Showing posts with label David Marshall. Show all posts

Monday, December 6, 2021

The New Jewish Museum of Singapore opened December 2021

Maghain Aboth Synagogue, Singapore. The name means shield of our fathers. Notice the six point star at the top of the building and the Hebrew writing which you read from right to left. The Russian and almost identical Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabets were designed by the two Greek orthodox priests who were brothers, one called Cyril. Their Cyrillic alphabets turned the letters around so you could write from left to write. Now you know why some Russian and Cyrillic letters seem to be back to front. That was how writing the alphabet started.

The museum is in Waterloo Street, near two MRT stations. The nearest is Bras Basah CC2.

One block away is Ben Coolen MRT railway station on the Downtown line, DT21. Print the street map, or at the ticket office before leaving the station, ask for the Singapore Art Museum.

Entry to the Jewish Museum is free, but you must book. On the booking form you have to give your name and NRIC (national identity card) number.

The Museum is in the Jacob Ballas building, next door to the Maghain Aboth synagogue, completed 1878, and diagonally opposite the Singapore Art Museum.

The centre also has a kosher food shop. Check the opening hours.

Famous Jewish Singaporeans include

1 Jacob Ballas, who was the donor for the building. first chairman of the Malayan Stock exchange, later the Malaysia and Singapore stock exchange.

2 Lawyer Harry Elias - set up the criminal legal aid system

3 Surgeon Yahya Cohen

Sir Manasseh Meyer

4 Sir Manasseh Meyer who built the second synagogue Chesed-el, next to his house. It opened in 1905. It has white marble floors, has a white interior, and white exterior, contrasting with green trees.

The synagogue on Waterloo street contains a Mikveh, Jewish ritual bath for women, used complete submersion after the end of menstruation before resuming marital relations with the husband. I saw this on a guided tour organized by either Friends of the Museum or the Women's Association of the British club or the American club or the Australian club. I was active in all of these, and writers groups and British Council meetings, in my early days in Singapore, before joining Toastmasters International.

Wiki reveals:

Together with three other wealthy Jews, Meyer bought a large piece of land in Moulmein Road for $5,407.12 for the Jewish Cemetery. Meyer also bought the adjoining piece of land for $8,681.40 and, after reserving a plot for himself and his second wife, Rebecca, presented it to the community. His wife Rebecca died in 1915.

the lawyer

5 David Marshall, first chief minister of Singapore.

David Marshall born 1908, studied law in the UK.

Fascinating book about the David Marshall trials. He saved a little girl from being hanged.

I met his widow at a lunch. I asked her if it was true that he had won every case. Not exactly, she told me. 'Some he won, but lost on appeal. Some he lost, but won on appeal.'

Whilst visiting the Jewish Museum, see the Singapore Art Museum.

Jewish Museum

24 Waterloo Street,

Singapore 187968

Opening times

Open Sunday to

Thursday 10-6

Friday morning 12-1

Closed on Saturday and Jewish festivals.

jewsofsingapore@jwb.org.sg

Chesed-El synagogue, Oxley Rise, Singapore

Useful Websites

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/first-jewish-museum-in-singapore-opens-in-waterloo-street

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/singapore-jewish-community-has-deep-roots-stretching-back-to-1819

https://singaporejews.com/museum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Singaporean_Jews

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghain_Aboth_Synagogue

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/singapore-virtual-jewish-history-tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh_Meyer

Inter Religious Organization, founded 1949

https://iro.sg/judaism/

ART MUSEUM

https://www.facebook.com/singaporeartmuseum

https://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/art-events/exhibitions/the-explorer-project

Singapore Art Museum

Jan 14 2022 a new branch will open in the Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

Getting there

Bencoolen on the downtown Line.

SBS Transit - 1800 287 2727.

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I also have a blog on comic poems.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

A Pioneer Has Passed Away - Jean Marshall, widow of David Marshall

Long before I met Mrs Marshall, a friend of mine in Singapore who was in law, and married to a lawyer, told me about David Marshall winning all his court cases and recommended that I read a book about him. At the time I was researching for a book group attached to Friends of The Museum, and my subject for religions of Singapore was Jews.

I loved the book. I was engrossed by the story of the little girl, aged about 12, who had dropped the family baby into a well, thinking it would simply sleep. She hoped that when she revealed the hiding place she would be rewarded with an egg, because she had seen the family eating eggs, but had never been given the opportunity to try one.

Marshall, defending this little girl against the death penalty, was able to prove to the jury that the child had not intended to kill the child, because she could not distinguish between death and sleep. And he also won their sympathy for the child who spent all day long babysitting but was not even allowed to eat an egg.

I met Mrs Marshall by chance at a lunch of either the British Club women's association or the American Club women's association. The event was at the Mandarin Orchard hotel on Orchard Road near Somerset MRT when I was living in the Beaumont condo in Devonshire Road just behind the hotel.

I was shown to a table with a couple of free seats occupied by those who were guests, not members of the association. Some bright young things were already engrossed in pairs in conversation. I sat down to one side, ignored. The other side of me was an empty seat beside an elderly lady who was also ignored.

It was either sit alone or talk to the elderly lady. Might as well be nice to her. She had arrived before me and must have been ignored longer than I had.

So I moved beside her, smiled enthusiastically, and asked her name.

"Marshall."

"Oh," I responded, "Marshall? Any relation to David Marshall?"

I could not believe my luck. I had missed out on meeting David Marshall, who died after I reached Singapore. But fate had thrown Mrs Marshall onto my table at lunch. And

I asked her, "Is it true that your husband won all his court cases?"

She replied, "Not exactly. Some of them he won, but the case was lost on appeal. Others he lost, but won on appeal."

She told me lots more, about their stay in Switzerland, and France. But the previous conversation I have quoted was the most memorable.

Useful Websites

STRAITS TIMES

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/10/jewish-history-and-landmarks-in.html

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/jean-marshall-social-work-pioneer-and-wife-of-former-chief-minister-david-marshall-dies

WIKIPEDIA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Marshall_(Singaporean_politician)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Singapore

The David Marshall trials by Alex Josey( Book )
David Marshall's political interlude by Alex Josey( Book )

https://www.amazon.com/David-Marshall-Trials-Alex-Jossey/dp/9812616217

A sensation of independence : a political biography of David Marshall by Heng Chee Chan( Book )

Marshall of Singapore : a biography by Kevin Tan( )

Letters from Mao's China by David Marshall( Book )

Letters from Mao’s China. (1996). (By David Marshall) Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society.(Call no.: RSING 951.05 MAR)
Singapore’s struggle for nationhood 1945–59. (1971). Singapore: University Education Press. (Call no.: RSEA 959. 57024 MAR-[HIS])
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988).
Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 261. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA])2. Bieder, J. (2007).
The Jews of Singapore. Singapore: Suntree Media, p. 53. (Call no.: RSING 959.57004924 BIE-[HIS])
Eze Nathan’s The History of Jews in Singapore 1830-1945

Articles

Wikipedia David Marshall
infopedia.nl.sg
remembersingaporewordpress.com
singaporejews.com
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_283_2005-01-13.html
https://expatliving.sg/touring-singapores-jewish-cultural-and-historical-contribution/

The body dies; the body's beauty lives."

— Wallace Stevens

Books

Books on David Marshall

https://www.amazon.com/David-Marshall-Trials-Alex-Jossey/dp/9812616217

https://www.amazon.sg/Marshall-Singapore-Biography-Kevin-Tan/dp/9812308784

https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/the-david-marshall-trials-reprint

About the Author

About The Author Angela

Angela Lansbury is a British author who has lived in the USA.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore.

She has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

Monday, February 24, 2020

Listening When Travelling - the entertaining characters I have met

At Writer's Holiday in Wales I was entranced by true stories from other people's lives. Writers won't tell you about their novels. They say, "You'll have to read it!" However, they have countless true tales from their own lives, with just as many causes and effects, characters, sorrows and joys - and twist endings!

Several times I have found that the person I wanted to sit next to was already with a group of fellow writers (poets, novelists, whatever) or with their own husband and family. So I have sat down beside a stranger or acquaintance, hoping to make the best of it. Only two or three questions very quickly lead you to what they care about, the tragedy of a sick child or dead spouse.

You might hear, or ask, who the speaker blames. Sometimes they blame themselves. Sometimes they regret the victim 'didn't look after himself. Sometimes it's the fault of the government or the health service, "Don't get me started!" They start!

US PR
I remember three specific characters who looked unpromising but had me entranced. The first notable occasion was the plain woman who was PR for a small American town which had few unusual attractions. They ended up kidnapping a tourist family. (First advertising for a family of four who wanted to be mock-kidnapped, forced to visit attractions of the tourist boar's choice, an all expenses paid holiday in a town which almost nobody every visited. They got great publicity nationwide. By the end of the evening I was entranced by this story. I thought I had struck lucky with my conversation companion.

When a fellow journalist asked, "Who was that dull looking women you were so entranced by?" I felt quite enraged that he thought her looks were unpromising, although I had felt exactly the same before I got to know her.

Abraham Lincoln said it exactly: "I do not like that man. I must get to know him better."

UK Writers
On my Writers Holiday and Writers Summer School I have often found glum people who brightened as soon as you engaged them in conversation.

What sort of person? The balding, badly spoken man who turned out to have written comic lines for all the world's great comedians in the UK and the USA.

WWII Stories
The man in the wheelchair told rivetting stories about being in WWII prison camps.

Forte Press Conference VIP
The presence of the short man, at the Forte press conference, puzzled me. Who was he? Who invited him?

I had met several hangers on and wondered if he was one of them. Who let him in? Was the PR person getting desperate?

No. The short man turned out to be the VIP, Mr Forte.

Princess Margaret Reception
I was a student at a conference at a building in Windsor Great Park. We had an unexpected treat. Princess Margaret was coming to meet us. We dressed up. At least I did.

One or two strangers appeared, mostly staff for the catering. One woman wore a plain shirt dress, when I was in rainbow striped shirt in honour of meeting Princess Margaret. The woman in the plain shirt dress was Princess Margaret.

Robert Maxwell's Wife
The older lady in plain clothes at the talk by Robert Maxwell's wife. I met the visitor in the ladies toilet. She admitted she was not a journalist, just married to one. Only later, when she was introduced did I discover she was Robert Maxwell's wife.

American Woman's Lunch In Singapore
The elderly lady with the empty chair beside her at the American womens association in Singapore. I arrived seat and the young immaculately dressed Americans were all chatting away. The only vacant seat was by the old lady. I sat down and, after a few second's pause, introduced myself and asked here who she was. She was the widow of my hero. the first prime minister of Singapore, David Marshall, whose life story I had just read. It was said that he was every case. I asked her - but that's another story.

Let's go back to the UK writers I have met.

In the UK - a fellow writer and listener

Another surprise and delight, the woman with the lop-sided face, damaged from birth. I thought the only empty seat beside her was because strangers were avoiding her. I quickly discovered she is the most intelligent and interesting. She is a prolific writer or articles and books. She always asks about my problems and comes up with to-the-point questions. I remember on one occasion, I said, "I've always wanted to ...," She immediately asked, "What's stopping you?"

Now when I see her in the distance, I dash straight across the room to talk to her.

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”
― Ernest Hemingway

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Listening Quotes

Quotes tagged as "listening" Showing 1-30 of 716

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”
― Ernest Hemingway

tags: concern, empathy, listening, understanding-others

2958 likes

“Don't Just

Don't just learn, experience.
Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticize, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

tags: listening

1424 likes

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
― Leo Buscaglia

tags: compassion, empathy, inspirational, listening

1378 likes

“This is the problem with dealing with someone who is actually a good listener. They don’t jump in on your sentences, saving you from actually finishing them, or talk over you, allowing what you do manage to get out to be lost or altered in transit. Instead, they wait, so you have to keep going.”
― Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

tags: listening

1021 likes

“Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears.”
― Criss Jami

tags: broken, broken-hearts, comforting, crying, doctor, father, god, healing, heart, heartbreak, heavenly-father, hurt, listen, listening, loss, pain, recovery, tears

890 likes

“7 Effective Ways to Make Others Feel Important

1. Use their name.
2. Express sincere gratitude.
3. Do more listening than talking.
4. Talk more about them than about you.
5. Be authentically interested.
6. Be sincere in your praise.
7. Show you care.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.”
― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

tags: empathy, listening, shame, speaking

516 likes

“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
― Zeno of Citium, as quoted by Diogenes Laërtius

“You're short on ears and long on mouth.”
― John Wayne

The best apology is changed behaviour.

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
― Mother Theresa

“We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.”
― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

tags: change, growth, inspirational, learning-from-mistakes, past

1439 likes

Useful Websites
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/listening

The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.

Ralph Nichols

Almost everybody will listen to you when you tell your own story. Billy Graham
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/search_results?q=listen

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Benjamin Disraeli
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/benjamin-disraeli-quotes

My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.

Benjamin Disraeli

Nobody is forgotten when it is convenient to remember him.
Benjamin Disraeli.

Useful Websites
brainyquotes
goodreads
wiseoldsayings

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author of Quick Quotations.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Travel with Angela Lansbury

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