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Maintaining a Legacy
The Musmeah Yeshua
Synagogue, an anachronism in a Buddhist country.
TRAVEL FEATURE - 790 words, 5 photos
Story and photos by BAILA LAZARUS
Yangon, Myanmar
Turning a corner onto 26th Street in downtown Yangon, one hardly
notices the high white wall amid the clutter of street vendors,
wooden shops, old buildings and rivers of people making their way
through the narrow road. But look up and you'll see the unmistakable
sign of a Jewish synagogue -- a seven-branched menora.
Standing at the front gate to meet visitors is Moses Samuels, the
synagogue's trustee for the last 18 years. A soft-spoken man,
speaking broken English, Samuels is dressed in a traditional Burmese
"longyi" and wears a kippah. He is always happy to show
the
synagogue to travellers, who have read about it in guide books,
heard about it from friends or, less frequently, stumbled across
it on their walk to visit one pagoda or another.
The modest exterior of Musmeah Yeshua belies a stunning, high-vaulted
interior of wood and glass. The ark hides beautiful Torah scrolls
in
silver cases. Other Judaica adorns the walls and office. The whitewashed
building was built in 1893, replacing an earlier wooden
structure from the middle of the 19th century, and it has been in
continuous
use ever since -- a surprising fact, given Myanmar's
turbulent history. But despite that Jews have been able to practise
freely
here, the community is dying out. And Samuels fears that there
will be no one left to care for the synagogue.
Myanmar (formerly Burma) was right at the center of a commerce
route
that joined Europe, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent
with
Southeast Asia. Jewish traders dealing in such goods as rice, cotton
and teak, passed through the area and, learning of Burma's religious
tolerance, many of them settled here. Jews enjoyed religious freedom
along with Buddhist, Islamic and Baha'i neighbors. Myanmar, in fact,
was the first Asian nation to set up diplomatic ties with the new
Israeli state.
At one point, prior to the Second World War, the Jewish community
in
Yangon numbered in the thousands, said Samuels. But many of the
Jews
left during the war, when the country was occupied by the Japanese.
Most went to the United States, India and Australia, he said. Later,
when the Israeli state was established, many Burmese Jews made aliyah.
Now, the community has dwindled to barely a couple of dozen, with
the
oldest being 75 years old and the youngest 23. Eight families are
all
that remain. Sometimes, there aren't enough men for a minyan, but
the
synagogue is still open every Friday for services. The synagogue
hasn't had a rabbi for more than 30 years, so Samuels, or another
member of the community leads the prayers.
Samuels himself is a Sephardic Jew who took over as the caretaker
of
the synagogue from his father. His son, Sammy, now in his early
20s,
is studying at Yeshivah University in New York. He returns to Yangon
every year and perhaps will be the next in the line of Samuels to
take over the care of the synagogue and the Jewish community that
is
left.
Connected to the synagogue is a cemetery of several hundred graves,
overgrown with grass and left in disrepair. The cemetery is full,
but
Samuels still has to maintain it and the synagogue has to raise
money
for the start and upkeep of a new cemetery on the outskirts of town.
Without a Jewish community to support it, however, it's been
difficult.
"It's good luck for me that nobody has died," Samuels
said. "We have
a field but no water [to wash the bodies] and no buildings."
Currently, the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee offers some
monetary support that goes to the small community, for items such
as
clothing, education and health. Shops that stand on synagogue land
contribute small amounts of rent that help pay for the electricity
and land tax, as well as a salary for the night and day watchmen.
But
the synagogue relies on private donations to keep its doors open.
Several generous sponsors have contributed to the upkeep for things
such as electrical and structural work and painting, but there is
a
constant need for money.
If the current military dictatorship in Myanmar were seen to change
its human rights policies, making Myanmar a more acceptable
destination for tourism and business, the Jewish community could
rebound and grow, paralleling its neighbor, Thailand. In Bangkok,
a
new Jewish center, elementary school and kosher restaurant exist
where none were a mere decade ago. But for now, that hope seems
faint.
For further information, contact Samuels at Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue,
No. 85, 26th St., Yangon, Myanmar. For donations, however, Samuels
suggests sending money to their embassies in Myanmar, if they have
one, or to the Israeli embassy in Yangon.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator
living in Vancouver, Canada. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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© 2004 Baila Lazarus
Musmeah Yeshuah synagogue.
Synagogue interior.
Caretaker Moses Samuels.
Old
Jewish cemetery.
Jewish tombstone.
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