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Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Observances Among the Jews of Bombay

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Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Observances Among the Jews of Bombay Rethinking "Sephardic" • 59 Rethinking "Sephardic": Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Observances among the Jews of Bombay Yale M. Needel University of Maryland University College This study explores the ritual enactments of the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jew- ish communities in Bombay, India during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. By comparing and contrasting the ritual enactments of the two communities against each other, the Sephardic norm, and various faiths in India, their ac- culturation and hybridization in India is displayed and expressed as "Eastern Sephardic" Jewry. The results demonstrate that the religious life of the Bene Is- rael and Baghdadi Jews resembles that of other Mizrachi or "Eastern" Sephardic Jews, that is, "traditional" Sephardic rites were superimposed on older, ancestral Jewish customs, with additional contributions from their respective locales. The study argues that the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jews have not lost their Jewish identity by adapting to their host country and culture; rather, they have devel- oped and nurtured a finely balanced and unique Indo-Judaic identity through a demonstrative cultural and religious inclusion of their Indian neighbors. This article explores the religious and social hybridization among the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jewish communities in Bombay (officially Mumbai since 1995) as observed during the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in 2000.' In it I argue that unlike Indian society, which was based on the strict Hindu social stratum or caste system, the Jews of India—the Baghdadi, Bene 'For a detailed account of the complete High Holiday season as observed among Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jews still living in India, see Yale Merrill Needel, ""Cross-Communal Ritual Acculturation Among the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jews in Mumbai"' (M.A. thesis. Department of Religious Studies, Florida International University, 2001). Vol. 26, No. 2 • 2008 60 • Yale M. Needel Israel, and Keralite (Cochin) communides—maintained and, to an extent, cul- tured their religious identity as both Indian citizens and Jews through their incorporadon of certain domesdc or Indian practices into their public display and observance of J u d a i s m . My findings demonstrate that the religious life of the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jews resembles that of other Mizrachi or "East- ern" J e w s . Specifically, traditional Sephardic rites were superimposed on older, ancestral Jewish customs, with additional contributions from their respective locales. Rather than isolating themselves, the Jews of India have stayed in con- tact with other (Jewish) communities. Justifying their recognition as unique Indian "Eastern Sephardic" Jews. The term Sephardic literally refers to descendants of J e w s expelled from the Iberian Peninsula during the end of the 15* century who follow religious customs and laws based on Babylonian tradidon. The Sephardic connotadon is used to describe only Jews from the Middle East, North Africa, and several (former) Ladino-speaking nadons in the Mediterranean. I use the term "East- ern" because the present Sephardic communities originating from various re- gions in the Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia all share unique customs and rituals differing from Jews classified or identified as Sep- hardim. This expanded definition of Sephardim demonstrates the relatively narrow perception or concept of a culture commonly believed to be unique to those of Arabic, Portuguese, or Spanish (speaking) descent. Jewish life in India highlights the distinguishing facets of both Indie and Judaic cultures that have enabled Jews to live amicably for so long in India, fully as Indians (if they desired), while at the same time preserving their Jew- ish ancestry to the best of their ability. The Jews of India, particularly because of their isolation and rejecting certain external influences, have become con- tributors and members of an expanded family of Sephardic Jews from regions in the East including Afghanistan, Burma, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Por- tugal, Singapore, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen, among others. These Jewish communides all share "tradidonal" Sephardic rites based on the common or accepted definition of Sephardim but have hybridized certain ele- ments of their "Eastern" ancestry and locale into their observance of J u d a i s m , while sdll observing halakha (Jewish law), thus requiring an expanded defini- tion of Sephardic. Rather than being idendfied by their observance of J u d a i s m , Diasporic or minority Jewish communities frequently are grouped together by their nation- ality, thus eliminating them from the two traditional strains of J e w i s h heritage: Sephardi and Ashkenazi (Jews of Central and/or Eastern European ances- try). The Jews of India, specifically the Bene Israel and Baghdadi communities, Shofar • An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies Rethinking "Sephardic" • 61 share aspects in their religious observance of what is commonly labeled as Sephardic, but because of circumstances involving their isolation from "main- stream" Judaism and various historical events, they were never identified or grouped with Jewish communities elsewhere. Whereas other Diasporic or mi- grant Jews such as those from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Pa- cific, the United States, etc. possess documented historical and well-researched accounts tracing them to a specific ancestry or lineage, as evidenced by their cuisine, customs, DNA,^ dress, language, religious and ritual observances, etc., Indian Jews cannot accurately pinpoint where they originally came from or exactly how long they have been in India (with the exception of the Baghdadi community). This lack of concrete or indiscernible evidence of ancestry iden- tifying Indian Jews with Jewish communities elsewhere has created a historical and symbolic gap in their present existence and identification as Jews. introduction The Bene Israel and the Baghdadi Jews have very different histories. The Bene Israel have gone through various stages of development in their observance of Judaism since their historical arrival in India from Israel 2,000 years ago in a shipwreck, by their own account.' Bene Israel tradition states that their ances- tors fled G a l i l e e from the oppression of the Greek tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes in 175 BCE. Their ship is believed to have encountered what were probably the monsoon winds in the Arabian Sea and wrecked along the Konkan Coast in western India on the shores of Navgaon, near Alibaug in Raigad district.'' The Baghdadis, on the other hand, initially arrived in India much later during the mid-1700s, bringing along their passionate Jewish heritage.' The Bene Israel, primarily employed by local Hindus as coconut and ses- ame oil-pressers until the mid-19'*' century, evolved into the most populous ^See Tudor Parfitts DNA research featured in J o n a t h a n Karp, "Seeking Lost Tribes of Israel in India, Using DNA Testing,"" Wall Street Journal, 11 May 1998:15; and Rashmee Z. Ahmed, "Indias Children of Israel Find Their Roots," Times of India, 20 July 2002. 'Personal communication with Hazan Benjamin Simon Dandekar, Bombay, Septem- ber 2000. •"See Ezekiel Moses Jacob Gadkar, ed.. The Religious and Cultural History of the Bene Israels of India, "Gate of Mercy" Synagogue: A Fantastic Story of their Allegiance to Judaism, Vol. 2 (Bombay: E. M.Jacob Gadkar for the ""Gate of Mercy"" Synagogue), p. 97; and also Haeem Samuel Kehimkar, The History of the Bene-Israel of India, edited by Immanuel Ols- vanger (Tel Aviv: Dayag Press, 1937), pp. 6-12. ^Fischel, Walter J., "The Immigration of "Arabian" Jews to India in the Eighteenth Century" Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Vol. 33 (1965): 6. Vol. 26, No. 2 • 2008 62 • Yale M. Needel Jewish community in India, peaking in the 1950s with around 22,000-30,000 community members throughout the Indian subcontinent.* Beginning in the 1700s, with assistance and education from the Baghdadis, Keralites, Christian missionaries, and various Jewish movements, the Bene Israel brought their re- ligious practice and understanding into conformity with "normative" Judaism. The Baghdadi community began to settle permanently in India at the end of the 18* century, primarily working as merchants and traders and living in commercial and industrial cities such as Bombay, Calcutta, Pune, and Surat.' Already possessing a deep and refined Jewish heritage from their mother country, their communal, religious, and social development and idendty in India can briefly be described in a four-step process resulting from various external influences, including the effects of their persecution under the Otto- man empire and other oppressive regimes, the Mudny of 1857, World War I (including Indian nationalism, Bridsh social "re-classificadon," Nazism, and Zionism), and Indian and Israeli independence in 1947 and 1948.* The period following Indian and Israeli independence led to a severe de- cline in the number of J e w s in India. The Bene Israel experienced the greatest population decline after Israel became a state. Now, motivated by Zionism and opportunities for economic and social advancement, the Bene Israel have mostly migrated to Canada, Israel, and the United States. Despite the severe population diminution, the Bene Israel have regrouped, currently numbering between 5,000 and 8,000 members living in cides such as Ahmedabad, Bom- bay, Chennai, New Delhi, and Thane.' An apparently strong youth movement has begun in recent years, headed by (among others) Bene Israel and Baghdadi community leaders. Additional educadonal and financial support, including ^Census of India 195i:"" Religion and Livelihood,"" Part 1 (Shimla: Printed by the Gov- ernment of India Press, and published by the Manager of Publications, New Delhi); and Asha A. Bende and Ralphy E. Jhirad, Demographic and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Jews in India (Bombay: ORT India, 1997), p. 9, table 1.1. These numbers vary greatly de- pending on the source used. 'See Fischel, "Immigration of "Arabian" J e w s to India,"" pp.
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