According to chairman and managing trustee of the Sir Jacob Sassoon and Allied Trust (SJSAT) Solomon Sopher, the restoration of the 135-year-old Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue on Forbes Street (currently V. B. Gandhi Marg) was "a great push for secularism,” noted The Free Press Journal (FPJ) of February 6, 2019. The report stated that the bulk of the funds for the project came from the Jindal family managed JSW Foundation. The Jindals are Hindus. Sangita Jindal, the Foundation’s chairperson was quoted in FPJ as saying, "I see a lot of communal rifts around us, but we were brought up in a secular way.” Sopher told FPJ that while the place of worship is open to members of all faiths valid identity documents are required for entry (owing to the threats of possible attacks, post 26/11).
Refurbished exterior (far left) and interiors of Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue: "great push for secularism" Photo: Khaki Tours
After work spanning a year, with 50 to 100 workmen on the job, the Synagogue was reopened for the public on February 7. Inaugurated by Maharashtra governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, the monument now sports a white and deep indigo on its Classical Revival-style exterior, and a Victorian-style green and gold paint on the inside. Executed by conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, funding for the project was provided by a few other organizations besides the Foundation: SJSAT, the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) and the World Monument Fund. The restoration included addressing cracks on the walls; repairs to the roof and wooden structures; replacement of the terracotta tiles on the roof; waterproofing of the terrace; and restoring of the original religious symbols like the Star of David. The stained glass panels, which according to many visitors are the highlight of the Synagogue, were restored by Swati Chandgadkar.
The Synagogue is in the vicinity of the street where the annual Kala Ghoda Art Festival is held, KGA chairman Maneck Davar reminded Parsiana on February 12. "The Association contributed Rs 30 lakhs for the renovation… This is a small amount compared to what the JSW Foundation contributed (reportedly, four crores of the five crores expended on the renovation came from the Foundation)…. The work had taken long to initiate, but the results are spectacular as one can see,” he stated. Reiterating that for KGA the Synagogue is not just a religious place but a heritage building with a history, Davar stated that the Association had last year contributed Rs 50 lakhs for the renovation of nearby St Thomas Cathedral, in time for the 300th anniversary of its opening.
Popularly known as the Blue Synagogue, the Grade II structure, designed by Bombay architects Gostling and Morris, was built in 1884 by Jacob Elias and his brother Albert Sassoon, in memory of their father Eliyahoo David Sassoon.