THE JEWS OF SINGAPORE : COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, FAMILY

Abstract

This Academic Exercise is aimed at providing an ethnographic account of the different aspects of Jewish life in Singapore. The Jewish community of Singapore, being the remnant of what used to be a larger community in the 1930s, has a strength of about 200. Despite its dwindling numbers, it is still very much a traditional and closely knitted community. Though the ethnic minority had undergone much changes over the years, the Jews in Singapore have continued in their rich heritage of tradition and identity. A secondary objective of my study was to analyse the different processes through which the community maintain and promote their sense of Jewish identity, especially in the age of modernity. It is hoped that such an analysis will shed light on the multi-facet notion of Jewish identity. Anyone who is interested in understanding and knowing the different life facets and the presence of Jews in this part of the world, and also about the notions of Jewish identity must not overlook the endnotes and appendices of this study. These inclusion would add richness and interesting insights to help better understand the community, its life and its identity, as I humbly hope the study would do.