Brought together by faith and art in Waterloo Street

Rabbi Mendel Blasberg at the Maghaim Aboth Synagogue. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"In Singapore we call it 'the mystery of Waterloo Street'," said H.H. Lee, a long-serving government interpreter who was with me during an exploration of the street in mid-July. Lee was commenting on the street's many religious landmarks which, put together, hold up a mirror to the multicultural community that's Singapore.

Moments before he made that remark, we found shelter from a sudden downpour inside Maghaim Aboth Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

The synagogue, whose name means "shield of our fathers", \was completed in 1878 by early Jewish settlers－mostly merchants from Iraq who came to trade as early as 1831. Today the building, influenced by the architectural style of the late Renaissance in Britain, still serves as the biggest gathering place for the Jewish community in Singapore.

The building consists of two floors, the first for men and the second for women. There is also a special place right beside the door, reserved for elderly women who cannot climb the stairs.

The day we visited, the church's resident rabbi had gone to Canada on family business. His temporary replacement, Rabbi Mendel Blasberg from New York, was there to receive us. "The early Jewish immigrants to Singapore were either Iraqi or Persian Jews. At its peak, the community had around 800 members," he said. "However, a lot left during World War II and the Japanese occupation. Today the number is estimated at 2,000 to 3,000, including those who travel regularly to and fro."

About once a month a rabbi flies to Singapore from Israel to conduct circumcision for male infants, an important initiation rite required by Judaism.