1800’s, are beautiful structures despite having faced the wear and tear of time.

With the case of Beth El (whose name literally translates to ‘House of God’), for four generations, a Muslim family from Odisha have been entrusted with the responsibility of the daily upkeep and preservation. 71-year-old Khalil Khan has chosen to carry on the job once done by his father, and his grandfather before that. Carrying on the legacy are Khalil’s two sons - Anwar and Siraj. Similarly, Rabul Khan is the third generation caretaker of the Meghan David. They clean and maintain the synagogues even though there are just a handful of Jews left in Kolkata, and even fewer frequent these places. Once home to over 3000 Jews and a thriving cultural centre for their population, Kolkata now has only about 23 members left. There aren’t regular Saturday prayer meets as is customary, but some of the last remaining people occasionally visit to say their prayers and soak in the memories.

Such a set-up may definitely raise eyebrows, considering the violent history of conflicts between the two communities. When asked if the ravages of war and continuing dismal state of affairs between Syria and Israel have had an adverse effect on the relations between the Muslim caretakers and their Jewish employees, the answer is a resounding no. “The wars are taking place in other countries. If the Jews had any issues with our religion, they wouldn’t have hired us. Religion has its own place, while we have ours. This is something that we never think of. The Jews respect us and we respect them,” one of the caretakers, Rabbul Khan told Al Jazeera.

Aline Mordecai Cohen, the secretary of the Jewish community in Kolkata comments upon this arrangement to Untold: “Muslims and Jews have worked together for as long as Muslims and Jews have been together in Calcutta and anyways I believe in people not ideologies. If people took the time to get to know each other just a little bit, there would be no more hate. That sense of acceptance and understanding is one of India’s greatest traditions,” she says.

Interestingly, a parallel instance of such religious harmony and cooperation is in rural Tunisia, where Muslims are restoring synagogues along with the official support of their President. Last year, the members of the Jewish community in Victoria, Texas offered their synagogue to the Muslims in their town after their mosque was burned down. In light of torrid communal violence across India and the world, small instances of harmony like this do warm the heart and help us keep perspective of the power of peace and empathy that human beings can exert, as exhibited by the resilience and mutual respect of Kolkata’s Muslim and Jewish communities.

Feature image courtesy of hpssociety.com.

If you liked this article we suggest you read:

Kolkata’s 116-Year-Old Jewish Bakery Is The Last Of Its Kind

Alibaug’s Little-Known Bene Israeli Community Has A Fascinating Story

From Thane To Tel Aviv – How A Marathi Magazine Found An Audience All Over The World