Shaare Rahamim, or Gate of Mercy, at 254, Samuel Street, in the heart of Masjid’s wholesale market, is the oldest synagogue of Bombay. A tiny, unprepossessing building, difficult to locate, the Gate of Mercy is situated in the midst of a maze of crowded lanes and gets about five worshippers every Friday.
Built in 1796, by Samaji Hassaji Divekar or Samuel Ezekiel Divekar, an officer in the British army, who was imprisoned by Tipu Sultan and released on a plea from the sultan’s mother, this is a synagogue of the Bene Israel community of Jews.