The Beth El Synagogue (House of God) in Calcutta is one of the two great synagogues of the Baghdadi Jewish community and the older of the two major synagogues still standing in the city. Founded in 1856 on Pollock Street in the Burrabazar neighborhood that was the heart of Calcutta’s Jewish community, Beth El has served as a center of Baghdadi Jewish religious life for over 165 years. Along with the larger Magen David Synagogue built in 1884, it represents the architectural and spiritual legacy of one of colonial India’s most prosperous Jewish communities.
Architecture and Interior
The Beth El Synagogue is built in the Italianate style popular among Baghdadi Jewish congregations across Asia during the 19th century. Its arched windows, high ceiling, and ornate Torah ark reflect the wealth and ambition of the community that built it. The interior is furnished with dark polished wood pews, hanging oil lamps that have been converted to electric light, and Hebrew inscriptions on the walls. The Ark, which houses the community’s collection of Torah scrolls, is the most elaborate piece of furniture in the synagogue, decorated with carved wood and silver ornaments brought from Baghdad.
Torah Scrolls and Religious Artifacts
The Beth El Synagogue houses a collection of Torah scrolls wrapped in ornate mantles embroidered with Hebrew texts and decorated with silver rimmonim (finials). Several of these scrolls were brought directly from Baghdad by the founding families of the Calcutta Baghdadi Jewish community and are over two hundred years old. The synagogue also preserves silver Hanukkah menorahs, Passover Seder plates, and other ritual objects that represent centuries of Jewish craftsmanship.
The Pollock Street Community
The area around Pollock Street (now known as Brabourne Road) was the center of Baghdadi Jewish commercial and social life in Calcutta. Synagogues, Jewish schools, a Jewish hospital, and the homes of prominent Baghdadi families were clustered in this neighborhood. The Jewish Club, where the community gathered for social events and celebrations, was nearby. At the height of the community’s presence in the mid-20th century, this neighborhood hummed with Jewish life — Hebrew conversations in the streets, the smell of Sabbath cooking from Jewish homes, and the sound of prayers from the synagogues.
The Community’s Decline and the Synagogue Today
The decline of Calcutta’s Baghdadi Jewish community began after Indian Independence in 1947. Political instability, economic changes, and the lure of Israel drew thousands of community members away from the city they had called home for generations. By the 1970s, the community had shrunk dramatically. Today, fewer than 25 Jews remain in Calcutta, but both the Beth El and Magen David synagogues remain open and maintained by the Jewish Religious Union of Calcutta, a trust established by the community to preserve its heritage. Services are held on Shabbat and major holidays, and the synagogues welcome Jewish visitors from around the world.
For more on the Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta, see the Baghdadi Jews section of this website.