Muslim caretakers keep caring for synagogues amidst Israel-Palestine war
Kolkata was once home to a prosperous community of Jews. Till this day, a number of Jewish institutions still run businesses in the city’s business district, the most famous of them being Nahoum’s bakery. While having one the smallest Jewish communities among Indian cities, the community in Kolkata reached its peak in the 1940s.
The City of Joy was home to five synagogues back in the day, of which three—Beth El, Magen David and Neveh Shalome—are currently operational. The first two have been recognised as grade 1 heritage monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The synagogues in Kolkata are situated amidst the bustling Burrabazar locality. Incidentally, mostly Muslims work as caretakers of these institutions, and they have been doing so for more than two centuries. Another interesting fact is that these caretakers, for generations now, have been coming from a village called Kakatpur in Puri district in Odisha.
From the beginning of the current war, Israel and Palestine have seen horrors unimaginable. A war between two nations to have a designated state has resulted in religious strife all over the world. The waves have reached the shores of Kolkata as well.
The city has witnessed pro-Palestinian protests by left-leaning activists and some Muslim groups. On the other hand, the many supporters of right-leaning parties like the BJP opposed to Muslims have been supporting Israel.
But the Israel-Palestine conflict did not affect the functioning of the synagogues, until about 20 days ago, when the doors of the Neveh Shalome and Magen David synagogues were closed to visitors. When asked about the reason, the blunt answer of the caretakers was, “Don’t you know there is a war situation?”
Yet, the synagogues are being guarded and taken care of by the Muslim caretakers like before. They are being swept clean, chairs are being dusted and cobwebs are being taken down.
But their doors are being opened for people who are coming to pray only for a very short period in the morning. At other times of the day, only foreign tourists are being allowed in.
While the Israel-Palestine conflict may have crossed all humanitarian boundaries to reach unimaginable levels of barbarism, when children below the age of five are being slaughtered in the name of religious nationalism (it has happened on both sides), Kolkata’s Muslims, and the synagogues’ Muslim caretakers, have vowed to not let the Jewish temples—which form a proud part of India’s most multicultural of cities—come to any harm by a war 4,000 kilometres away.
