Al Haqeeqa
Mansooruddin Faridi/New Delhi
Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, an India-born Jewish Priest who manages the only synagogue of north India in New Delhi, said that the Israel-Hamas conflict is not between two countries neither is it between Muslims and Jews. It is a fight against terrorism and an organization.
Speaking with Awaz-the Voice on the situation in the Middle East, Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar said, “There is no issue of religion in it because we are the same. Be it Islam, Judaism, or Christianity, we are all one. Muslims believe in Ibrahim, Ishaq, Jacob, Moosa, and Salman.”
Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar is one of the well-known Jewish priests and a religious figure in the capital. The synagogue is visited by members of 10 Jewish families and it also serves as a cultural center for the people of this minority community.
He said that we consider Muslims as our brothers, we are descendants of Hazrat Ibrahim. We call him Ibrahim, you call him Hazrat Ibrahim; Jews say Jacob who is Hazrat Yakub. They call him Yusuf, you call him Hazrat Yusuf.
“We have forgotten our relations, we are brothers. This is a blood relation, our God is one. We just have to avoid politics and religious hatred, because due to lack of knowledge, we are often misled. This uniformity tells us that we believe in one God, then why is this controversial? I pray to God that this problem should be solved and this hatred should end soon.
He says that Hamas or any other terror group cannot represent or interpret Islam or Muslims. They are terror. Now Israel has retaliated and innocent people are being killed.
The only way out is to give up terrorism followed by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority sitting together to solve the problem. The United Nations may also be involved in this. No problem cannot be solved in the world.”
He said that what is happening in this war is inhuman. All this should not happen. Peace is necessary. Unless there is peace, no problem will be solved. This problem is such that we can pray for the restoration of peace. I believe that religion and politics are different. Of course, there can be two sides to the same coin.
I am a supporter of a multi-religious society
The rabbi says he believes in the idea of the coexistence of all religions. I live in Delhi and attend every multi-faith conference held in the national capital where I also offer prayers.
He has visited and offered prayers at Ajmer Sharif where he says, he discussed the ideas and teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty.
He says his circle of friends in Delhi is very large, especially among Muslims. “I have many friends in Old Delhi, I go to meet all of them. I liked Maulana Waheeduddin Khan. I discuss the teachings of the Holy Quran with my friends. There is a Jewish festival in which we light eight charkhas or lamps. I invite a person from one religion every day.”
He says, “I have tried to keep up with the modern society while maintaining my traditions with the Jews of Delhi.”
He has conducted 15 interfaith marriages so far. They do not ask any partner to convert their spouse’s religion. He further says that we should change our perspective according to time. This should happen not only in Judaism but in all religions.
The Rabbi says, “I have a daughter who decided to study mass communication instead of becoming a lawyer. She was the only Jewish student of Jamia Millia.”
He says that at that time people used to ask could a Jewish girl study in Jamia Millia Islamia. It happened and my daughter’s friends used to come to this synagogue. They used to ask me to do prayers and seek information about worship methods.”
The Rabbi was also invited to Jamia Millia to deliver a lecture on religious tolerance and friendship between Muslims and Jews. “My daughter always used to go to the house of Muslim friends to meet them during festivals and weddings. Since she is a vegetarian, her friends used to arrange appropriate food for her.”
While talking to Awaz-The Voice, he said that Jews came to India 2,000 years ago and this is the only country where they did not have to face anti-Semitism and persecution. We consider ourselves Indians because we have never faced any deception or deceit on this land.
“This is the beauty of India. Be it Hindu or Muslim, I have friendship and closeness with everyone. Jewish communities have integrated with the local culture and adopted regional customs, traditions, clothing styles, and language,” the Rabbi says.
He says that in the 1940s the population of Jews in India was around 50,000. Since then many Jews have migrated to other countries like Israel, the UK, the USA, and Canada. It is estimated that currently, only 6000 Jews live in India. Only ten families live in Delhi. Yet Jews play an important role in Indian society and its culture.
The Yehuda Hayam Synagogue on Humayun Road was inaugurated in the 1950s and has been maintained since the 1980s. Ezekiel Isaac lived in Pune before Delhi and came to the capital in 1980 due to his job in the Health Ministry.
He was the secretary of the Sukath Shilomo Synagogue in Pune. Out of curiosity, he studied the scriptures of other religions like Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam.
Malekar also learned Sanskrit to understand the Hindu scriptures. He left a government house in Delhi at the request of a Jewish elder and moved into a synagogue, and is still looking after the 67-year-old synagogue and the 100-year-old Jewish cemetery.
Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar is also a lawyer, who has worked with 5 former Chief Justices of India. He has also written four books. He has received many important awards. He is the recipient of the Peace Ambassador Martin Luther Award for Jewish Welfare, Interfaith Leadership Award, and World Peace Trustee Peace Lotus by the World Yoga Community, New York, USA.
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He said that many of my family members are abroad, in Israel, Australia, and also. Some went to Canada. However, they do not want to go away from their motherland. He says Israel is in my heart, but India is in my blood.
