World Jewish Congress president in Singapore for talks with government, Jewish community leaders

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder is on a visit to Singapore where he is holding meetings with senior government officials and the leaders of the Jewish community in the Southeast Asian city state.

On Tuesday, Lauder met with Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishna. The two men discussed the situation in the Middle East and Europe.

On Monday evening, he visited one of the state's two synagogues and gave a talk to guests invited by the Jewish Welfare Board, the umbrella organization of Jews in Singapore which is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress. 

The first Jews to settle on the island were of Baghdadi origin, mainly from India, who migrated to Singapore when Sir Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a British trading post in 1819.

The Jewish community was large enough to build a synagogue, on what is still known today as Synagogue Street, seating 40 people. Within thirty years, the community had grown significantly, necessitating the building of a larger synagogue.

In 1878, Maghain Aboth Synagogue was established. It is now the oldest Jewish house of worship in East Asia.

There were over 1,500 Jewish inhabitants on the island by 1939, when World War II broke out.

In 1942, the Japanese invaded Singapore, any of the Jews were interned. After the war, quite a few emigrated to Australia, England, the United States, and Israel. As a result, by the late 1960s the community dwindled to approximately 450.

However, today, approximately 2,000 Jews live in Singapore, and both synagogues are in use.

The Jewish Welfare Board, an elected committee of volunteers, manages the community's affairs.

In 2007, it opened a new Jewish community center next to the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.

Photo credits: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore; Steven Chew