140-year-old clock under Magen David synagogue steeple all set to strike again
Times of India | 7 June 2024
Kolkata: After reviving clo-cks in several churches, Kolkata Restorers — a citizen’s group that is crowd-funding the initiative — has started restoring a 140-year-old clock at Magen David synagogue at the junction of Brabourne Road and Canning Street.
Magen David (Shield of David) along with Pune’s Ohel David, are among the largest synagogues in Asia.Built by Elias David Ezra in memory of his father David Joseph Ezra, a Baghdadi Jew, Maghen David represents a medley of architectural styles. It has an Italian Renaissance design with a steeple, which is unusual for a synagogue. The story goes that the Ezra family wrote to Baghdad, the seat of Jewish learning, to ask if they could build a steeple and if it would be compatible with Jewish law (Halacha). The rabbis wrote back that there was nothing in Jewish law that said that a synagogue could not have a steeple, so they could build one but it had to be taller than the ones around it.
The interior style follows Baghdadi custom. It faces west to Jerusalem, there is a raised platform, a “bima” in the centre from where prayers are recited and there is separate seating for men and women. However, the Jews of Kolkata were cosmopolitan and the synagogue reflects this in the hybridity of styles used in its design. The chequered floor is of Italian marble, the tall pink columns are from a stone from Mirzapur, the tiles on the floor of the ark where the sacred scrolls are kept were imported from Amsterdam. The raised iron platform and the grilles of the ladies’ balcony were imported from England. The chairs and other furniture are of Burma teak while the arches of the synagogue are adorned with verses from the Psalms written in Hebrew.
While everything inside is in splendid condition, the caretakers of the synagogue say they have not heard the chime for nearly three decades. Jael Silliman, author and scholar from the community, said, “I have always marvelled at the synagogue’s architectural splendour, particularly the interiors. But the clock hasn’t chimed for a long while.”
Heritage clock specialist Swapan Dutta and his son Satyajit have been nursing the public clocks in Kolkata and other cities back to health. Swapan said this is the first time they are working on a clock in a synagogue. “The synagogue is beautiful but the clock is in very poor condition. Several parts are rusted and eroded, some parts are missing and have to be made again. We will first repair the clock with the hourly strike before attempting to revive the quarterly chime,” said Satyajit, who expects the restoration to take 30-45 days.
Kolkata Restorers has cro-wd-funded money from nearly 45 people to repair the clock.