History of the Jews in Bangladesh: Difference between revisions
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The '''history of the Jews in Bangladesh''' refers to the history of a tiny [[Jewish]] community in [[Bangladesh]]. Jewish history in the country can be traced to the 17th-century. The Jews of [[History of the Jews in India|British India]] and [[History of the Jews in Pakistan|Pakistan]] had a small community in what is now Bangladesh, particulary in the city of [[Dhaka]]. Jewish residents were also reported in [[Rajshahi]].<ref>https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/he-looked-the-part-belonging-to-multiple-cultures-can-be-both-enriching-and-painful/cid/330271</ref> The Jews of Bangladesh are reported to have been [[Baghdadi Jews]] and the [[Bene Israel]]. Most of these Jews emigrated by the 1960s. |
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Jews have been linked to the modern history of Bangladesh. Some of the prominent Jewish residents included Mordechai Cohen, a former television newsreader and actor;<ref>https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12</ref><ref>https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12</ref> and Alex Aronson, an academic who taught at Dhaka University.<ref name="Ghosh2006">{{cite book|author=Ranjan Ghosh|title=(In)fusion Approach: Theory, Contestation, Limits: (In)fusionising a Few Indian English Novels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUPEyvGt2H0C&pg=PA225|year=2006|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-3464-9|page=225}}</ref> Some foreign Jews who are prominently associated with the country include the American architect [[Louis Kahn]], who designed [[Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban|Bangladesh's parliament]]; and [[J. F. R. Jacob]], an Indian army general who served in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. |
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The Jewish population in [[East Bengal]] was only about 135 Jews<ref name="ajl"/> at the time of the [[Partition of British India]] in 1947. By the late 1960s, much of the Jewish community had left for [[Calcutta]].<ref name="jpost"/> Members of the [[Bene Israel|Bene Israel community]] from Bombay (today Mumbai) also resided in Dhaka in the 1960s.<ref name="thejc"/> |
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==History== |
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The Jews in East Pakistan (Bangladesh in Pakistan period 1947-1971) were never numerous and kept a very low profile in this Muslim country. It is assumed that a few Jews still remain, but they are quite assimilated. There is no synagogue today in Bangladesh. In a research, [[Shalva Weil|Dr. Shalva Weil]] found that two families of Jewish descent do in fact still live in Dhaka, but they have converted to Catholicism.<ref name="ajl">{{cite journal |title=The Unknown Jews of Bangladesh |journal=[[Asian Jewish Life]] |year=2012 |last=Weil |first=Shalva |authorlink=Shalva Weil |issue=10 |url=http://asianjewishlife.org/pages/articles/AJL_Issue_10_Sept2012/AJL_Feature_Unknown-Jews-Bangladesh.html |accessdate=2016-03-08 }}</ref> In an article, [[Salah Choudhury]] claimed in 2009, the real number of Jewish population in Bangladesh is above 3,500, while the Jews in Bangladesh are afraid of disclosing their religious identity fearing anti-Semitic persecution.<ref name="america">{{cite web |url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/119744 |title=All about Jews in Bangladesh |last=Shoaib Choudhury |first=Salah Uddin |authorlink=Salah Choudhury |date=2009-09-18 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923145507/http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/119744 |archivedate=2009-09-23 |accessdate=2016-03-08 }}</ref> According to historian Ziauddin Tariq Ali, a trustee at [[Liberation War Museum]], "There were two Jewish families in Bangladesh [after independence], but both migrated to India — one in 1973 and the other in 1975."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12 |title=Jewish community virtually nonexistent in Bangladesh |last=Luxner |first=Larry |date=2012-06-12 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309032042/http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12 |archivedate=2016-03-09 |accessdate=2016-03-23 }}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Persian and Mesopotamian Jews, also known as [[Baghdadi Jews]], settled in eastern Bengal during the 17th-century.<ref name="jpost">{{cite web |url=http://www.bechollashon.org/resources/newsletters/05-11/bangladesh-jewish-community.php |title=Bangladesh – with Jewish connections |last=Zetler |first=David |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=2011-04-21 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025659/http://www.bechollashon.org/resources/newsletters/05-11/bangladesh-jewish-community.php |archivedate=2016-03-04 |accessdate=2016-03-08 }}</ref> At the time, the region was a hub for Eurasian merchants due to the thriving [[muslin trade in Bengal]]. A Baghdadi Jewish merchant community settled in [[Dhaka]] during the 17th-century.<ref name="thejc">{{cite news |last=Weil |first=Shalva |authorlink=Shalva Weil |url=http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/145162/the-extraordinary-story-bangladesh-jews |title=The extraordinary story of the Bangladesh Jews |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |location=London |date=2015-09-17 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016084015/http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/145162/the-extraordinary-story-bangladesh-jews |archivedate=2015-10-16 |accessdate=2016-03-08 }}</ref> A notable episode during the colonial period involved Alex Aronson, a German Jewish academic and friend of Nobel laureate [[Rabindranath Tagore]]. During the outbreak of the Second World War, Aronson was viewed as an enemy alien by the British colonial government. Aronson was detained and placed under house arrest, which disrupted in his work in Santiniketan University. His friend Tagore requested the British government to release him but Tagore's request was initially turned down. Tagore then secured the help of Prime Minister [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]] of Bengal to have Aronson released. After Tagore's death in 1941, Aronson began to teach at [[Dhaka University]] in the hometown of Sir Nazimuddin, a member of the Dhaka Nawab Family.<ref name="Ghosh2006">{{cite book|author=Ranjan Ghosh|title=(In)fusion Approach: Theory, Contestation, Limits: (In)fusionising a Few Indian English Novels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUPEyvGt2H0C&pg=PA225|year=2006|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-3464-9|page=225}}</ref><ref>http://www.nawabbari.com/main.html?string=letter.html</ref> |
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The Jewish population in [[East Bengal]] was only about 135 Jews at the time of the [[Partition of British India]] in 1947.<ref name="ajl"/> Mordechai Cohen, who was born in Rajshahi, became an English and Bengali newsreader for [[Pakistan Television]] in Dacca, [[East Pakistan]].<ref>https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12</ref><ref>https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/he-looked-the-part-belonging-to-multiple-cultures-can-be-both-enriching-and-painful/cid/330271</ref> Members of the [[Bene Israel|Bene Israel community]] also resided in Dhaka in the 1960s.<ref name="thejc"/> By the late 1960s, much of the Jewish community had left for [[Calcutta]].<ref name="jpost"/> According to historian Ziauddin Tariq Ali, a trustee at [[Liberation War Museum]], "There were two Jewish families in Bangladesh [after independence], but both migrated to India — one in 1973 and the other in 1975."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12 |title=Jewish community virtually nonexistent in Bangladesh |last=Luxner |first=Larry |date=2012-06-12 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309032042/http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12 |archivedate=2016-03-09 |accessdate=2016-03-23 }}</ref> |
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The Polish-American Jewish architect [[Louis Kahn]] worked in East Pakistan and post-independent Bangladesh to design the [[Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban]]. During the Bangladesh War of Independence, Major General [[J. F. R. Jacob]] played a key role in the [[surrender of Pakistan]]. According to a record of the [[Jewish Telegraph Agency]] on 7 February 1972, it is stated that "Israel has officially recognized the new state of Bangladesh. The announcement said that Foreign Minister Abba Eban informed Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad of the recognition in a cable Friday. The recognition decision was taken after telephone consultations with all members of the Cabinet Friday instead of waiting for today’s regular Cabinet meeting. Israeli recognition was first requested last April in a letter from Acting President Nazrul Islam and Foreign Minister Mastaque Ahmed of the Bengali provisional government which was then fighting a war of secession from Pakistan".<ref>https://www.jta.org/1972/02/07/archive/israel-recognizes-bangladesh</ref> |
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There is no official [[Bangladesh–Israel relations|diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Israel]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Time-for-a-quiet-revolution-in-Bangladesh-Israeli-relations|title = Time for a quiet revolution in Bangladesh-Israeli relations|last = Nasir|first = Khaled|date = 2 September 2011|work = [[Jerusalem Post]]|access-date = 24 February 2015}}</ref> |
There is no official [[Bangladesh–Israel relations|diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Israel]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Time-for-a-quiet-revolution-in-Bangladesh-Israeli-relations|title = Time for a quiet revolution in Bangladesh-Israeli relations|last = Nasir|first = Khaled|date = 2 September 2011|work = [[Jerusalem Post]]|access-date = 24 February 2015}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 23:18, 21 May 2019
| Total population | |
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| estimated from 0 - <3500[1] | |
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| Regions with significant populations | |
| Dhaka | |
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| Languages | |
| Bengali, Persian, Arabic and Hebrew |
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The history of the Jews in Bangladesh refers to the history of a tiny Jewish community in Bangladesh. Jewish history in the country can be traced to the 17th-century. The Jews of British India and Pakistan had a small community in what is now Bangladesh, particulary in the city of Dhaka. Jewish residents were also reported in Rajshahi.[2] The Jews of Bangladesh are reported to have been Baghdadi Jews and the Bene Israel. Most of these Jews emigrated by the 1960s.
Jews have been linked to the modern history of Bangladesh. Some of the prominent Jewish residents included Mordechai Cohen, a former television newsreader and actor;[3][4] and Alex Aronson, an academic who taught at Dhaka University.[5] Some foreign Jews who are prominently associated with the country include the American architect Louis Kahn, who designed Bangladesh's parliament; and J. F. R. Jacob, an Indian army general who served in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
History
Persian and Mesopotamian Jews, also known as Baghdadi Jews, settled in eastern Bengal during the 17th-century.[6] At the time, the region was a hub for Eurasian merchants due to the thriving muslin trade in Bengal. A Baghdadi Jewish merchant community settled in Dhaka during the 17th-century.[7] A notable episode during the colonial period involved Alex Aronson, a German Jewish academic and friend of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. During the outbreak of the Second World War, Aronson was viewed as an enemy alien by the British colonial government. Aronson was detained and placed under house arrest, which disrupted in his work in Santiniketan University. His friend Tagore requested the British government to release him but Tagore's request was initially turned down. Tagore then secured the help of Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin of Bengal to have Aronson released. After Tagore's death in 1941, Aronson began to teach at Dhaka University in the hometown of Sir Nazimuddin, a member of the Dhaka Nawab Family.[5][8]
The Jewish population in East Bengal was only about 135 Jews at the time of the Partition of British India in 1947.[9] Mordechai Cohen, who was born in Rajshahi, became an English and Bengali newsreader for Pakistan Television in Dacca, East Pakistan.[10][11] Members of the Bene Israel community also resided in Dhaka in the 1960s.[7] By the late 1960s, much of the Jewish community had left for Calcutta.[6] According to historian Ziauddin Tariq Ali, a trustee at Liberation War Museum, "There were two Jewish families in Bangladesh [after independence], but both migrated to India — one in 1973 and the other in 1975."[12]
The Polish-American Jewish architect Louis Kahn worked in East Pakistan and post-independent Bangladesh to design the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban. During the Bangladesh War of Independence, Major General J. F. R. Jacob played a key role in the surrender of Pakistan. According to a record of the Jewish Telegraph Agency on 7 February 1972, it is stated that "Israel has officially recognized the new state of Bangladesh. The announcement said that Foreign Minister Abba Eban informed Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad of the recognition in a cable Friday. The recognition decision was taken after telephone consultations with all members of the Cabinet Friday instead of waiting for today’s regular Cabinet meeting. Israeli recognition was first requested last April in a letter from Acting President Nazrul Islam and Foreign Minister Mastaque Ahmed of the Bengali provisional government which was then fighting a war of secession from Pakistan".[13]
There is no official diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Israel.[14]
See also
References
- ^ Shoaib Choudhury, Salah Uddin (2009-09-18). "All about Jews in Bangladesh". Archived from the original on 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/he-looked-the-part-belonging-to-multiple-cultures-can-be-both-enriching-and-painful/cid/330271
- ^ https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12
- ^ https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12
- ^ a b Ranjan Ghosh (2006). (In)fusion Approach: Theory, Contestation, Limits: (In)fusionising a Few Indian English Novels. University Press of America. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-7618-3464-9.
- ^ a b Zetler, David (2011-04-21). "Bangladesh – with Jewish connections". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Weil, Shalva (2015-09-17). "The extraordinary story of the Bangladesh Jews". The Jewish Chronicle. London. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.nawabbari.com/main.html?string=letter.html
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ajlwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/jewish-community-virtually-nonexistent-in-bangladesh/2012/06/12
- ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/he-looked-the-part-belonging-to-multiple-cultures-can-be-both-enriching-and-painful/cid/330271
- ^ Luxner, Larry (2012-06-12). "Jewish community virtually nonexistent in Bangladesh". Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ https://www.jta.org/1972/02/07/archive/israel-recognizes-bangladesh
- ^ Nasir, Khaled (2 September 2011). "Time for a quiet revolution in Bangladesh-Israeli relations". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
External links
- Jewish community virtually nonexistent in Bangladesh, Jew journalist's journey to Bangladesh.
- 2018 article asking What happened to Jews of Bangladesh?
