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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1987

Special to The Jewish News

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Bangkok's Few Jews
Support Israel Quietly

angkok, Thailand —
Otherwise than geo-
graphically, the
downtown synagogue in
Bangkok is as far removed
from that glitzy tourist mec-
ca as a backstreet in
Damascus. Located on the
ground floor of the Warner
Theatre Building, it is no
more than some ten minutes
walk from the Oriental, fre-
quently (and not inaccurate-
ly) described as the finest
hotel in the world.
The contrast could not be
greater. With no concession
to aesthetics, the Even Chain
Synagogue occupies a large,
low ceilinged office room,
perhaps 40 feet by 25 feet,
furnished with a heterogene-
ous collection of uncomfor-
table chairs. The discomfort
of the seating is of some
relevance, for the Friday eve-
ning service is extremely
lengthy. 'lb an Ashkenasi, it is
also somewhat monotonous,
with every word of the tradi-
tional liturgy chanted aloud
by relays of male members of
the Congregation.
By the time the service was
under way, the room was com-
fortably filled by some 25
males and a handful of wo-
men seated in the rear behind
an opaque curtain. All the
congregants were Sephardim,
with most Middle Eastern
and North African countries
represented. The President
and honorary "rabbi" is
Syrian born Salim Eubbani,
who came to Bangkok from
the Lebanon about 30 years
ago.
Even Chain, the name of
the small synagogue, means
precious stone. Hebrew
names of synagogues general-
ly express congregational
aspirations rather than
realities. My own childhood
synagogue in London was
named "Agudat Achim"
(band of brothers), which
could only have been true if
the relationship were that of
Cain and Abel. The most con-
tentious congregation I ever
knew was perversely named
"Ohev Shalom," (lovers of
peace). But Even Chain could
not be more appropriate for
the Bangkok bethel; all of its
members are dealers in
gemstones.
Bangkok is one of the ma-
jor world centers for the cut-
ting of precious stones and
for jewelry design. Diamonds,
rubies, sapphires and other
gems are imported from near-
by Burma and distant
Australia and New Zealand.

Jews from Moslem lands who
had been occupied in this
trade and found their situa-
tion increasingly precarious
with the evolution of the
Israel-Arab conflict, tried
their hand in Thailand. Some
stayed to form the backbone
of the devout Sefardi com-
munity, introducing their
sons into the trade as well as
their religious tradition. That
Friday evening, more than
half of the congregants were
under 30.
The rest of the Jewish com-
munity is far less committed,
partly because they are tran-
sients. Of the total 80 fam-
ilies, only 30 could be des-
cribed as permanent resi-
dents. Of the rest, about 20
families are American, there
for business, profession or
public service and a similar
number of Israelis are either
attached to the Israel em-
bassy or serving Thai enter-
prises as consultants.
Jewish life, such as it is,
revolves around the Bangkok
Jewish Center, a spacious but

The small Bangkok
Jewish community
is divided about its
response to the
national
ambivalence
on Israel.

underused building off one of
the city's main highways. A
Center of this size might sug-
gest commendable dedication
and generosity in so tiny a
community. But in fact, it
came about through the mu-
nificence of one lady, Mrs.
Elizabeth Zerner, the Thai-
born daughter of Lithuanian
parents and a childless widow
with a substantial estate. She
bequeathed some $400,000
for the Center building, which
also houses the irregularly oc-
cupied Zerner Memorial Syn-
agogue. Frequent social func-
tions are held there as well as
regular programs and tuition
for the 30 children of the
community.
All of these activities had
been conducted by volunteers
but recently, Mrs. Eubbani
was appointed as the com-
munity's social director and is
bringing a new liveliness and
enthusiasm to these endea-
vors. But all is low profile, for
this community, is reluctant
to draw attention to itself.
One of the reasons is securi-
ty, about which the communi-
ty became very conscious in
1972 when the Israel em-
bassy was seized by Palestin-
ian terrorists. It ended with