Mumbai synagogue celebrates 150th

A synagogue in Mumbai, India, celebrated its 150th anniversary.

The Magen David Synagogue in Byculla was built in 1861 by David Sassoon, who was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829 and the leader of the Jewish community in Bombay after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there.

Foreign dignitaries from Israel, France, the United States, Canada, Poland and Italy attended Tuesday’s celebration at the synagogue. Indian President Pratibha Patil, who was scheduled to keynote the event, did not attend.

Also known as the Sassoon Synagogue, it now has difficulty getting a minyan together for Shabbat and holidays, its chairman, Solomon Sopher, told Indian media. Approximately 4,000 Jews are living in India, mostly in Mumbai.