Bene Israel
 |
| Total population |
|---|
| 1830s: 6,000 (est.) 1900: 10,000 (est.) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Israel 60,000 (est.) India 4,600 |
| Languages |
| Religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
The Bene Israel (Hebrew: בני ישראל, "Sons of Israel", Marathi:बेने इस्राएल) are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's Jewish population. The native language of the Bene Israel is Marathi. Most Bene Israel have now emigrated to Israel, several Commonwealth countries[citation needed] and the United States[citation needed].
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[edit] History
The traditions of the community trace their descent to Jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century BCE, though the Bene Israel resemble the non-Jewish Maratha people in appearance and customs. The Bene Israel, however, maintained the practices of Jewish dietary laws, circumcision and observation of Sabbath as a day of rest.
The Bene Israel believe their ancestors were oil pressers (seven men and an unknown number of women) in the Galilee and that they descend from survivors of a shipwreck. In the 18th century CE they were "rediscovered" by traders from Baghdad. At that time the Bene Israel were practicing just a few outward forms of Judaism (which is how they were recognized) but had no scholars of their own. Teachers from Baghdad and Cochin taught them mainstream Judaism in the 18th and 19th centuries.[citation needed]
Jewish merchants from Europe traveled to India in the medieval period for purposes of trade, but it is not clear whether they formed permanent settlements in south Asia. The first reliable evidence of Jews living in India comes from the early 11th century. It is certain that the first Jewish settlements were centered along the western coast. Abraham ibn Daud's 12th century reference to Jews of India is unfortunately vague, and we do not have further references to Indian Jews until several centuries later.[citation needed]
Under British hegemony, many Bene Israel rose to prominence. They were only somewhat affected by racially-discriminatory policies, and as such were able to gain higher, better paying posts in the British Army when compared with their non-Jewish neighbours. Many Bene Israel rose high enough that when the British left India in 1947, they felt that they stood to lose more than they could possibly gain under Indian independence. As such, most emigrated to Israel.[1]
It is estimated that there were 6,000 Bene Israel in the 1830s, 10,000 at the turn of the 20th century, and in 1948—their peak in India—they numbered 20,000. [1] Since that time, their population in India has decreased through emigration (mostly to Israel) to under 5,000.
[edit] Life in Israel
In 1962, authorities in Israel were accused by articles in the Indian press of racism towards the Bene Israel. [2][3] In the case that caused the controversy, the Chief Rabbi of Israel ruled that before registering a marriage between Indian Jews and Jews not belonging to that community, the registering rabbi should investigate the lineage of the Indian applicant for possible non-Jewish descent, and in case of doubt, require the applicant to perform conversion or immersion.[2][3] The alleged discrimination may actually be related to the fact that some religious authorities believe that the Bene Israel were not fully Jewish because of inter-marriage during their long separation.[4] In 1964 the Israeli Rabbinate declared that the Bene Israel are "full Jews in every respect."
A full description of life in Israel for the Bene Israel community can be found in the following reference.[5] The town of Beersheva in Southern Israel has the largest community of Bene Israel. There is also a sizable community in Ramla. As this community is with modest means and little political activism, they have limited economic activity with India and limited political status in Israel.[5]
[edit] Notable people
- Dr. Erulkar, (Physician of Mohandas Gandhi)
- Nissim Ezekiel, Poet
- Sadia Shepard, Writer
- Dr Nathan Malachi Aston, Educationist
- Maya Avraham Popular Israeli Singer
- Liel Kolet Popular Israeli singer
- David Abraham Cheulkar, actor
- Ruby Myers (known as Sulochana), actress
- Bunny Reuben, noted film journalist
- Susan Solomon (known as Firoza Begum), actress
- Pearl Padamsee, actress
- Nadira
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Joan G. Roland, Jews in British India: Identity in a Colonial Era, Hanover: University Press of New England, 1989, 34-35.
- ^ a b Abramov, S. Zalman, Perpetual dilemma: Jewish religion in the Jewish State, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1976, p. 277-278
- ^ a b Smooha, Sammy, Israel: pluralism and conflict, University of California Press, 1978, p. 400-401
- ^ How Do the Issues in the Conversion Controversy Relate to Israel?. Jcpa.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-16.
- ^ a b http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter9.pdf
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bene Israel |
- Joseph Jacobs and Joseph Ezekiel, Beni-Israel, in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906)
- Shalva Weil, The Bene Israel of India on the site of The Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora at Tel Aviv University.
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Sadia Shepard from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Jews in India: Bene Israel
- Jews of India - Includes a Photo Gallery & a Forum
- Jews in Pakistan. An article by Prof. Adil Najam of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.
- The genome-wide structure of the Jewish people Nature 466, 238-242 (8 July 2010)
- The Indian Jewish community and synagogues in Israel
- "Yonati Ziv Yifatech" Bene Israel Wedding Hymn
- The Satamker Family Website
[edit] Further reading
- India's Bene Israel: A Comprehensive Inquiry and Sourcebook Isenberg, Shirley Berry; Berkeley: Judah L. Magnes Museum, 1988
- The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and a Sense of Home Shepard, Sadia; Penguin Press, 2008
- Parfitt , Tudor (1987) The thirteenth gate : travels among the Lost Tribes of Israel. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
- The Book of Esther: Esther, David; Penguin Global, 2003
- Shulamith (1975) by Meera Jacob Mahadevan
