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…
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,…
Under Hindu patronage and Muslim domination, Baghdadi Jews generally ran important companies all over India. Fiddler on the Roof is the source of the discourse, which has centuries-old variations in every continent and culture. The iconic 1971 musical presented the story of a Jewish peasant family coping with anti-Semitism in pre-revolutionary Russia by using their…
In comparison to their religious brethren in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, the Jewish population in India is relatively unknown. There are three primary reasons for this: the first is the group’s small population, which peaked at around 30,000 around the time of Indian independence. Source: https://www.swarajyamag.com/magazine/indias-jews-the-unknown-community
Mumbai: Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will pay an emotional visit to a Jewish center targeted in the 2008 Mumbai bombings this week, to raise the visibility of India’s tiny and diminishing Jewish population. Netanyahu will discuss trade in New Delhi and marvel at the Taj Mahal before concluding his trip in Mumbai, home of…
Sheela Rohekar, India’s sole Jewish writer, has released her new work, “Miss Samuel: Ek Yahudi Gatha,” which is her first to represent the life of her Bene Israel community in India. On March 30, the ceremonial launch took place at Lucknow’s famed Sangeet Natak Akademi, or Academy of Dance and Drama. The Lucknow Book Club…
In geography class, I’m in fourth grade, and we’re working on a project. We have one week to submit a folder with research and photographs on any country of our choice. I take my mother to the local travel agency to get a copy of the “Exotic India” brochure. I cut out tigers and sari-clad…
Jews celebrating Yom Kippur in a Mumbai synagogue in a new volume of articles produced by Israeli historian Ori Z Soltes throws light on the community’s history and unique traditions that are linked to different areas of the country. The story behind the development of the malida platter (a Bene Israeli custom), the strong relationship…
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…