Selegie Road. January 2014.
In the 2010's I stayed on and off in an apartment under Mount Sophia just behind Selegie Road during some of Brian's final years in Singapore. Selegie Road was the main pathway between Little India ]see: Little India] and Dhoby Ghaut at the end of Orchard Road and I had walked it countless times. After so many times passing along that street, I looked up one day to see the star of David on an old building. After a little digging I discovered that the Jews of Singapore had a history there just about as long as the British. Today the Jewish population of Singapore stands at about 10,000 people.
The first Jewish immigrants to Singapore came from Baghdad and called themselves Baghdadi Jews. They had been kicked out of Baghdad by the Ottoman Pasha of Baghdad and found a home in Singapore where they adopted Malay as their new language (ironic, as the Malays are Muslim). Since the Baghdadis spoke Arabic, still a useful language of trade, and also learned Malay, another language of regional trading AND the local language of Singapore, they created a niche for themselves in British Singapore. The official Rabbi of Singapore is still a descendent of those original Jewish settlers. Over time the Jewish community settled in and around Selegie Road and even though the community had typical sectarian disputes that small groups frequently have in such situations (especially over religious ritual - always great tempests in very small teapots), Synagogues were built and the small community thrived. With the establishment of Israel, the bulk of the population left and there was briefly a time less than 200 Jews remained in Singapore. However, these days there has been something of a rebound and the community is thriving once again (although not around Selegie Road).
As for the pictured Ellison Building:
The Ellison Building is a beautiful colonial-styled building located at the junction of Bukit Timah and Selegie Roads. It was previously owned by Issac Ellison (1864-1928), a well-known figure and one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Singapore. Issac Ellison himself was Romanian Jewish, and the Ellison Building was built in 1924 possibly for his wife Flora Ellison, a Baghdadi Jew from Rangoon, Myanmar’s former capital.
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Some of the iconic features of the Ellison Building include its curved design, a pair of semi-circular domes, situated at each end of the building, and the upper balconies. It also has 16 double-storey units. During the colonial period, the governors would sit at the balconies to catch the races held at Race Course Road on the Sundays, where some of the racehorses were owned by Issac Ellison.
As I often mention while posting travel photos, never forget to look up. (Thank you RAL!!!) After years of living in and passing through that Singapore neighborhood, I had never seen the star of David on that building. Even in a very familiar place, you might still discover something new.
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