ENG-1954 — Page 272

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

The Parsis were among the foreign communities which arrived with the British in 1841. In 1829 they had established a prayer-house and cemetery in Macau, and in 1852 they established their first cemetery in Hong Kong, in Happy Valley. In 1874, they estab- lished a prayer-hall in Elgin Street, which was moved in 1931 to a new site on Leighton Hill Road. There is no Fire Temple or Tower of Silence.

The Jews, whose community numbers about 250, were also established in Macau prior to the foundation of Hong Kong where they were among the earliest residents. Their cemetery, on the slopes of Happy Valley, was founded in 1855, and their religious services were originally held in premises rented in the Peel Street, Staunton Street area of the Central district of Victoria. The present synagogue, built in 1901, is the gift of the late Sir Jacob Sassoon.

The first Hindu temple to be built in the Colony was completed in September 1953 and opened by the President of the Hindu Association. Followers of Guru Nanak have their temple known as the Sikh Temple at the Gurudwara Gap Road. Apart from this there is only private worship.

The Russian Orthodox congregation, which is about 150 strong, is divided into adherents who recognize the present Patriarch of Moscow and others who do not. The former founded their Church in 1934 and have a current membership of about 85. The latter hold their services in the Church Hall of St. Andrew's, Kowloon, by arrangement with the Anglican Church authorities. They are known as the Orthodox Church and formed a separate organization in 1949.

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