Patrick Comerford
During my recent 36-hour visit to Singapore, I took time to search for the synagogues of Singapore – and the cathedrals, churches, mosques, shrines, pagodas and temples.
Today there are two synagogues in Singapore: the Maghain Aboth Synagogue on Waterloo Street and Chesed-El Synagogue on Oxley Road. The Maghain Aboth Synagogue (‘Shield of our Fathers’), built in 1878, is the oldest synagogue in Singapore and in South-East Asia. But when I was in the Orchard Road and Emerald Hill area I also saw the the Chesed-El Synagogue (חסד-אל, ‘Grace of God’), built on Oxley Rise in 1905.
The first Jewish immigrants to Singapore were Jewish merchants of Baghdadi origin, who were trading between the then-British ports of Calcutta and Singapore. The migration of Baghdadi Jews began in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first Baghdadi Jews in Singapore were Mizrahi or Sephardic merchants and traders.
The early Jewish settlers in Singapore first lived at Boat Quay, and moved later to North Bridge Road, Dhoby Ghaut, Mount Sophia and the Rochor vicinity. These early Jews also laid out a cemetery, the Old Cemetery behind the Fort Canning.
The British colonial government gave three Jews – Joseph Dwek Cohen, Nassim Joseph Ezra and Ezra Ezekiel – a lease in 1841 to build a synagogue in a small, two-storey shophouse near Boat Quay. The synagogue gave its name to Synagogue Street, which I wrote about two weeks ago (29 November 2024).
Synagogue Street was in the first Jewish quarter in Singapore, and the first synagogue was in a shophouse on Synagogue Street with a congregation of 40. The Maghain Aboth synagogue (מגן אבות, ‘Guardian of Patriarchs’ or 'Shield of our Fathers’), which I wrote about last Friday evening (6 December 2024), was built in the neo-classical style and completed in 1878.
The Chesed-El Synagogue (חסד-אל, ‘Grace of God’) is on Oxley Rise in the River Valley area in Singapore. It was built in 1905, mainly through the efforts of Sir Manasseh Meyer (1846-1930), then the most prominent Jewish leader in Singapore. He was born in Baghdad, educated in Calcutta, came to Singapore at the of 15 in 1861 and continued his education in Saint Joseph’s Institution.
Meyer developed a successful import-export business that was founded on the opium trade. He became one of the largest real estate owners in Singapore and was once said to have owned three-quarters of Singapore and to be the ‘richest Jew in the Far East’ – richer than even the Sassoons, who have been described as the ‘Rothschilds of the East’.
The Meyer family was truly cosmopolitan, travelling together to China, India, Japan, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel (then Palestine) and throughout Europe. As Meyer’s wealth increased so did his philanthropic interests, and he was fully immersed both in community affairs in Singapore and in the religious affairs of the Jewish community.
Meyer secured the sale of the original synagogue on Synagogue Street so that a new synagogue, the Maghain Aboth Synagogue, could be built on Waterloo Street for the growing number of Jewish families in Singapore. It officially opened in 1878.
Meanwhile, in 1890, Meyer bought Killiney House, once the home of the Dublin-born surgeon and plantation owner Thomas Oxley (1805-1886). He renamed the house Belle Vue and it became the Meyer family home.
Singapore’s Jewish population had grown to 500 by 1902 and the synagogue on Waterloo Street was becoming overcrowded. In addition, there was growing friction between the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities over how the services should be conducted.
Meyer decided to build a new synagogue, at his own expense, on his Belle Vue estate on Oxley Rise. The new synagogue was completed in 1905, and was dedicated on 14 April 1905. It was named Chesed El (חסד-אל), which means ‘Bountiful Mercy and Goodness of God’ in Hebrew.
Chesed-El Synagogue was designed by the architect Regent Alfred John (‘RAJ’) Bidwell (1869-1918) of Swan and Maclaren, the dominant architectural practice in colonial Singapore. Bidwell also designed including Raffles Hotel (1899), the Teutonia Club (1900), now Goodwood Park Hotel, the Victoria Memorial Hall (1905), now the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and the Singapore Cricket Club (1907).
Bidwell designed the synagogue in the Late Renaissance style. Its façade is ornate with floral plasterwork, continuous cornices, and heavy ornamentations. A spacious three-arched porte-cochere or carriage porch creating a grand entrance to the synagogue. The classical features throughout the building include arches and Corinthian columns, as well as large arched windows.
Inside the synagogue, two rows of columns lead to the ark where the Torah scrolls are kept. The Hebrew inscription above the ark reads, ‘Lo, in thine abundant love I enter thy house, in reverence to thee I bow towards thy holy temple’ (Psalm 5: 7).
The wooden bimah at the centre of the synagogue has replaced the original marble bimah that was damaged during World War II.
With its high ceiling and many windows, the synagogue was well suited to Singapore’s climate before the installation of air-conditioning. Even the benches have woven cane seat backings that provide maximum comfort for worshippers in the tropical heat. Meyer’s personal chair with his name (‘Manashe Meir’ in Hebrew) is placed at the front, near the ark.
Among the patterns and decorations adorning the synagogue, capital M monograms are decoratively incorporated into the design in memory of its founder. These letters can be seen around the synagogue, including the front façade and on the intricate metalwork surrounding the women’s gallery.
The new synagogue was one of the first buildings in Singapore to install gaslight. These lights were later replaced with electric ones and crystal chandeliers, but the original gas pipes still remain concealed in the ceiling.
Meyer disbursed ‘rickshaw allowances’ to ensure a complete congregation at every Sabbath service at the Chesed El Synagogue.
His philanthropy was not limited to the Jewish community. He was a leading donor to Raffles College, one of the first colleges established in Singapore. The original science building of the National University of Singapore was named after him due to his support of the school. Today the Manasseh Meyer Building is an integral part of the Bukit Timah campus of NUS.
Albert Einstein was asked to visit Meyer to seek his support for building the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When Einstein arrived in Singapore in 1922, Meyer opened his Belle Vue estate on Oxley Rise to entertain community’s leaders, including the Anglican Bishop of Singapore, Charles James Ferguson-Davie (1872-1963), and the future Nobel Prize winner and his wife. Meyer responded to Einstein’s request for support for the Hebrew University with a donation of £500, the equivalent of about £304,000 in 2024.
During his visit, Einstein noted that Chesed-El Synagogue was ‘a magnificent synagogue, which was actually built for the purpose of communication between [Meyer] and [God]’.
Meyer was knighted by George V in 1929 ‘in recognition of his public services and benevolence.’ The Straits Times reported he was ‘a man of great wealth who contributed lavishly to various local and imperial causes, in addition to having done a vast amount of good in Malaya.’
When Meyer died at the age of 84 at his home on Oxley Rise on 1 July 1930, a Rabbi Solomon from Palestine officiated at his funeral at Chesed-El.
Meyer’s commitment to education was continued by the leaders of the Jewish community in Singapore. The Ganenu Learning Centre (Our Garden) was expanded in recent years to become the Sir Manasseh Meyer International School.
The Jewish community in Singapore shrank dramatically in the immediate aftermath of World War II, and the Maghain Aboth Synagogue on Waterloo Street became the main synagogue. Still, it was decided that Maghain Aboth would close on Mondays, when morning prayers would be held at Chesed-El.
This arrangement ensures both synagogues continue to serve the community. The Chesed-El Synagogue was designated a national monument in 1998. It had an extensive renovation in 2016 with the support of the National Heritage Board of Singapore, and a Jewish community centre was built in the grounds.
Chesed El Synagogue is used on major festivals such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover and Tishah B’Av, and is also the venue for circumcisions, Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, weddings and funerals. It is run by the Chesed El Synagogue Settlement and Trust and is open every Monday for the morning service as well as on major holidays.
The synagogue welcomes all visitors of different faiths and denominations, except during the regular scheduled religious services.
As for Meyer’s former family home on Oxley Rise, Belle Vue was demolished in the 1980s and replaced by a condominium development with the same name.
Shabbat Shalom, שבת שלום
