The Curious Link Between Indian Jews and a Jerusalem Synagogue

Year:<\/strong> 1913. Location:<\/strong> Mea Shearim

In the central square of the Mea Shearim neighborhood stands the famous 'Tiferet Bachurim' synagogue, where Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv taught classes for decades. A special marble plaque narrates the fascinating story of the synagogue's establishment, known here as 'Tiferet Yerushalayim', funded by a generous donor from Bombay.<\/p>

The inscription reads: "To aid in the building of the Tiferet Yerushalayim study hall, the benefactor R' Yitzchak Zalman and his associates sent from the city of Bombay a total sum of 5,787.5 grush. May this always be a memory for them. May Hashem establish Zion, His city, and Jerusalem, the site of our glory, speedily in our days. Amen." What connects Bombay and Jerusalem?

Rabbi Yisrael Gliss, one of Jerusalem's longtime residents, recounts: "There was an incident involving two Jews traveling from India to Israel, arriving in Jerusalem as evening approached. They reached Jaffa Gate to find it closed. At that time, Mea Shearim was just being developed, and near Jaffa Gate sat a Jewish driver named Meir Kocha. Seeing two distressed individuals, he asked what was wrong. They explained the gates were closed. The driver invited them to his home, offered them mats to sleep on in his storage room, and they stayed there. The place resonated with them, and they remained in the neighborhood for three months, recording the neighborhood's lifestyle in a special diary written in Hindi.<\/p>

Before leaving, the neighborhood leaders requested a contribution to the community. Their response: We don't have all the money here, but we plan to build you a synagogue above the small ‘shtiebel’ you're constructing. This is the 'Tiferet Bachurim' synagogue, entirely donated by the Indians, with their names engraved on the marble plaque." Gliss continues, "One day, I shared this story about the Indians' donation with Rabbi Elyashiv. He found it hard to believe. He went to the synagogue to see the plaque himself. Amazingly, despite teaching there for 40 years, he'd never noticed 'Bombay' prominently displayed on it."<\/p>