Story behind RI's sole synagogue<\/p>\n
Wahyuni Kamah, Contributor, Surabaya<\/p>\n
The white Dutch-style building's architecture is simple and
\nclassical. Except for the mezuzah at its entrance and two Star of
\nDavid carvings on the teakwood door, nobody would know that it is
\na synagogue. In fact, it is the only synagogue in the country.<\/p>\n
Located on Jl. Kayun 6, Surabaya, it covers a 2,000-square-
\nmeter lot and is located near the Kali Mas river. This small
\nsynagogue also serves as the residence of Rivka Sayers, a Jewish
\nwoman who has lived in the city since 1970.<\/p>\n
Unlike any other synagogue, this one does not have Torah,
\nrabbi or teacher. There are also not enough people to make a
\nminyan (a quorum to conduct a Jewish public worship). Therefore,
\nreal rituals are rarely performed here.<\/p>\n
\"Only three families are regular visitors to this synagogue,\"
\nSayers said softly and politely.<\/p>\n
\"They are people who are half Indonesian half European or half
\nChinese half European. They usually come on Jewish holidays like
\nthe Sabbath, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah or Passover. Sometimes we
\nalso have dinner here.\"<\/p>\n
Sayers is only one of 20 known Jews living in Indonesia. Some
\nof them live in Jakarta and the others in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
The small community of Jews in Surabaya bought the house from
\na Dutch doctor. In 1948, the house was turned into a synagogue.<\/p>\n
The synagogue's interior is plain with no decorations on the
\nwalls. Only a few rows of benches are available. On the right,
\ninside the synagogue is a large room where a dining table for 20
\ncan be used for dinner.<\/p>\n
Though Sayers takes care of the synagogue by herself, she
\noften pays people to clean the house.<\/p>\n
Being a Jewish person in a Muslim-dominated country does not
\nmake Sayers feel alienated from the neighborhood, which is
\ndominated by people of Arabic descent.<\/p>\n
\"They are good friends,\" she said of her relationship with her
\nMuslim neighbors.<\/p>\n
Sayers does not have any problems remaining kosher (clean and
\nlegitimate according to Jewish law) since many products in the
\nmarket are halal (permitted under Muslim law). They are made in
\naccordance to Muslim law that bans pork or pork-derived products.<\/p>\n
Being an Iraqi-Jew, the 59-year-old woman gives private
\nlessons in Hebrew language and sometimes she gets donations from
\nsynagogue visitors. She, however, does not get regular financial
\nsupport from Western Jews. Nonetheless, she is proud of being a
\nJew.<\/p>\n
During the New Order regime, the government of Indonesia only
\nrecognized five religions and Judaism was not one of them.<\/p>\n
The history of the Jewish community in Indonesia cannot be
\nseparated from the Dutch colonial government.<\/p>\n
In the 1850s, there were at least 20 Jewish families of Dutch
\nand German origin living in Jakarta and other parts of the
\ncountry. In the 1930s, Jews fleeing the rise of Nazism across
\nEurope also found sanctuary in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
According to a database of Jewish Communities, in 1939 there
\nwere 2,000 Dutch-Jewish inhabitants and a number of stateless
\nJews who underwent trials during the Japanese occupation. The
\nDutch Jews suffered greatly during the Japanese occupation. After
\nWorld War II, and later upon Indonesia's independence, nearly all
\nJews left the country.<\/p>\n
Sayers' husband, just like other Jews, also had to spend the
\nwar years in a Japanese prison camp. Later, he left for Israel
\nupon his release. He returned to Indonesia to rejoin his father
\nwho had stayed to run the family's lumber business.<\/p>\n
Although there is only one synagogue in the country, there are
\na few Jewish cemeteries scattered around the country; in
\nSemarang, in Pangkalpinang, Bangka Island, South Sumatra and in
\nSurabaya.<\/p>",
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