On March 13, 2009, the Museum of Jewish Heritage presented “Jews in the Cradle of India.” The journalist Rahel Musleah, who is shown in this episode excerpt, was on the panel.
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The Muslims Preserving Kolkata’s Last Jewish Synagogues
The last Jewish synagogues in Kolkata, India, are cared for by Muslim carers, a match that is more natural than locals might think.
The Baghdadi Jewish Dish that was Created in Mumbai and Kolkata
This is the first time I’ve seen a chicken dish like this. This was the first time I’d ever had anything like that. When I first tasted chicken chitannee, I didn’t think about Aurangzeb, the British, or Dawud Pasha, Baghdad’s final Mamluk ruler. The thick gravy, combined with the fluffy white gobindobhog rice, would not…
Indian-Jewish Sangria
I wanted to highlight the various flavors of the Indian Jewish experience. Did you know that Jews have been living in India for almost 2,500 years and were the country’s first foreign religious group? It’s no surprise that the marriage of Indian tastes and Jewish tradition results in a delectable and distinctive dish. I tweaked…
Behold: Babu Ji’s Indian Jewish Bagel Mashup
Babu Ji, a popular modern Indian cafe named after “what we New Yorkers may call the mayor of the block,” is a must-visit for fans of all things chili and spice. If you’re talking about the mayor of a New York City block, you can bet he’ll require an egg and cheese bagel sandwich to…
Delhi’s last ten Jewish families guard an ancient heritage
(Reuters Life!) NEW DELHI – A Rabbi who has never been ordained bends old norms in the capital of one of the world’s most religiously diverse countries, guaranteeing that New Delhi’s 10 Jewish families have a space to pray. There is no distinction of men and women in this synagogue, unlike most, as Jewish-born worshippers,…
India’s Jewish ‘Lost Tribe’ Faces Hard Times in Israel
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Hanoch Haokip’s claim to be descended from one of Israel’s so-called “Lost Tribes,” according to ethnographers and Israeli geneticists who have examined the topic — and even most members of his ethnic group in India — is, at best, highly questionable. However, Haokip, a member of a small subgroup of indigenous…
Jewish women were Indian cinema’s first actresses
The Baghdadi Jewish community owes a significant debt of gratitude to Indian cinema because its women were among the first to act in films, at great danger to their reputation, at a period when women’s participation in performing arts was frowned upon. The majority of India’s film stars during the silent era were Jewish. However,…
Diminishing Jews in India
Judah Kulam – The Jewish Pond, Kannur, Kerala, India
The spice trade between King Solomon’s Israelite Kingdom of Israel and Judah and the Indian continent prompted the formation of Judah Kulam, also known as the Jewish Pond, a historic Jewish hamlet in South India.