The once-thriving Baghdadi Jewish community has shrunk to only 20 members. Kolkata had a sizable Jewish community before India’s independence in 1947. They were known as “Baghdadi Jews” because they came from modern-day Iraq and Syria in the late 1800s. Today, the Jewish world is rapidly dwindling. Only 20 Jews live in the city of…
This month, India celebrates 75 years of independence. The country is home to three historic Jewish communities, including Baghdadi Jews, who are Iraqi merchants. India is now home to a very small number of people. Source: https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/hu/videos/jewish-world/the-baghdadi-jews-of-india
In Kolkata, in India (CNN) — The youngest person remaining is 65-year-old Ian Zachariah. When did this happen? he says, nodding at the vacant synagogue where the yarmulke used to be. While exploring the giant cathedral-like structure, his eyes rove around, inspecting the glittering stained glass, the blue-domed ceiling, and the rows of dark wood…
Nissim Ezekiel’s poem “Night of the Scorpion” will always be remembered fondly by generations of Indian school students, especially those from the ICSE stream. The poem’s various themes of good vs evil, superstition versus rationality, and love conquering all ( “My mother only said/Thank God the scorpion picked on me/And spared my children”) were not…
Baghdadi Jews, who came to India in the late eighteenth century from Baghdad, Basra, Aleppo, and other Arabic-speaking portions of the Ottoman Empire, established large diaspora groups in Bombay and Calcutta. Baghdadi Jews in India were unique in that they followed Iraqi or Syrian traditions and rituals while also embracing English and Indian culture. Originally…
In 1760, the Persian Gulf port of Basra became a trading center for the British East India Company, and many Jews who had played a significant part in English trade in the region progressively migrated on to India from Basra–and Baghdad. They originally arrived in Surat, a port on India’s west coast. Nearly 100 Jews…
Surat: The relatively minuscule Jewish community in India has never faced anti-Semitism in its 200 years of existence. In India, Jews have Christian neighbors, Hindu coworkers, and Muslim caregivers while maintaining their own identity. They celebrate Durga Puja, Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, and Christmas with similar zeal. Their synagogues here frequently reverberate with Hebrew incantations, echoing…
The community’s presence in the city has all but vanished. Former residents recall good cuisine, harmony, and heritage recollections. During the turbulent 1940s, Baghdadi Jews, as well as many European Jews fleeing Nazi oppression, fled to the ‘City of Joy’ and found refuge there. They settled down and finally excelled in all of their endeavors,…
Between 1858 and 1917, the opium trade was legal in China. The trade-in of this addictive, highly crippling narcotic drug was heavily dominated by Jewish entrepreneurs who had immigrated to China from India. Even though they were engaged in a legitimate business, they were subjected to harsh criticism, especially from missionaries. Anti-opium organizations, fueled by…
Nissim Ezekiel’s poem “Night of the Scorpion” will always be remembered fondly by generations of Indian school students, particularly those from the ICSE stream. The poem’s multiple themes of good against evil, superstition versus reason, and love conquering everything ( “My mother just said/Thank God the scorpion picked on me/And spared my children”) were not…