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Saying Mincha (Evening Prayer) in any city of the world where there is a fairly good-sited Jewish community is not a difficult matter, hut in Singapore, that great seaport of the Orient he who would say the afternoon prayers must depend on a bus that regularly picks up the mem bers of a subsidized minyan. In this article Mr. IVhite gives a vivid picture of Jewish life in far-off Singapore. Prayers Before Business n Singapore By David White Riding through modern Singapore by bus. Courte* of Dollar 81**®.* p I I' was a masterful sales talk. The crowd bent forward to inspect the shawls being displayed. The hawkers dark beadle eyes darted right and left as he held each multi-colored shawl before the curious eyes of the onlookers, and swore “by the beard of the Prophet.” Then came the secret of its manufacture. The impassioned discourse over, he began look ing for customers. The fat lady bought the scarlet shawl with the white peacock. Another took a purple monstrosity. Between sales he kept up his spiel. Standing there in the center of the curious tourists, he looked like a Mohammedan collosus astride the world. His fez at a rakish angle, his black hair tousled, his small beard playing up and down with each lengthy smile, dusky face and hooked nose—all added to the flavor of his sales. Fair tourists returning from Singapore would tell of the “dusky Mohammedan shawl merchant who gave them such adorable buys.” What made me perk up my ears was the whispered “mincha” of a similar badged individual who had been selling trinkets a short distance away. The entire conver sation was in a foreign tongue, but the word “mincha” intrigued me. The hawker begrudgingly folded his remaining shawls into a neat bundle and followed the other. He mistook the sudden move ment on my part and specula tively eyed the shawl 1 still held in my hand. He didn’t answer my request to be shown the synagogue where the Mincha services w’ere to be held, but hurried along, motioning me to follow. When we w’ere out of earshot, he turned, gave me a thorough inspection, and ex tended his grimy hand—“Sho- lom.” The other hawker came along side and the two marched off to,an await ing bus! The bus, evidently a private one, made a num ber of stops to pick up similarly garbed men and their bundles. I was now’ the center of a curious circle. Each pair of eyes burned into mine as though they wanted to lay open mv soul and see w’hat w as therein. They were not silent, these newly-found Arabian looking friends, but chatted, related anecdotes, and asked questions w’ith great rapidity. They more or less had opinions of the Jews of the United States and freely gave them—few', if any, com plimentary. They wanted to know “How many Jews in America kept kosher homes?” “Why we worked on Saturday?” “What made us so irreligious?’’ “The reason there w'ere so few orthodox?’’ “And.” a newcomer added, “I understand in America the Jew’s are not charitable; that they are selfishly wealthy and rarely help even a brother.” Another summed up his argument against our American Jews—“You are too much in a hurry, rush around too much, and you are all out for the money.” Between Mincha and maariv 1 was able to glean bits of the history of Singapore’s Jewry. It is not an old history for it is less than a hundred years old, but it is an interesting one which breathes of tropical tolerance, and firm beliefs, which tells of the struggles of the poor immigrants from Mesopotamia and India for a livelihood, of the romance of several individuals who attained great wealth. The 30’s and 40’s of the 19th Century were trying decades to the Jews of Mesopotamia. Harshly treated by a despotic rule, harassed by the petty annoyances of those Mohammedans around them, feeling intensely the economic depression which deprived them of their daily bread, a num ber set out for foreign lands to try their for tunes aw’ay from, their former miseries. A num ber were welcomed by the B’nai Israel to India. Several hundred settled in the coast cities of China. A number found their Land of Canaan on the island of Singapore, and made their homes there. The first step of this small community w'as to rent a place for worship. A schochet and chazan were invited to come to the island, and their sal aries w r ere paid at great sacrifice. The year 1878 found the community larger and more prosperous, and the Maghain Aboth Synagogue was built I through popular subscription. At the turn of the I 20th Century, the community numbered approxi mately four hundred and fifty, the majority oi whom w’ere Sephardic Jews. The Jews of the city had individually pros pered. Enthused by the tolerance and good will of the governmental officials, they had realized their ability for business and dominated in the particular spheres of trade. The most prominent Sephardic firms dealt largely in opium, rice and gunny bags; while the business of the Ashkenazi was chiefly in liquor, hotel keeping, and furniture. The history of the Jew's of Singapore since the latter part of the 19th Century is dominated by the benevolent figure of Sir Menassah Meyer, now deceased. He was the guiding hand of Judaism on the Island, a generous giver to charities, an eager communal w’orker. When the community increased in numbers and the synagogue was over crowded for services, he built, in 1905, Chased EL It was to this synagogue that we had come for mincha. The community needed a Talmud Torah for their children. Sir Menassah Meyer donated the funds to maintain a building and pay for teach ers. Local charities, yeshivas in Palestine and Bag dad, Zionism, and international Jewish funds have received generous grants from this noble Jew. The last thirty years have seen remarkable changes in Singapore. From a small community in 1900, Singapore’s Jewish settlement has grown to more than two thousand. Instead of a more pros perous group, the newcomers were very poor. In stead of established houses, the Jews now turned to the small bartering business and vendors o! commodities, selling from the curb at whatever prices they could get. With his bundle and h» glib sales talk, he looks for customers wherever he finds them. They are still the very wealthy and number of well-to-do, but their businesses have changed with the times. Opium has become out lawed as an article of trade. In its place are rubber and tin and banking. The Ashkenazi have dwindled to ten or more families, dependent upon furniture and the professions for their livelihood. In the religious life there has also been a de cided change. The religious intensity of the pen - eral group has lessened, and although there are > great number who observe the letter of the la*< there are an equal number w’ho do not. Kashrud is not strictly observed, religious w’orship confined to the few’ who have leisure and a handful who forget the economic struggle to ease the burning longing for the soul. To ensure a minyan for his synagogue, Sir M ffV assah Meyer repeated (Please turn to pag' 1° m * THE SOUTHERN ISRAELI!*