This Little Myanmar Synagogue Welcomes Everyone

The interior of Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon, Myanmar is lovingly cared for by the Samuels family who also try to be available to answer questions for visitors.

World religious leaders could learn a thing or two from the tiny Jewish community in Myanmar (Burma). This little Myanmar synagogue welcomes everyone and has become a beacon of ecumenism in this primarily Buddhist country. As a result, curiously enough, it has also become one of Trip Advisor’s Top Ten places to see in Yangon, the country’s capital.

Trip Advisor recommendation
Trip Advisor lists the synagogue one of the top ten places to visit in Yangon.

“I credit my father, Moses Samuels,” says Sammy Samuels of the Trip Advisor recommendation. Sammy and his sisters, Shana and Dinah, have taken over from his late father, as caretakers of Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon (Rangoon). ” Under my father’s care, the synagogue welcomed everyone. He never asked if they were Jewish. If they were interested, he would explain about our history.”

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Cruise the Ayerawady in Myanmar

sunset Bagan Amawaterways Cruise Myanmar

The sun sets over 2000 stupas in Bagan

The sound of a giant egg beater makes me look up from my book. And it looks like that’s exactly what is attached to the little boat dashing past on the busy Ayerawady River. Our vessel, the Amapura, an elegantly appointed cruise boat, attracts enthusiastic waves from every passing craft. Continue reading

The People of Myanmar (Burma)

The relentless sun shimmering on gold temples, the inevitable dust and sand at the end of the dry season, the difficulty of coping in a language so foreign to me that even after a week, I can’t easily remember simple phrases – these are the impressions I have taken away from Myanmar. Continue reading