PUNE: The Bene Israel Jews are India’s largest Jewish community. While there is considerable controversy about whether they are one of Israel’s lost tribes, one of their most unique cultural customs is in grave danger of being lost forever. “As members of the Bene Israel Jewish community lived and worked in villages near the Konkan…
“Wow, the ladies here go to synagogue in saris!” “Does that have a Hindu flavor to it?” This is a question Nathaniel Jhirad, a 23-year-old Indian Jew of Mumbai’s Bene Israel group, is frequently asked. “You wear skirts; that is not an antique clothing from the Mythical Land of Authentic Judaism!” he wants to say…
(JTA) – The Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTA) has One hundred and two members of India’s Jewish community, who are descended from one of Israel’s lost tribes, who will be relocating to Israel this week. The immigrants, who are from the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram, will arrive in Israel on Tuesday and Thursday. Mizoram…
History of Indian Jews in India, including their past, present, and future. Few communities feel a sense of connection to two countries they regard as their own: Jews refer to India as their motherland, and Israelis refer to Israel as their fatherland. Growing Up Jewish in India, compiled by Ori Z. Soltes, is a book…
What did India’s darkest day look like this year? Tisha B’Av marks the completion of three weeks of abstaining from meat, music, and dancing for the Bene Israel community, as well as for Jews all around the world. But, to commemorate the manna-like presentation of Val to shipwreck survivors — ancestors — in the second…
The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County has been invited to present an exhibit at the Market Yard parking lot of the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, 33 Mechanic St., Freehold Borough. According to a news release from the museum, this year’s show is about the Jews of India and is titled “From Malabar to Monmouth…
India is a melting pot of cultures and religions, and the Indian Jewish community is one of them, with fewer than 5,000 Jews living in the nation. Esther David, author, art critic, journalist, and artist, captures and provides readers a unique picture of the Bene Israel Jewish population of India and their largely forgotten food…
I’m at Keneseth Eliyahoo, the powder blue-and-white synagogue at the heart of Mumbai’s Jewish community, just a few blocks from the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Arabian Sea’s Gateway to India bridge. It’s one of several synagogues in India’s largest city, which elected a Jewish mayor, Dr. Elijah Moses, in 1937. It was built…
The office-bearers of the Succoth Shelomo Synagogue are busy persuading the minuscule population of this Jewish community to come forth to celebrate the occasion on January 26 as Republic Day approaches. Despite its diminishing numbers, the Bene Israel community in Pune takes pride in being “Indian” and hoists the tricolor on Republic Day and Independence…