Photo courtesy of Myanmar Jewish Community
Myanmar’s Jewish community is mourning the passing of its long-time leader Moses Samuels, who died on May 29 in Yangon at the age of 65.
Of Iraqi Jewish descent, Samuels continued the work of his father in caring for the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue and Jewish community for over 35 years.
During his leadership he advocated for a better understanding between different faiths and peoples and invited leaders from different communities to the synagogue to exchange dialogues and share the history of the Jewish community of Myanmar.
He treated everyone with equal respect and dignity with an open door — no matter if they were Jewish or Buddhist, Muslim or Christian, Hindu or Baha’i.
Samuels lived with his wife Nelly Samuels for 44 years and had 3 children: Dinah, Kaznah and Sammy.
His son Sammy, graduate of Yeshiva University – New York, will continue to carry on his shoulders the burden of his heritage and the future Jewish community in Myanmar.
