| Madras Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Hebrew:בית הכנסת במדרס | |
 Theseal of the synagogue | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Established | c. 1600s(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1644 |
The Madras Synagogue (Hebrew:בית הכנסת במדרס) is asynagogue, located inChennai (formerly known as Madras), in the state ofTamil Nadu, India. Completed in 1644, byJacques de Paiva, aParadesi Jew, it is the only synagogue in Chennai. Madras Synagogue was also known as theEsnoga, orSnoge;Esnoga means synagogue inLadino, the traditional Judaeo-Spanish language ofSephardic Jews.
TheAmsterdam Sephardic community was among the richest Jewish communities in Europe during theDutch Golden Age. They came to Chennai for trading inGolconda diamonds, precious stones and corals, they developed very good relations with the rulers ofGolkonda and maintained trade connections to Europe.
Stone inscription of the oldest synagogue in Tamil Nadu has been discovered near Valantharai near Ramanathapuram.[1] This inscription dates from the 13th century.
The first Madras Synagogue and cemetery was built by Amsterdam Sephardic community in Coral Merchant Street, George Town, in the 1600s. At the time there were a large presence of Portuguese Jews in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Neither the synagogue nor the Jewish population remains today.[2]
The Second Madras Synagogue andJewish Cemetery Chennai was built in 1644 by Jacques de Paiva, also from the Amsterdam Sephardic community, in Peddanaickenpet, which later became the South end ofMint Street.[3] In 1934, the second synagogue and the cemetery were partly demolished by the local government. The tombstones were moved to the Central Park of Madras along with the gate of the cemetery on whichBeit ha-Haim were written in Hebrew.[4]
The remaining synagogue and cemetery were fully demolished by local government authorities on 5 June 1968. The local government resumed the land for building a government school. The rabbi at that time, Rabbi Levi Salomon, the last Rabbi of the congregation died of aheart attack.[5][6] The remaining tombstones were moved opposite Kasimedu cemetery. In 1983, the tombstones from Central Park and those opposite the Kasimedu cemetery were moved to Lloyds Road, when the Chennai Harbour expansion project was approved.[7] In this whole process 17 tombstones went missing, including that of Jacques de Paiva.[8]
After ISIS planned attack,[9] Madras Synagogue is at undisclosed location under custody of Isaac and Rosa Charitable Trust, Henriques De Castro family.
Henriques De Castro family has decided to hand over everything toArchaeological Survey of India[citation needed]
Madras Synagogue has eightScrolls of the Law, several gold, silver and brass Antique Judaica Items.
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