Related Reading
- The Four Communities of Indian Jews: An Overview
- The Bene Israel of Maharashtra
- The Jews of Cochin
- The Baghdadi Jews of Mumbai and Kolkata
- Books on the Jews of India
When most people think of Jewish communities in Israel, they picture the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Jerusalem, the secular beachfront culture of Tel Aviv, or the diverse immigrant communities of cities like Haifa and Beer Sheva. They rarely think of a small, tightly knit group of Indian Jews striving to maintain a culinary tradition, a liturgical style, and a cultural memory that sets them apart from every other community in the Jewish state. Yet across Israel, from the agricultural moshavim of the coast to the mixed cities of the center, communities of Bene Israel, Cochin Jews, and Baghdadi Jews are working to ensure that the story of Indian Jewry does not disappear into the broader Israeli melting pot.
The Challenge of Absorption
When Indian Jews began immigrating to Israel in large numbers following independence in 1948, they arrived into a society undergoing enormous change. The young state was absorbing hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa simultaneously. The official policy of the early Israeli government was rapid cultural integration, and pressure on immigrant communities to adopt Hebrew, abandon their native languages, and embrace a unified Israeli identity was intense.
For Indian Jews, this pressure was particularly acute. Their numbers were small, perhaps fifteen thousand Bene Israel and a few thousand Cochin Jews in the first decades of statehood. They lacked the critical mass that larger immigrant communities, such as Moroccan or Yemeni Jews, had to maintain strong cultural institutions. And unlike some other communities, they had come from a country where they had been deeply integrated into local culture, making the process of cultural preservation especially complex.
The Moshavim of the Bene Israel
Many Bene Israel immigrants settled in agricultural cooperative communities called moshavim, where they worked the land alongside other immigrant groups. Several moshavim in the Sharon Plain and the Galilee became identified particularly with the Bene Israel, and these communities became centers for the preservation of Marathi language and Indian Jewish culinary traditions. Dishes like Bene Israel chicken curry, malida, and amba were prepared for Shabbat and holidays, keeping alive the flavors of Maharashtra even as the world of Bombay and Pune receded into memory.
The malida ceremony, a distinctive Bene Israel ritual of thanksgiving performed at the tomb of Elijah the Prophet, was transplanted to Israel and became one of the most visible expressions of Bene Israel cultural identity in the Jewish state. Each year, thousands of Bene Israel gather at the tomb in Haifa to perform this ceremony, which involves the offering of a sweet dish made of rice, coconut, and raisins accompanied by prayers and communal singing.
Cochin Jews and the Paradesi Tradition
The Cochin Jews who immigrated to Israel, most of them settling in a cluster of villages near the town of Ramla, were particularly successful in maintaining their distinct identity. The Paradesi Synagogue tradition, with its distinctive Keralan Jewish liturgy sung in a melody that combines Sephardic and South Indian musical influences, was replicated in Israel and continues to be practiced in communities there today. The Cochin Jewish community in Israel maintains its own synagogues, cultural organizations, and publications that keep the memory of Jewish Kerala alive.
The relationship between the Cochin Jews of Israel and the tiny remaining community in Kochi, now reduced to fewer than ten individuals, is one of both pride and mourning. The Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry, one of the oldest in the Commonwealth, stands as a monument to a community that has all but vanished from the land that shaped its identity.
The Baghdadi Diaspora in Israel
Baghdadi Jews in Israel have largely integrated into the broader Sephardic community, and their specific cultural identity has in some ways been harder to maintain than that of the Bene Israel or Cochin Jews. The Judeo-Arabic they spoke at home has been replaced by Hebrew in most families within a generation, and the distinctive cuisine and customs of the Calcutta and Bombay Baghdadi communities are often remembered only by the oldest generation.
Yet there are organizations in Israel dedicated to preserving Baghdadi Jewish culture, and the legacy of families like the Sassoons continues to be celebrated in historical research and cultural events. The community’s extraordinary contribution to the commercial and cultural life of British India is increasingly recognized as an important chapter in both Jewish and South Asian history.
Looking Forward
Younger generations of Indian Jews in Israel face the perennial immigrant dilemma: how to maintain connection to an ancestral culture while building a life in a new society. Some are deeply invested in cultural preservation, organizing festivals, publishing cookbooks, and teaching their children Indian Jewish songs and recipes. Others have fully integrated into mainstream Israeli society, retaining their Indian Jewish identity primarily as a source of pride rather than as a living cultural practice.
What is certain is that the contribution of Indian Jews to the cultural diversity of Israel is significant and growing in recognition. As Israel becomes more interested in its own multicultural heritage, the story of Indian Jewry is increasingly appreciated as a remarkable chapter in the long and varied history of the Jewish people.