Muslim families look after Kolkata synagogues

Muslim caretakers maintain three synagogues in eastern Indian city, which was once home to a thriving Jewish community.

by Priyanka Borpujari for Al Jazeera

Kolkata, India - Generations of Muslim families have been taking care of the maintenance of three synagogues in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, which was once home to a thriving Jewish community.

The city's Jewish population has dwindled over the decades to just about 20 as compared to 3,000 at its peak before the country became independent from British rule in 1947.

Khalil Khan, 71, has been working as caretaker of Beth El synagogue, one of the city's three synagogues, for the past 55 years. His two sons - Anwar and Siraj - have chosen the same job.

"It takes a week to clean the entire structure, its furniture and artifacts. By Friday afternoon, the work has to be complete," said Rabbul Khan, whose father and two uncles have also previously worked at the Maghen David synagogue.

"This is necessary for the namaaz [prayers] that they perform on Saturdays," he told Al Jazeera.

However, there are no regular services conducted on Saturdays nowadays: only one person from the Jewish community visits each of the synagogues on Friday evenings - to light a candle.

Naseer Sheikh landed the job 56 years ago after his uncle left for his native village in neighbouring Odisha state, where all the caretakers come from. He is 80 years old and is still working, and is joined by his son Osim.

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Patrilineal Descent: Should the Baby be Taken to the Mikveh for Conversion?

by Rabbi Robyn Frisch. This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily

Do you know which of the following children would be considered Jewish without going through a conversion according to halacha (traditional Jewish law)?

a) A child born from the sperm of a Jewish male and the egg of a Jewish female, who was carried by a surrogate who was not Jewish and then raised by her Jewish biological parents.

b) The child of a biological father who was not Jewish and a biological mother who was not Jewish at the time of conception but who had a traditional Jewish conversion two days before giving birth to the child, who is adopted at birth and raised by parents who are not Jewish.

c) The biological child of a Jewish father and a mother who is not Jewish at the time she gives birth but later converts to Judaism, who is raised as a Jew by his biological parents.

In fact, only the child in (b) is considered Jewish according to halacha. The only factor that matters in determining the Jewish “status” of a child is the religion of the woman who gives birth to the child at the time she gives birth. Whether the biological father is Jewish; whether adoptive parents are Jewish; whether a biological mother is Jewish if she is not the one who gives birth to the child; even whether the child is raised as a Jew…all of these factors are not relevant in determining whether the child is Jewish according to halacha. (For discussion of this issue by a Conservative Rabbi CLICK HERE.)

The issue of “Who is a Jew?” can be confusing; it can seem illogical, and at times unfair. Due to the traditional Jewish rule of “matrilineal descent,” when a birth-mother is Jewish—regardless of how (or by whom) the child is raised—the child is Jewish according to halacha. But when the father is Jewish (or, in the case of adoption or surrogacy, both parents may be Jewish) but the birth mother is not Jewish, even if the child is raised as a Jew, he is not Jewish according to halacha.

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Sukkot and Simchat Torah: the Basics

This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily  

Sukkot is the third and final festival that commemorates the Jewish exodus from Egypt. The escape of Israel from Egypt is remembered at Passover, entering into a covenant with God at Mount Sinai is recalled at Shavuot, and sleeping in a temporary hut or booth ("sukkah" in Hebrew) while wandering in the wilderness is memorialized in the holiday of Sukkot. "Sukkot" is the plural form of sukkah.

Simchat Torah is the last of the fall holidays, arriving at the end of Sukkot. During Simchat Torah we can be filled with joy and love for God, for the Torah and for the Jewish community. The name of this holiday means "Joy of the Torah," and it marks the completion of the year long cycle of weekly Torah readings (parshiot).

This booklet will explain all the hows, whys and whats of these holidays, from symbols and ritual items through blessings and the importance of guests.

Let this booklet guide you through the the end of the last of the autumn holidays. This booklet is also great as:

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Sukkot: More Than Just a "Harvest Thing"

By Benjamin A. Maron; reprinted with permission of InterfaithFamily.com


In recent conversations about the current holiday of Sukkot, I've heard a common theme: People understand that we build a hut, known as a sukkah, and that we shake four species, known as lulav and etrog, but they want to know why. "I get that it's a harvest thing but..." is a trailing thought I've heard articulated repeatedly. So, before the holiday comes to a close, here's my guide to the less commonly known aspects of Sukkot.
Lulav and Etrog

"And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days." (Leviticus 23:40.) Why these four species? And why does taking them to "rejoice before God" mean "shake 'em!"?
Shake It For Sukkot: The Jewish holiday of Sukkot features the interesting ritual of shaking a lulav and etrog. Wondering what a lulav or etrog is? Wondering what the shaking is all about? Watch this video to find out.

There are a few theories on the origins of this ritual. My favorite, though not the one I'd teach my kids at religious school, is that it's a vestige of the pagan roots of our ancient religion, relating to fertility. It doesn't take much imagination to see the long lulav and the round etrog as representative of the human reproductive process, and that we thrust or shake them, well, I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

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Check out Jvillage’s High Holiday+    page.  While you're at it, check out our High Holidays Holiday Spotlight Kit for ideas, crafts, recipes, etc.