Nearly 65 years after the foundation stone was laid for Greenford Synagogue and 23 years after the Shree Jalaram Mandir Hindu Temple was opened on the same site in West London, a chance phone call has led to a heartwarming meeting between the two communities.

Jonathan Banks, whose father, the late Abraham Banks, was one of the synagogue’s founders, was chatting to Raj Khiroya, the president of the Shree Jalaram Mandir Temple, about unrelated business, when the two men made the connection.

Banks, 67,  who lives in Harefield, told the JC: “Raj knew my father’s name from the founding stone and asked if I was related to him. When he discovered I was Abraham’s son, he said: ‘You must come and visit the temple. Your family is my family’.”

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Jonathan Banks chatting to Raj Khiroya (Photo: Handout)

More than 20 children and grandchildren of the Greenford Synagogue community, which was active between 1959 and 1999, were invited to attend a special service and share a vegetarian meal at the temple, where Banks was presented with a framed photograph of the original founding stone.

The Hindu community had retained the stone under their own building when they had rebuilt it four years ago. “It was quite emotional,” said Banks. “I’d had my bar mitzvah there and other people at the service had got married there. They also gave me a special Hindu shawl as  a guest of honour.”

Khiroya, who is a Liberal Democrat councillor in Rickmansworth, said: “We were really excited because for years, we were looking for the previous worshippers of Greenford Synagogue. We’d preserved the foundation stone and we wanted to make sure that we could show them that we had respected their culture.”

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The Shree Jalaram Mandir Hindu Temple (Photo: Handout)

In a speech to his Jewish guests, Khiroya said that the former members of Greenford Synagogue were considered by their hosts “founding members”.

He added: “This is not the only time we want to see you here. We want to welcome you with open arms. Don’t think that this is our temple. This place belongs to you. This place belongs to everyone.”

Gary Italiaander, 70, who had witnessed the foundation stone being laid and whose parents Michael and Doris had been founder members, said afterwards: “The Hindu community was so respectful.

Original Green shul

The Original Green shul (Photo: Handout)

“The hospitality and hand of friendship extended by them to the Jewish community was incredible and so special. It has created a link that we are sure will develop in the most interesting of ways.”

While “there was a sadness” when the synagogue closed down, said Italiaander, “to actually go back there and see what has been achieved by the Hindu community was just astounding.”