Jews in India a Brief History Overview

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Jews in India A Brief History Overview • Presence since ca. 70 CE • 5 groups • Kochin • Bene Israel • Baghdadis • Lost tribes (Bnei Menashe/[Ephraim]) • [Israelis] Objectives after today, you should be able to… • identify the diverse groups of Jews in India. • outline the historical development of Jewish communities. • compare different perspectives on Indian Jewish identity. • generalize the complex relationship between different Jewish communities in India. Malabar (Kochin) Jews Malabar/Kochin Jews • 100+ (India)/ 3,000-4,000 (Israel) • Oldest Jewish Group in India • 562 BCE/68-70 CE Cranganore • 1000 CE shasana • Chera Bhaskara Ravi Varma • Issuppu Irappan (Joseph Rabban) "We have granted to Issuppu Irappan, the merchant, tolls by the boat and by other vehicles, merchant dues, the right to employ the day lamp, decorative cloth, palanquin, umbrella, kettle drum, trumpet, gateway, arch, arched roof, weapons and rest of the seventy two privileges. We have remitted customs, dues and weighing fee. Moreover, according to this copper-plate grant, he shall be exempted from payments due to the king from settlers in the town, but he shall enjoy what they enjoy.” Malabar/Kochin Jews • 100+ (India)/ 3,000-4,000 (Israel) • Oldest Group in India • 562 BCE/68-70 CE Cranganore • 14th CE to Kochi (Yehudan Mappila) • Acculturation v. Assimilation • Wedding • Simhat Torah (display, circumambulation, ark) • Hebrew (temple)/ Malayalam (life-cycle) • Castes and sub-castes Malabar/Kochin Jews • 100+ (India)/ 3,000-4,000 (Israel) • Oldest Group in India • 562 BCE/68-70 CE Cranganore • 14th CE to Kochin • Acculturation v. Assimilation • Wedding • Simhat Torah (display, circumambulation, ark) • Hebrew (temple)/ Malayalam (life-cycle) • Castes and sub-castes Paradesi Synagogue • 1568 CE • Oldest synagogue in Commonwealth • King Ravi Varma Bene Israel Bene Israel • 4-5,000 (India)/40-50,000+ (Israel) • Konkan oil-pressers • David Rahabi & “1st Awakening” • 10th/18th CE • Sabbath, Circumcision, dietary customs • Kajis (similar to Cohanim) • Lost tribe • Baghdadis & “2nd Awakening” • 19th CE • Colonialism and Jewish Identity • AFFirmation and Migration Practices • Colonial Synagogues • Kirtans • Hindu-style • legends • Prophet Elijah Baghdadi Jews Baghdadis • 300 in India • Arabic-speaking • Merchants • Sassoon Family • Cycles • Early: Arabian Jews of India • Mutiny: non-Indian • WWI: European • Post Independence: Migration Bnei Menashe Lost Tribes- Bnei Menashe [Bnei Ephraim] • Manipur and East Indian States • Chin, Kuki, and Mizo peoples • Visions oF Jewishness • Conversions & Education • Tribals & Dalits • America and Israel • Status • Amishav recognition • Sons of Menasseh • Israeli immigration (aliyah) • 2005 Chief Rabbinate of Israel • DNA testing ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? Questions? Comments?.

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We Arrived in Manipur Unannounced, to Get a Bona Fide Glimpse Into How
ESENT I PR AR D N A To see our subscription options, I R please click on the Mishpacha tab A e knocked and waited nervously mesor ah because we hadn’t notified them ahead — yet we weren’t disappointed. Quest As the door opened to the little hut, a kippah-clad man smiled broadly and Wsaid, “Baruch haba!” He led us through a courtyard to a small, well-kept synagogue. We were not in Monsey, but in a far-ﬂ ung corner of India on the northeastern border state of Manipur, preparing the ground in advance of our curious delegation — a party of 35 Western Jews and one of the rare groups to visit this little-known Indian com- munity known as the Bnei Menashe. We were both excited and relieved by the warm wel- come, as their story is exotic and spans thousands of years of Jewish history. It is a direct link with our Biblical past and raises interesting halachic and philosophic conun- drums about our future. Welcome to our search for part of the Ten Lost Tribes. It all started with a call from the OU Israel Center in- viting us to lead a “Halachic Adventure” tour. We asked the organizers where they would like to go, and they re- plied, “Where would you like to lead us?” The answer for us was simple: to return to India where the richness and diversity of Jewish history is largely unknown to much of the Jewish world. Our goal was to give our fellow adventurers a unique, exciting, and o -the-beaten-track experience.
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