There’s a whole menu of Jewish cuisine that most of us will be unfamiliar with. It’s quite unique, having been developed by a group of Iraqi Jews in Calcutta. It was always a small group of émigrés — 5,000 people at its peak — that has now shrunk to less than 20 people. “Even at…
The 450-year-old Synagogue’s keeper is concerned about the Jewish community’s future in Kochi. Joseph Elias Josephai (affectionately known as Babu) is one of the few remaining members of Kochi’s Jewish community. Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, a substantial number of Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews) returned to the holy land. As…
We need to look no further than Kolkata’s Jewish Synagogues for a case study on community peace. The Jewish population in Kolkata, which once numbered 6000 people, has shrunk to less than 20 people. The three main Jewish synagogues in Kolkata have been cared for by Muslims for years. The Maghen David and Beth El…
Sadia Shepard was raised as a Muslim. Her grandma turned out to be Jewish, which is unusual in India. Sadia traveled to India in search of her ancestors’ Jewish tribe, the Bene Israel, to learn more about her roots.
In India, there are fewer than 4,000 Jews, although there are around 100,000 Indian Jews in Israel. Take a look at how it all went down. Sophie Judah first realized she was Jewish when she was 14 years old and received a copy of Anne Frank’s diary from her uncle. “I’ve read it seven times…
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is now in India for a six-day visit aimed at bolstering the country’s 25-year-old diplomatic ties with Israel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, has already enhanced the relationship by becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was greeted with…
Thursday, November 18, 2021, 2:30 pm Dr. Ervin will discuss the history, culture, and unique assimilation of the Jews of the Indian Subcontinent, one of the oldest Diaspora communities. He will explore the disputed beginnings of this long-isolated Indian Jewish Diaspora, having lived in India for two years and returned several times since. This lecture…
(JTA) — KOCHI, India — Today, you’ll find lively Kasmiri businesses selling Persian antiquities, pashmina shawls, and traditional Islamic handicrafts along this coastal city’s “Jew street,” in sharp contrast to the neighborhood’s heyday when every household was Jewish. “In Jew Town, only two people are remaining.” “One is extremely old and spends most of her…
While it is true that a large number of Indian Jews have left the subcontinent for Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom since 1947, the causes for this population loss are debatable. The writing produced by the Indian Jewish community, which includes fiction, theatre, poetry, and literature for young adults, tells…
This study examines novelist Esther David’s restorative fictional creations, The Book of Esther (2000) and The Book of Rachel (2001), through partial historical recovery (2006). David, a renowned writer from India’s Bene Israel Jewish community, utilizes fiction to redefine Indian Jews’ link to a past that is Jewish, Indian, and global, as well as ancient,…