SINGAPORE - The first ever Jewish museum here opened its doors on Thursday (Dec 2) at the Jacob Ballas Centre in Waterloo Street, next to the Maghain Aboth Synagogue which has over the years become the unofficial centre for the Jewish Community.

Called the Jews of Singapore Museum, it traces the 200-year history of the Jews here, from their arrival soon after the British set up a colony in the early 1800s to March this year, when a 20-year-old man was detained for planning a knife attack at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.

It also tells the story of key Jewish figures whose contributions are etched in Singapore's history - among them these four pioneers:

1. First chief minister David Marshall

Born 1908, Mr David Saul Marshall was Singapore's first elected chief minister from 1955 to 1956, leading the charge in Singapore's bid for self-government.

He led an all-party delegation to London in 1956 to negotiate with the British, but the failure of talks eventually led to his resignation.

During his short stint as chief minister, many incidents of civil unrest, including student demonstrations and the Hock Lee bus riots and strikes took place, as people here began to strain against the strictures of the colonial social order.

He later founded the Workers' Party in 1957 and served as Singapore's ambassador to France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland between 1978 and 1993.

Mr Marshall had a strict Orthodox Jewish upbringing and was also the first elected president of the Jewish Welfare Board, which continues to provide for the Jewish community.

2. Stockbroker and philanthropist Jacob Ballas

Mr Ballas was a pillar of the Jewish community and was the former chairman of the Malaysia and Singapore Stock Exchange from 1964 to 1967.

Born 1921 in Iraq, his family moved to Singapore after the rubber market crash in the late 1920s and he first supported his family by selling the bread his mother baked in the neighbourhood, before becoming a car salesman and later a stockbroker.

As chairman of the stock exchange, he introduced strict listing requirements and new rules to control trading. While he was at the helm, the paid-up capital of listed companies rose from $870 million to almost $2 billion, and the number of companies whose shares were traded on the exchanges doubled.

Upon his death in 2000, his estate, which is said to have been worth more than $100 million, was split between charities in Singapore and Israel.

The Jacob Ballas Centre in Waterloo Street in Singapore, the hub of Jewish life here, as well as the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens were named in his honour.

He was president of the Jewish Welfare Board in 1961, and later for another 10 years from 1989.

3. Pioneering surgeon Yahya Cohen

Dr Yahya Cohen was a giant in the medical profession and was a distinguished surgeon, well known internationally.

As the clinical professor of surgery at the then-University of Singapore from 1969 to 1977, he was teacher and mentor to hundreds and thousands of medical students in the region.

He was a senior surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital from 1960 to 1972, and was also the president of the Singapore Medical Association from 1961 to 1962.

Born in 1920 here, he later authored many scientific papers in international journals and was a member of many boards of trustees of Jewish charities. He died in 2003.

4. Supreme Court judge Joseph Grimberg

Mr Joseph Grimberg was appointed judicial commissioner of the Supreme Court in 1987, and served on the Bench for two years. He has said in oral history interviews that one of his biggest regrets was declining the offer to be a High Court judge.

He helmed law firm Drew & Napier for 20 years from 1967 and 1987, and is one of the most respected lawyers in Singapore's history.

He was known as a first-class litigator who was formidable in court, and has a reputation for being a mentor to young lawyers who found themselves in difficult situations.

Born 1933, he studied at St Andrew's School and eventually attained his law degree in Cambridge.

In his memory, the Singapore Academy of Law and Drew & Napier instituted the Joseph Grimberg Outstanding Young Advocate Award to recognise young lawyers who demonstrate professional excellence and high ethical standards.