MAGEN ABOTH (Defender or Shield of Ancestors) SYNGOGUE, 
Alibag/Alibaug

“Magen Aboth” Synagogue in Alibag, was built in 1840, by means of voluntary contributions and upon the initiative of Hacham Shelomo Salem Shurrabi, a Cochin Jew of Yemenite descent, who succeeded in involving retired personnel from the Indian army. They warmly supported the proposal and sufficient funds were raised for the erection of the sacred edifice. At the time, there were about 150 Bene Israel residing in the town.

A few years later, once again, donations enabled the construction of the present Synagogue in 1910, according to the design of Samuel Solomon Mazgavkar. The inauguration ceremony was held on 25th December, 1910 at this event, the Synagogue received its present name, “Magen Aboth”. The new building was neat and compact, decently furnished and was enclosed by a compound wall, to which wrought iron gates were added in 1936. The front edifice of the Synagogue has an Eclectic appearance in its architectural style, with a strong pseudo-Baroque design, dominated by three arches on the ground floor. The inner hall resembles other Bene Israel Synagogues in the Konkan and some other in Mumbai.

The Konkan Synagogues not only serve as places of worship for the Bene Israel but are also as a meeting point for the members of the tiny community. Most events and functions such as marriages, bar mitzvahs etc., take place in the sprawling gardens of the compound.