People are surprised to discover that my wife is an Indian Jew. The invariable response is, “I didn’t know there were Indian Jews.” Actually there are four distinct groups of Indian Jews, each with their own customs, history and food.
Here they are in a nutshell:
Bene Israel (My wife’s group)
The largest Jewish group in India, the Bene Israel trace their origin in the country back more than 2,000 years. (The community traditionally didn’t celebrate Hanukkah so it is assumed that they arrived before those events.) The community was centered in rural villages, towns and cities in Maharashtra state. Though the overwhelming majority of Bene Israel have now moved to Israel, there are still several thousand members of the community in India.
Baghdadi
A Jewish community originally from Iraq that began arriving primarily in the early 19th century. The community was previously centered primarily in Kolkata (Calcutta) and today has largely emigrated to various English-speaking countries.
Cochini
This community hails from southern India, in the present state of Kerala. They claim ancestry going back to the time of King Solomon. The oldest documentary evidence of this community dates from about 1,000 CE. Written references to the community go back as far as the 12th century. Today the vast majority of the community lives in Israel.
Bnei Menashe
This community comes from northeastern India bordering Myanmar. The group claims descent from the Biblical tribe of Manasseh, though no accepted ancestral/genetic link to the Jewish people has been established. Significant numbers of people from the community have made aliyah to Israel and the Israeli government recently ratified a plan to bring over several thousand more people from the group in the next few years.
If you want to add an Indian touch to your upcoming Passover seder, here is a recipe my wife prepares every year for the holiday.
Lamb with Coconut
Masala
Garam Masala
