Do you know Rangoon has the most beautiful Baghdadi Synagogue in all of Asia?
Do you know Synagogue used to have 126 Torah Scrolls (probably highest number in the world)?
Do you know Rangoon had Jewish Mayor? Street in Yangon named after the Jewish merchant Judah Ezekiel
Do you know Coca- Cola was first brought to Rangoon by Jewish family called Solomon Brothers?
Do you know “Sofaer Building”, built by Iraqi Jews, is top 30 most beautiful heritage buildings in Yangon?
Today there are only a few Jews left in Myanmar. This trip will give you insight of this vibrant community and learn their escape from Japanese occupation in WWII. You will hear the interesting stories of “Jewish Life in Pagoda Land”.
Enjoy private tour and drive through downtown to explore the city centre and its fabulous mix of architecture and sites. The streets are filled with historical buildings many of which have a faded colonial charm not seen elsewhere in Asia. You’ll start at the post office – a lovely historic building, passing by Strand Hotel, Mahabandoola Garden and Independence Monument along the way. Then visit over 100 year old beautiful Rangoon Synagogue. In there you will have the opportunity to learn the Jewish Life in the Pagoda Land. Other site will include Sofaer Residence and Sofaer Building – original constructor, Issac Sofaer; he was a Baghdad-born, Rangoon-educated Jew who was a prominent member of Rangoon society as well as owning many commercial properties in Rangoon. After that if possible we will visit Jewish cemetery
Lunch at only Mediterranean Restaurant in Yangon “Prime Grill” with famous Israeli salad, Hummus, falafel and others.
Myanmar Shalom also organize 10 Day trip Jewish Heritage Tour with Kosher style meals. Congregations, communities, organizations or tour leaders interested to organize such a unique trip and keep the Jewish spirit alive in Myanmar, please contact to us at info@myanamrshalom.com
Jewish life in Burma today is quite different from what it was during colonial times, which lasted until World War II. Before the war, it still was the case that “the sun never set” on the British Empire, including in Southeast Asia. Jewish merchants, who migrated originally to Burma in the late 1800s, served as a natural conduit between the British colonial rulers and the export–import community abroad. The Jewish community of approximately 2,500 people was a respected presence in business and a valued part of local society. During this “Golden Age,” Jewish influence within the government and society as a whole grew rapidly.
Jews were incorporated into the life of the country and played a prominent part in various fields. In tropical Rangoon, Jews owned ice factories and bottling plants. Some dealt in textiles and timber, while others were customs officials and traders. Jews held a designated seat on the Rangoon Municipal Committee. The Jewish community in Burma was so influential, in fact, that in the first years of the century, Rangoon and the smaller city of Bassein had Jewish mayors, and Judah Ezekiel Street in downtown Rangoon was named to honor a Jew. The Sofaer family donated the iron gates to the Rangoon Zoo, and another Jew, Mordechai Isaac Cohen, donated the beautiful cast-iron bandstand in Bandoola Square.
In the center of downtown Rangoon stood Musmeah Yeshua, the grand synagogue with its soaring ceiling and graceful columns. Musmeah Yeshua, one of 188 sites on the list of Yangon Heritage Buildings, was constructed in the 1890s. The Jewish cemetery, with more than 600 gravestones, and the synagogue with its 126 silver sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) and Jewish school for over 200 students, proclaimed Jewish affluence and comfort in this lush land.
As Jewish wealth grew in those early days, Jewish philanthropy grew as well. The community donated large sums for local schools, libraries, hospitals, and helped local Burmese in many different ways. The Burmese were very appreciative of this aid and the country was a welcome and tolerant home for Jews for many years. The golden days of Jewish life in Burma came to a close when the Japanese invaded in 1941. Japanese occupation forced most of the Jewish community, along with most of the British colonial population, to flee to other countries. Some Jews returned after the war, but they soon realized that the beautiful life they remembered was no more and their homes and wealth were gone.
Even so, there were promising relations between postwar Burma and the new State of Israel. Burma and Israel both achieved their independence in 1948 and Burma recognized the State of Israel in 1949; it was the first Asian country to do so. Burmese Prime Minister U Nu was the first foreign head of state to visit the newly independent State of Israel, in 1955. In 1961, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion spent two weeks in Burma.
President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, and Shimon Peres also visited Burma. Despite these cordial relations, Jews found it difficult to regain their lives and re-establish their businesses in Burma after World War II. The Jews of Burma scattered—to Israel, Australia, England, and the United States. Since then, the Burmese Jewish community has continued to decrease in population. Today, only a handful of Jews live in Burma. For over 35 years, the Samuels family has been taken care of Synagogue, cemetery and what remains of the community.
