400+ Years of Jews in India: Balancing Indo-Judaic Identity
Written by Punita Khanna, HumSub Global
The Bene Israel of Mumbai, the largest of the Jewish communities in India, lived in harmony on the subcontinent for over two thousand years. As with all of the Jewish communities, none felt subjected to anti-Semitism. These communities balanced their unique Indo-Judaic identities, becoming acculturated in India through merging of local customs with their traditional rituals, yet retaining their distinct Jewish heritage. Their hybrid lives, culturally and religiously, implemented Indian practices into their multicultural households were accepted by their Indian neighbors.
The earlier members of the Bene Israel community settled on the Konkan coast south of Mumbai. Many Bene Israelis got their surnames from the villages their families had settled in hundreds and thousands of years ago. Today, more than one hundred Indian village surnames can be found within this community. The early Bene Israeli settlers were involved in oil-pressing, e.g., extracting oil from peanuts, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and other oils, as well as in agriculture. In their Indo-Judaic communities, they were known as Shanwar Tells (“The Sabbath-observing oilmen”).
After the creation of Israel in 1948, many Indian Jews emigrated to Israel.
In 1964, the Bene Israel were recognized to be “full Jews in every respect” by the Israeli Rabbinate.
