Jewish History And Landmarks In Singapore

Magain Aboth synagogue on Waterloo Street.
Photo by Gaurav from Flickr, on Wikipedia.

When I first came to Singapore I joined the Friends of The Museum and with them took a tour of the local synagogues. We saw the synagogue on Waterloo Street, the mikvah (ritual bath) and the shop selling kosher food.




Later I joined a book group which studied all the minority groups and I did a presentation on the Jews of Singapore.

At a public dinner for a woman's association attached to one of the expat clubs I found myself sitting next to the widow of the late David Marshall, Singapore's first Chief Minister. I read a book about him and how we won nearly all his court cases defending people accused of murder. A friend of mine in Singapore who was a lawyer told me that David Marshall had won all his law cases for murder. I asked Mrs Marshall if it was true. She said yes, and no. Some cases he won were lost on appeal. other he lost were won on appeal.

Wikipedia said he won 99 out of 100 cases. And that because of this, the esteemed Lee Kwan Yew, who was in favour of the death penalty, and abolished the jury service in 1969.

The David Marshall trial story I remember is that of a little girl who 'hid' the baby she was babysitting in a well. As I remember or mis-remember this vivid story, he showed in court that she did not understand the concept of death being permanent, unlike sleep. She was hoping that when the baby was found safe and sound she would be rewarded for finding the baby, rewarded with an egg. She had seen the family eating eggs regularly, (every day?) but never had a chance to eat an egg.

I have followed his story with interest. Since the only picture Wikipedia can provide shows
David with a pipe in his mouth, I am not surprised to learn that he died of lung cancer.

This bust of David Marshall in in SMU, Singapore Management University.

Singapore Landmarks

Note that the six point star, known to Jews as the star of David, is also used as the Seal of Solomon by Muslims. The six point star is referred to in Hebrew as Magan/Magain David, star of David or Shield of David.

🔯

Some stories say it is based on or similar to a contemporary or older star which was supposed to catch the devil or misdeeds within the points of the star. We could argue about what it represents 'until the cows come home'.

David Elias Building with stars. Photo by Liadmalone in wikipedia.

Finally, the most well known landmarks in Singapore are Marina Bay Sands 


Marina Bay Sands


and the giant multi-storey waterfall in the centre of Jewell shopping mall in Changi airport. both by architect Safdie.


Waterfall at Jewell, Changi Airport, 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/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury

Remembering Chinese Names - rhymes, similar syllables, and sensible sentences

I have trouble remembering Chinese names. I am working on memory chains and rhymes.

For example, the late, great Lee Kwan Yew - lea(der) can [c(w)an] (do for) you. The leader can cut the yew tree.

Kan Kin Fung - can (my) kin / king (have) fun (eat fung_us - have fun).

Mr can-do. Mr can-do with his kin has fun eating fungus.

Koh Hock Seng - co(sy) hock(ey) sen(g).  Hockey stick SENds a ball. The COde for drinking HOCK inspires the SENses.

Min - minute or minimum or minuscule.

Wong - wrong / make a couplet or limerick about Mr Wong is never wrong.

Lim out on a limb.

Ming - king or ring or sing. A ming vase.

Wei Ling ... She is not wailing but smiling.

... Mei Ling  My friend is mailing me.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and teacher of English and languages.

How To Make Friends And Chat Whilst Travelling

Wear a badge which says, I want to chat. What a great idea. Not chat on social media, but chat to a real person near you.
What a great idea.

I love chatting to people.

A Singapore Taxi Chat
Sitting in a taxi to the airport, I got chatting to the taxi driver. The first comment I/we made was about noticing a new housing development. That led to discussing cutting down the jungle to make way for more houses.

What did the taxi driver think? More housing was needed, he conceded. Then he added an amusing and insightful comment on changing times. "Old Prime Minister (Lee Kwan Yew) planted trees. His son cut them down."

So true; so funny.

You can follow this train of thought in many directions. That each generation does the opposite of the previous generation. That the reason is that everybody wants to be different. That it's the swing of the pendulum. Sons rebelling against fathers.

Planting
In a country, developing and planting faces the same problems as when you plant a garden, as we did in London, England. First you have not enough greenery, not enough shade, not enough plants, so you plant trees and bushes. For a brief period things are just right.

But a few years later the trees are too tall and the bushes are merging and the grass is growing knee-highs if you don't spend every week cutting it down. Soon you are constantly pruning the trees and cutting down the bushes. Finally, you have to cut down the trees you planted.

I could write a poem or a PhD thesis or a book about this, just inspired by one sentence from a Singapore taxi driver. What pleasure from talking to stranger. I am an extravert and love talking to strangers. Maybe I should get a badge. If you get one, maybe one day I shall talk to you.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/i-talk-to-strangers-the-badge-campaign-encouraging-humans-to-actually-engage-with-one-another-a7319996.html

Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew remembered with rainbows

The anniversary of the death of Lee Kwan Yew has been marked by islandwide events. The pictures above are from the cover of a book given out at Toa Payoh Community Club.

At the Red Box in Somerset an artwork using flag erasers has created a portrait of Lee Kwan Yew. I read about this in Today newspaper. I was puzzled by a flag eraser. I thought, which part of a flag is the eraser? Then I looked around the internet for flag eraser and found they are used by primary school children.

I remembered how I'd asked for a rubber in a drug store in the USA and been told the shop did not sell them and I should go to a drug store.  Erasers are what the British call rubbers - because they used to be made of rubber, stationery, with the red of the Singapore flag.

If you are ever travelling and in need of an eraser, or as we say in England, a rubber, use a rubber band. Rubber bands are now rarely made of rubber and called an elastic band by Americans. To Americans the the word rubber means what we in England would call a condom. Sorry to bring this into an article on the revered Lee Kwan Yew, but I had to explain about the artwork.

The late Prime Minister's younger brother, Dr Lee Suan Yew, 82, has urged the country to move on and follow Lee Kwan Yew's advice to chase the rainbow.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.