SHAARE RATSON (The Gates of Desire) SYNAGOGUE,
Israel Mohalla, Mandvi

“Sha'are Ratson” Synagogue, was constructed in 1843 and is the second oldest Synagogue in Mumbai. It belongs to the Bene Israel community, and was built by a group formerly affiliated with the “Sha'ar Harahamin” Synagogue, who has become dissatisfied with its management. To differentiate it, it was called the “New Synagogue,” while the “Sha'ar Harahamim” Synagogue became the “Old Synagogue.”

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The entrepreneurs behind the new project were Samuel Jacob Divekar and Haeem Isaji (Isaac) Garsulkar. The funds towards the building were collected in 1839, the land was bought on the 22nd of December 1840, the foundation stone was laid on the 2nd of August 1841 and the inauguration took place on the 4th of June 1843. The building is surrounded by a high wall with a main gate which is surmounted by a pediment with an inscription and a pair of wooden doors opening into the Synagogue compound. The ladies’ galleries, as well as in the Synagogues in Thana/Thane and some in other Synagogues in Konkan (Alibag, Panvell), cosists of a mezzanine floor in the space above the entrance to which access is gained by a detached stairway from the exterior.