The Kuki-Chin-Mizo people, who live in the Indian state of Mizoram and are traditionally endogamous tribal groups, claim to descend from the ten lost tribes of Israel who were deported by the Assyrians. On 414 individuals from five tribal communities in Mizoram, we examined DNA markers including 15 autosomal microsatellite markers, 5 biallelic and 20…
The editor of The Times of India called one of Mumbai’s most powerful merchants, Yusuf K Hamied, in 1992. The editor inquired about Yusuf’s thoughts on the city’s communal rioting, referring to him as a “Muslim leader.” “As an Indian Jew, why aren’t you asking me?” Is it because my first name is Hamied? Yusuf…
The Jewish Standard of New Jersey — Two BGU academics recently gave presentations in New Delhi, India, during a two-day conference on Indian Jews. The “Shirei Hodu,” or “Songs of India,” conference featured major global specialists on Indian Jews, a topic that is gaining new traction among young Jewish historians and cultural researchers. Prof. Menashe…
It looks like Nissim Moses is in a hurry, but he will be fine. “In this case, we are the last people who can do this. They don’t know what India is like for kids who have grown up in Israel. When you look at people who were born in India, they are 70 years…
The tricennial of India-Israel diplomatic relations is being celebrated with fanfare on state broadcasters, commemorative livery and emblem, and a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Not long ago, India was a reluctant partner for Israel. One that was anxious to acquire Israel’s technology and weapons but, at best, hesitant to reciprocate political…
I’m in 4th grade, and we’re doing a project in geography class right now. Each of us has a week to turn in a folder of research and photos on any country we want. “Exotic India” is a brochure about a trip to India that I get with my mom. People in saris and tigers…
Esther David was in Mumbai for a cousin’s wedding in the late 1950s when she came to a housing society in Jacob Circle where many Jews lived. She was born and raised in Ahmedabad, and she was fascinated by the idea of members of her group living in separate apartments in the same complex. In…
Manish Tiwari, a member of the Congress, compared the plight of Brahmins in India to that of Jews in a tweet about the Twitter spat. Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari claimed on Wednesday, November 21, that “anti-Brahminical patriarchy” is “the reality of Indian politics,” adding to the controversy over Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey carrying an “anti-Brahminical…
(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…
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…