Recent attention has centered on the Indians of the Bnei Menashe who have just arrived in Israel, but there is an older Indian group that has been here since the nation was founded. Which way you look at it, Cochin’s Jewish culture is an ancient one. The Jews of the city of Cochin in southwest…
Rachel Jacobs, who is she? The question consumes Sadia Shepard from the minute she uncovers the name-inscribed pin in her grandmother Rahat’s wardrobe. Years ago, Rachel changed her name to Rahat, lived as a Muslim in Pakistan, and buried her ancestry as a member of the Bene Israel, a fast diminishing minority of Indian Jews,…
Need another reason to appreciate how hospitable India has been to immigrants, and how this openness can reshape a city and a culture? Dwelling in Travelling, a film by Shubha Das Mollick follows the Jewish community in Kolkata via their experiences. Das Mollick pursues the theme of “diversity struggling to keep afloat” using archive film…
AJL caught up with comedian Samson Koletkar for an interview and a few chuckles in between concerts and a day job in the computer business. Koletkar is a Bene Israel who was born and reared in Mumbai but currently resides in San Francisco. He is unquestionably one of the top Bene Israel standup comedians now…
As part of its annual fundraising event commemorating the Temple’s 53rd anniversary, Temple Solel in Bowie will feature an unconventional (literally and figuratively) Jewish comedy act on March 25. The act, “You’re Funny, But You Don’t Look Jewish,” is performed by a group of four Jews who, on the surface, do not appear to be…
February 4, 2021, India is well-known for its religious diversity. Despite this, due to India’s vast population of nearly a billion people, the country’s small Jewish minority is frequently overlooked or ignored. Regardless, Jews have lived in India for over 2000 years, leaving a rich Indian-Jewish culture that lives on today through the rituals and…
A unique local community set out to make a film in a little village in Guntur, the country of chiles and tobacco. The original plan was to make a Telugu comedy film with local actors. The result was a story about the actors themselves along the way. They were all Jews, members of Andhra Pradesh’s…
Siona Benjamin is an Indian Jewish artist who incorporates elements of illuminated manuscripts, Indian and Persian miniature painting, Byzantine icons, Indian comics, Bollywood, and pop art into her work. Her bright paintings—usually in gouache—embody all of these influences, as she was raised in Mumbai’s Bene Israel community, educated in Catholic and Zoroastrian schools, and now…
These two works provide richly illustrated descriptions of the varied and fascinating history of India’s extremely small Jewish populations. Both merely give a cursory mention to the two groups with the longest histories, the Bnei Israel and the Jews of Cochin. Kenneth X. Robbins and Marvin Tokayer’s book Western Jews in India focuses on the…
For her latest book, ‘Bene Appétit: The Cuisine of the Indian Jews,’ author Esther David travels across India, engaging with Jewish communities to learn how to cook traditional, highly guarded dishes. “Zoo life was quite international. I had Gujarati pals when I was little. And coming to terms with the fact that I am Jewish….