The Surabaya Synagogue

I first became aware of the existence of a small Jewish comuinity in Surabaya when I walked past this bulding around 1978. It was locked up tight - and there was no internet to google - so I learned nothing about it. Now there are many posts by afficianados of colonial history and Judaica. In 1978, the street was rutted and barely paved; now it is lined on the canal side with florists, as well as some dives of low repute, while the other side has a range of commercial buldings. So far, the synagogue appears in good repair, but the few remainig prewar structures in the neighborhood are coming down rapidly. The Synogague was opened in 1948, in a house boughtfrom a Dutch doctor. Since the 1960s, the Jewish community has dwindled to near extinction through emmigration and intermarriage.

Pemuteran

While the old Surabaya is largely vanished, development has been sporadic, and not in any discernible patter. Small pockets of older buildings – and an older way of life – remain tucked away between high-rises, endless shop blocks, roads, and construction sites. This is Pemuteran,, a market not far from my office.