Bene Israel: Difference between revisions

Bene Israel
Regions with significant populations
	Israel 60,000 (est.) ; India 4,600; Other English-speaking countries 2,000 (est.)
Languages
	Traditionally, Judæo-Marathi a form of Marathi; those in Israel, mostly Hebrew
Religion
	Judaism
Related ethnic groups
	Cochin Jews, Baghdadi Jews, Marathi people

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Revision as of 03:04, 8 August 2010

The Bene Israel (Template:He, "Sons of Israel", Marathi:बेने इस्राएल) are a group of Jews who migrated in the nineteenth century from west to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, Ahmedabad, and Karachi (Karachi later became a part of Pakistan). Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's Jewish population, and constitute the bulk of those sometimes referred to as Pakistani Jews. The native language of the Bene Israel is Judæo-Marathi, a form of Marathi. Most Bene Israel have now emigrated to Israel.

History

The traditions of the community trace their descent to Jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century B.C.E, 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 are descended from survivors of a shipwreck. In the 18th Century 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.

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.

Under British hegemony, many Bene Israel rose to prominence because their religion classified them as "Anglo-Indian." They were not 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 neighbors. 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 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.

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 can be found in the following reference.[2]. The town of Beersheva in Southern Israel has the largest community of Bene Israel. Very little is known about the life of Bene Israel in the state of Israel. The community in Israel has also not produced any person of distinction.

The Bene Israel claim a lineage to the Cohanim, the Israelite priestly class, which claims descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. In 2002, a DNA test confirmed that the Bene Israel share the same heredity as the Cohanim.[3][4]

In 2010, the landmark Jewish genetics paper published in the journal 'Nature' said: "Y-chromosome data point to a unique paternal genetic link between the Bene Israel community and the Levant".[5]

Famous Bene Israel

Dr. Erulkar, (Physician of Mohandas Gandhi)
Dr. Solomon Erulkar
Nissim Ezekiel, Poet
Isaac Kehimkar, Author, and Naturalist & Conservationist
Sameer Kehimkar, Wildlife Enthusiast & Photographer, professionally a Creative Designer.
Jonathan Mapgaonkar, CEO, SSBU, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.
Esther David, Writer
Ezekiel Gulu, Author
Sophie Judah, Writer
Carmit Delman, Writer
Sadia Shepard, Writer
Dr Nathan Malachi Aston, Educationist
Colonel Gabriel Ashton, Israeli Police - Former Commander of the West Bank
Brigadier David Abraham, Indian Army
Maya Avraham Popular Israeli Singer
Liel Kolet Popular Israeli singer
Ilan Kolet, Bank of Canada
Aviva Kolet, singer and cantor, Canada
Major General Jonathan Reuben Samson, Indian Army
Lt General Jacobs, Indian Army
Wg Cdr Abraham Moses Reuben, Indian Air Force
Uriel Kolet, Captain, Air Canada

Film Industry

David Abraham Cheulkar, actor
Ruby Myers (known as Sulochana), actress
Florence Ezekiel (popularly known as Nadira), actress
Bunny Reuben, noted film journalist
Susan Solomon (known as Firoza Begum), actress
Pearl Padamsee, actress
Asha Bhende, Marathi stage actress and wife of Atmaram Bhende
Herman - Dance Director (movie : Gumnaam (old) )

(External reference "Pioneering Indian Jewish Bollywood Actresses & Actors" : http://b-inet.com/sammy/indian-jewish-actors/ (External reference "Who is a Bene Israel" : http://www.b-inet.com/sammy/who-is-a-bene-israel/)

External links

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)

References

^ Joan G. Roland, Jews in British India: Identity in a Colonial Era, Hanover: University Press of New England, 1989, 34-35.

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 ==See also==
 * [[Judaism in India]]
+* [[Racism in Israel #Indian descent]]
 * [[Synagogues in India]]
 * [http://www.indjews.com The Indian Jewish community and synagogues in Israel]