BENE ISRAEL - JEWS OF INDIA
 

 


The largest Jewish community of Indian Jews is that of the Bene Israel. Earlier the Bene Israel lived in the villages of west Maharashtra in the Konkan coast. In the nineteenth century they started moving to the cities, mainly to Bombay (now called Mumbai) and to other cities among them Pune, Ahmadabad and Karachi which is now part of Pakistan. From 1950 onwards they started immigrating to Israel. The Bene Israel community was completely isolated from most of the other Jewish communities of the world. They are known as Bene Israel because that’s how they called themselves. The Bene Israel believe that their forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. The accepted version is that their forefathers were sailing in a commercial ship from the Land of Israel to India. The ship wrecked near the coast of Konkan. From the ship survived 14 people, seven men and seven women. They swam towards the land and arrived at the village called Navgaon. All their belongings drowned in the sea. The dead bodies of the others from the ship were buried in the village. The survivors somehow managed to settle in the village and started working in agriculture and oil producing which later on became their main profession. As time passed the descendants of the survivors forgot Hebrew and their religious tradition. But they carried out some of the Israeli tradition.

The Bene Israels observed Sabbath (Saturday) and abstained on this day from any work. They circumcised their sons on the eighth day after birth. They didn’t eat fish which didn’t had fins and scales. They observed a few Israeli festivals and called them by Indian names, but until their association with other Jewish communities they weren’t aware of the Hanukkah festival and the ninth of Ab fast. These two traditions became part of Jewish tradition after the destruction of the second Temple and therefore the belief that the Bene Israels forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. On each religious occasion such as marriage; circumcision or death the Bene Israelis used to recite the ‘Shema’ verse.

The Bene Israel community grew and they became a guild or an Indian caste with the profession of oil pressers. They left their first village, Navgaon, and dispersed to other villages and towns in the coast of Konkan becoming the oil producers and oil pressers of their respective villages. From the names of the villages and towns; like Roha, Pen, Pali or Ashtam; they derived their surnames like Rohekar; Penkar; Palkar; Ashtamkar and such others. The Bene Israels used to abstain from any work on Saturday (which wasn’t an acceptable feature in India) and were therefore called ‘Shenwar Teli’ meaning ‘Saturday oil pressers’.

According to Bene Israel tradition, somewhere between 1000 AD to 1400 AD a Jewish merchant, David Rahabi, arrived in west India. The Bene Israels believe that Rahabi was Moses Maimonides (a very respected Jewish scholar also called ‘Rambam’) brother. Rahabi was surprised to find this Bene Israel community which followed some Jewish traditions and festivals. He decided to enlighten them with all the Jewish traditions. He chose three men from the Bene Israel community and taught them Talmud and other Jewish books. These three people became to be known as ‘Kaji’ (meaning judge in Arabic) and were religious and social leaders of the Bene Israel community. And so, it is believed, began the revivification of the Bene Israel Jews towards Judaism. Later on in the eighteenth century Cochini Jews and other Jewish communities also began to associate religiously with the Bene Israel Jews.

A very important non-Jewish community that had an impact on the Bene Israel was the Christian missionaries. In the eighteenth century many Christian missionaries came to India. Some of them had anthropological interest in India. They began with their own theories about the origins of Bene Israel and other researchers including the Bene Israel themselves also began theorizing the origins of the Bene Israel. Different researchers came to different conclusions. Among the theories there were a few which came to conclusion that the Bene Israel’s forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second Temple and this is because the Bene Israel (meaning children of Israel) did not call themselves Jews (In the narrow sense the Jews are descendants only from the two of the twelve tribes of Children Of Israel, Yehuda and Benjamin) . For the same reason others concluded that the Indian Bene Israel are from the ‘Lost Tribes’ which are the ten tribes (of the twelve tribes of the Children Of Israel) whom the Assyrians exiled from the Land Of Israel in 800 BC and what happened of them is not known (and are therefore called Lost Tribes) . Others concluded that the Bene Israel originate from the tribes of Zvulun and Asher and that’s because the Bene Israel engaged in the profession of oil pressing which is believed to be the profession popular among the tribes of Zvulun and Asher. Other reasons that support the theory that the Bene Israel Jews are in India for over 2000 years is the fact that they weren’t aware of the main Jewish tradition which evolved in Judaism between 200 BC to 300 AD. Others concluded that the Bene Israel are Jews who came to India from Arab countries at a much later period, somewhere around the seventh century AD. And there are other theories, among them is that the Bene Israel aren’t at all of Israeli origin.

With the revival of Judaism among the Bene Israel by David Rahabi, he selected three men to be the religious leaders of the community and called them ‘Kaji’. These Kajis fulfilled all the religious jobs of the community. The Kaji’s profession was hereditary. From the eighteenth century the Bene Israel developed contact and communication with other Jewish communities especially with the ‘Cochini’ Jews who lived in the southern part of India the present state of Keralla and with Jews from Iraq and Yemen. The contacts and communication with the Yemen Jews started when Bene Israels, who were soldiers in the Indian-British army, were posted at Aden in Yemen. The Bene Israel in Aden had their prayer hall in Aden and later on brought Yemenite Jewish cantors to India and so adopting the Yemenite style of praying (Because of the Yemenite way of praying some researchers wrongly presume that the Bene Israel originate from Yemen). In the first synagogues of the Bene Israel Jews the cantors were mainly Yemenite or Iraqi or Cochini. After the cantors, the Bene Israel began to bring to India Jewish circumciser and butchers from Yemen and so the Kajis lost their traditional position as head of the community.


Yemenite cantor listens while a Bene Israel blows the shofar


The Bene Israels have a few Jewish customs almost unique only to them. The community members almost in every thanksgiving ceremony maintain a ritual called ‘Malida’. Malida is a home ritual in which the men sit around a plate full of roasted rice, fruits, spices and flowers. In this ceremony they sing songs praising the Lord. In the main song they also praise Prophet Elaija as the precursor of the Messiah. The Bene Israel legend also narrates of two occasions when Prophet Elaija visited them and returned to heaven. The first occasion occurred immediately after the arrival of Bene Israel to the coast of Konkan. On this occasion he revivified the unconscious Bene Israels who swam to the beach from the sea. The second occasion occurred at a much latter period. At this visit the Bene Israel believe, Prophet Elaija also left a footprint from where he rose to heaven. In this place in the village of Khandala near Alibag (there is also a tourist town by the same name near Pune in Maharashtra and that’s a different place) the Bene Israels used to have religious rituals. Another custom unique to the Bene Israel was abstaining from eating beef. The majority of Indians are Hindus. The Hindus believe that cow is sacred and therefore to maintain good relations with their Hindu neighbors they abstained from eating beef and instead eat mutton. Another custom of the Bene Israel inspired by their Hindu neighbors was, not remarrying of widows and not maintaining the levirate marriage (a Jewish custom which commands marriage between the widow and her dead husband’s brother if the man dies childless) . The Bene Israels were also less strict about the Kosher laws. They didn’t keep two complete sets of kitchen utensils but only two sets of cooking utensils.

The Bene Israels divide their community into two groups. ‘Gora’ and ‘Kala’. Gora (meaning white) are majority in the community and their both parents are of Jewish religion. Kala (meaning black) is the smaller group whose father is of Israeli origin but mother is non-Jewish. These two groups use to pray together but the Goras didn’t accept the Kalas as complete Jews and didn’t mingle with them, nor did they marry with them. The Goras also didn’t allow the Kalas to hold the ‘Sefer’ or to blow the ‘Shofar’.

The first Bene Israel synagogue built by Samuel Divekar in 1796. Divekar with other Bene Israels served as a soldier of the British in India. In one of the wars against the kingdom of Mysore in south India, he with other British Indian soldiers was captured. The King of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, was a Muslim. He used to execute the captured soldiers, but when his mother heard of the Bene Israel captives, she begged her son to spare the Bene Israel soldiers because the Bene Israel are referred to in the holy Muslim Koran as the Chosen People of the Almighty. Many claim that if the Bene Israels had called themselves Yehudi (Jew) and not Bene Israel they would have been executed because the Koran looks negatively at Jews but in more positive way at the Bene Israels. After being spared Samuel Divekar decided to thank the Lord by building a synagogue. Later on more synagogue were build by the Bene Israels in India. There was even a Reform Jewish synagogue built in 1925. Among the synagogues, the synagogue in the town of Panvel (near Mumbai) is considered special and sacred where it is believed, prayers are fulfilled.

Until the twentieth century the Bene Israels referred to themselves as Bene Israels or Israels and not as Jews. In the twentieth century they slowly began to refer to themselves as Jews but normally they used to refer to themselves as Bene Israel and to the Jews from Arab countries who settled in India (Baghdadi Jews) as ‘Yehudi’. In some of the birth certificates and other legal documents of the early twentieth century their religion was specified as ‘Bene Israel’ and not Jew. Many Indians (non-Jewish) of west Maharashtra even today refer to Jews as Bene Israel or Israel and not as ‘Jew’.

The Bene Israel as a community weren’t a powerful influential community in their local areas but there were among them some who advanced to high ranks in the armies of local rulers. Some of them also got land from the local rulers as a prize for their services. After the British arrived to India, many Bene Israels joined the British forces in India and fought for the British Empire in their different wars around the world. Later on the Bene Israels adopted the profession of building contractors and other new modern professions that emerged in India such as office clerks, law, modern medicine and other professions. There were some Bene Israels who reach to high positions of judges, lawyers, doctors, institute managers and administrative or other high ranking officers in government services.

The Bene Israel’s population at their height was perhaps 30000 in India and that was in the 1950s. Proportionally they weren’t even 0.01% of the Indian population. Since the 1950s most of the Bene Israel have immigrated to Israel, and some to English speaking countries like Australia and England. Today in India there are less than 5000 Bene Israels, most of them live in Thana a suburb of Mumbai (Bombay).


India's Bene Israel by Shirley Isenberg. A Comprehensive Inquiry and Sourcebook:-Even though this book isn't always available at Amazon.This is the book for those interested in the Bene Israel community. This book has lot of information about the Bene Israel community and also about Jewish culture and history. In this book you will also find information about Indian society.


Orle-Israel Synagugue, Nandgaon Beth-El Synagogue,Rewdanda


Bene-Israel of India

Aaron Solomon (Ph.D.) & Shulamith Solomon (Ph.D.)

Contents

1. History

Languages spoken: Marathi, English

Population:

1940's was 26000

1980's was 6000

1990's 4000

Arrival : The Bene-Israel claimed to be descendents of the ten tribes of Israel who were shipwrecked off the west coast of India, near Nawgaon on the Konkan Coast in the second Century B.C.E. Only seven couples survived and their offsrings were cut off from other Jewish communities for centuries (Sadok Masliyah, 1994). They were jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the Second century BCE. They maintained the practices of Jewish Dietary laws, circumcision and observance of Sabbath as a day of rest. In the 18th century they were discoverd by traders from Bagdad and at that time they were practicing just a few outward forms of Judaism. However, different Theories suggest they arrived from Palestine, Yemen, Persia, Babylon.

Assimilation: The Indian caste system enabled the Bene-Israel to blend into the Indian Society without losing their own distinctive Jewish Character. The Evils of the caste system in India, proved to intact this Jewish group as the caste system did not allow intermarriage with other castes. Thus the Bene-Israels were not totally assimilated into the Hindu society. (Sadok Masliyah, 1994) The community seemed to have eroded through emigration to Israel during the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's. In Israel a number of them prospered but faced sometimes subtle, sometimes blatent discrimination and had to eventually fight a political battle to be recognized as Jews in instances of marriages with other ethnic groups. (Frank Conlon 1994) The Bene-Israel coomunity are found in Israel in cities such as Ashdod, Lod, Ramle, Beersheba.

Information on the Charikars (from the book by H. S. Kehimkar, 1937)

The Churrikars (Charikars) take up the first place in the place, in the point of chronological order. We have have no authentic information as to the founder of this family, except that one Aaron belonging to it supposed to be its founder was appointed Nayek or Commander of a fleet by Khanoji Angria about the beginning of the 17th century. He performed his duties so satisfactorily that he recived some land in Inam (gift) from the chieftains. It is still in possession of his descendent, and is enjoyed in perpetuity, though they have it is said to pay some land tax to the the prsent government. The Churrikars held the most important and responsible post of Naik or Comammder of the Angria fleet until it was burnt by the Peshwas in 1793. Besides the land granted to them in Inam they received a Sanad (honor) entitling them to receive a special honor and precedence from the local members of the Bene-Israel community.

2. Names and addresses of Synagogues in Bombay (marked with an asterisk are Bagdadi Synagogues)

Bombay

a. Magen Hassidim Synagogue, 8 Morland Road, Agripada, Bombay.(built 1904)

b. Gate of Mercy, (Shaar Harahamin)  254 Samuel Street, Mandvi, Bombay 400003. (built 1796)

c. Knesseth Elyahhoo, 43 Dr. V. S. Gandhi Marg, Fort, Bombay 400001. (*) (built 1884)

d. Magen David Synagogue, 340 Sir J.J. Road, Byculla, Bombay  400008. (*)  (built 1861)

e. Shaar HaShamaim Synagogue, Jansetji Maneckji Raod, Tembi Naka, Thane 400601 (built 1878)

f. Shaare Rason Synagogue, 90 Tantanpura Street, Kodak, Bombay 400009. (Built 1840)

g. Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 92 K. K. Marg, Jacob Circle, Bombay 400011. (built 1886)

h. Etz Haeem Prayer Hall, 2nd Lane, Umerkhadi, Bombay 400009. (built 1888)

i. Kurla Bene-Israel Prayer Hall, 275 S. G. Barve Road, Kurla West, Bombay 400070. (built 1948)

j. Bene-Israel Prayer Hall, Bandra, Bombay. (built 1930)

k. Rodef Shalom Synagogue Sussex road, Byculla, Bombay 400027. (built 1925)

Outside Bombay

Pune

a. Ohel David Synagogue, Pune Camp, Pune 411001. (built 1867)

b. Succoth Shelomo Synagogue, 93 Rasta Peth, Pune 411001 (built 1921)

Villages

c. Magen Aboth Synagogue, Alibag. (built 1848)

d. Bet-el Synagogue, Revdanda. (built 1842)

e. Talekar Synagogue, Post Chordee, Talekar.  Closed

f. Beth El Synagogue, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Panvel, 410206. (built 1849)

g. Knesseth Israel Synagogue, Talley Ghosaley, Mangaon Tehsil. (built 1849)

h. Beth Ha Elohim Synagogue, Pen (built 1863)

i. Hesed-El Synagogue, Poynad (built 1866)

j. Shaare Shalom Synagogue, Murud Janjira. (built 1869) Closed.

k. Ambepur Synagogue, Ambepur. (built 1882) Closed.

l. Bet- El Synagogue, Ashtami, Roha. (built 1882) Closed.

m. Shahar HaTephillah Synagogue, Mhesala. (built 1886) Closed

n. Or-Le Israel Synagogue, Nandgaon. (built 1896) Closed.

Ahmedabad

Magen Abraham Synagogue, Bukhara Moholla, Opp Parsi Agiary Ahmedabad . (built 1933)

Calcutta

Beth-El Synagogue,26/1 Pollock Street, Calcutta.

New Delhi

Judah Hyam Hall, 2 Humayun Road (near Taj Mahal Hotel), New Delhi 110003. (Tel: 463-5500)

Jewish cemeteries in Bombay are located at Mazagaon Road, Grant Road, Haines Road and Delisle Road (Bagdadi).

3. Jewish Schools in Bombay

a. Sir Jacob Sassoon High School, Sir J. J. Road, Byculla, Bombay 400008.

b. Sir Elly Kadorie School,Mazgaon, Bombay.

c. ORT India, Elly Kadorie School Compound, Mazgaon, Bombay 400010. Tel: 376-2430

d. ORT for Girls, Worli, Bombay. Tel: 4968423, 4968457, 4962350.

d. E. E. Sassoon School, Byculla, Bombay 400008.

4. Places of Interest on the Bene-Israel

a. Nawgaon: Site of their first landing. This is the site where the jews first landed in India. It is a small village and a memorial structure has been erected here. The graves of those jews who perished at this location is also found at this village. There were 2 mass graves contsructed here one for the males and the other for the females by the locals of this village.

b. Alibag: Synagogue. Alibag is a small town located 19 miles from Bombay. Here the Magen Aboth Synagogue was constructed in 1848. Many jews owned in this town, plots of land used for farming, rasing livestock, etc. Later many of these jews shifted to Bombay during the British period.

c. Pen: Synagogue

d. Khandala (off  Alibag village). There is a legend in the Bene-Israel about the horse shoe with carriage marks in a rock on this site. According to the legend, the holy jewish saint Elyahou Ha'nnabi horse driven carriage was seen on this site going toward heaven.

 

6. Other related Web Sites

Back to Top

Contact Information

address for Aaron Solomon   solomon@umbsky.cc.umb.edu

Shulamith Solomon, 2/8 Rekov Rambam, Azor Beth, Ashdod, Israel. Tel : 08-8564150.

Back to Top

 

5.Bibliographic Information (Books on Bene-Israel of India, arranged chronologically).

a. Haeem Samuel Kehimker. 1937. The History of the Bene-Israel of India. Dayag Press, Tel-Aviv.

b. Moses Ezekiel. 1948. History and Culture of the Bene-Israel in India. Bombay.

c. Benjamin J. Israel. 1963. Religious evolution among the Bene-Israel of India since 1750. Bombay.

d. Shellim Samuel. 1963. Treatise on the Origin and early history of the Bene-Israel of Maharashtra. Bombay.

e. Schifra Strizower. 1971. The Children Of Israel: The Bene-Israel of India. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

f. Carl Gussin. 1972. Bene-Israel of India: Political, Religious and systematic change (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Syracuse University).

g. Ezekial Barber. 1981. The Bene-Israel in India: Images and reality. University Press of America, Washington.

h. Benjamin J. Israel. 1984. The Bene-Israel of India. New York.

i. Thomas A. Timberg. 1986. Jews in India. Vikas Press, New Delhi.

j. Shirley B. Isenberg. 1988. India's Bene-Israel: A comprehensive Inquiry. Berkeley. J. L. Museum.

k. Joan G. Roland. 1989. The Jews in British India: Identity in a colonial era. Hanover, NH. University Press of New England for Brandeis University Press.

l. Shulmith Solomon. 1991. Ph. D. Thesis. "The Bene-Israel of the Konkan Coast of Maharashtra:  An Ethanographic Study" Bombay Univeristy, Bombay.

m. Sadok Masliyah. 1994. The Bene-Israel and the Bagdadis: Two Indian Jewish Communities in conflict. Judaism Volume 43, No3 pp279-293.

n. Illana Sugbaker and Ammiel Alcalay. 1994. Memories of an Indian upbringing. The Literary Review Volume 37. No2, pp266.

o. Nathan Katz. Editor. 19-- . Studies on Indian Jewish Identity. Manohar Publishers New Delhi.

Back to Top
 

Address of the Israeli Embassy, Rabbi, Mohels, etc.  in Bombay

Kailas, 50 G. Deshmukh Marg, Peddar Road, Bombay 400026. Tel :386-2793/4/5

Name and address of the Rabbi in Bombay: Mr. Abraham Benjamin, c/o Sir Jacob Sassoon High School, Byculla, Bombay 400008..

Mohels: 1. Dr   E. Kolet        2. Mr. Moses Phansapurkar

Kosher food  (bakery, wine  & meat products) in Bombay can be obtained  from ORT,Worli, Bombay. Tel: 4968423, 4968457, 4962350.  (Price of  Kosher meat is approx Rs72/kg).

Jewish Organizations in Bombay    

1. BZA (Bombay Zionist Organization)

2. Council of Indian Jewry, c/o Jewish Club, Jerro Bldg, 137 M. G. Road, Bombay. Tel: 271628.

3. Jewish Federation of India

4. JRU (Jewish Religious Youth)

5. Maccabi Sports Association

6. American Joint Distribution Organization. 3 Rodef Shalom, Susses Road, Byculla, Bombay 400008. Tel: 3760548, 3733444.

7. Young Pioneers

8. Jewish Relief Assocaition. Sheriar Mansion, Sir J. J. Road, Bombay 400008. Tel: 3079063.

Disclaimer:

This Web Site was created and is maintained for information regarding the Bene-Israel and is not a guarantee for authenticity of dates and materials. The authors disclaim any liability and information used is at your own risk.

The purpose of this web page was to have information and a collection of links on the Bene Israel together on one comprehensive page. They have been away from their homeland for centuries but still followed their Jewish customs, attented Jewish schools, built Jewish Synagogues and observed Jewish dietary laws, festivals and ceremonies thus truly and faithfully maintaining their Jewish identity.

Site Created July 20, 2000 . (17,Tamouz-5760) by DAVID SHALOM & Benedicta Pereira
Last revised: January 22,2001 (27-Teveth-5761)

This web page is always under


© David Shalom& Benedicta Pereira

2001-2002

5761-5762

       allowed to use with acknowledgements