ABSTRACT
In 1963, I was fortunate to have been given a position as an exchange
faculty member at the University of Singapore Law Faculty. At the time, I
was a fellow at Harvard. Buildings in Singapore of those days were without
air conditioning, but had ceiling fans. David Marshall, the previous Prime Minister and a very fine person and Jew, had been sent into exile in Paris by
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator, in the guise of Prime Minister. Jewish
life was still vibrant, indeed the only center of Jewish life in all East,
Southeast and South Asia, but was declining. Nevertheless, there were two
synagogues, a wonderful Jewish school that my children attended, a mikvah,
shochet, and kosher food. Ms. Nissam, the doyen of the community, was a
warm, hospitable and observant Jew. She was most generous with her time,
used her ample funds to support the community, and had open house on the Sabbath and Yom Tovim, for all Jewish persons. While it took some
time to acclimate to the heat, our family had a wonderful time in Singapore.
The needlessly oppressive Singapore government’s actions only impinged on
our lives a little.
