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Jews in India live among India's predominant Hindu and Muslim populace. However, not many are aware that Judaism is one of the oldest religions to arrive in India and meld with the local populace. The Jews preserved their customs and traditions while assimilating with the local population. A dwindling population, Jews now number just 4,000 in India with about half of that figure living in the city of Mumbai. Unlike many parts of the world, Jews have lived in India without any violence or anti-Semitism. In Mumbai, two synagogues are located in predominantly Muslim inhabited areas, with no record of ill-will between the two communities.
There are three Jewish communities in India:
- The Cochin Jews arrived in India 2,500 years ago and settled down in Cochin, Kerala as traders.
- The Baghdadi Jews or Iraqi Jews arrived in the city Mumbai about 250 years ago.
- The Bene Israel arrived in the state of Maharashtra 2,100 years ago.
Cochin Jews
The oldest of the three Jewish communities, traders from Palestine arrived in the city of Cochin 2,500 years ago. Assimilated with the local populace, the community built synagogues and colonies there. The Jewish synagogue in Cochin is a protected heritage site and is a popular tourist destination.
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel arrived 2,100 years ago after a shipwreck stranded seven Jewish families from Palestine at Navagaon near Alibag, just south of Mumbai. The families multiplied and integrated with the local Maharashtrian population adopting their language, dress and food. They were nicknamed the shanwar teli ("Saturday oil-pressers") by the local population as they abstained from work on Saturdays which is Judaism's Shabbat.
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.
Baghdadi Jews
The Baghdadi Jews or the Iraqi Jews emigrated from Iraq around 250 years ago and settled down in the city of Mumbai. They were traders and quickly became one of the highest earning communities in the city. As philanthropists, they donated their wealth to public structures. The David Sassoon Docks and a Sassoon Library are some of the famous landmarks still standing today.
Today
Jews in India have resisted intermarriage with non-Jews. After the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948, most Indian Jews migrated to that country as they regarded it as their spiritual homeland and also for wider economic opportunities.
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