History of the Jews in India

The history of the Jews in India dates back to antiquity.^[1]^[2]^[3] Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the Indian subcontinent in recorded history.^[4] Desi Jews are a small religious minority who have lived in the region since ancient times. They were able to survive for centuries despite persecution and antisemitic inquisitions.^[5]

The better-established ancient Jewish communities have assimilated many of the local traditions through cultural diffusion.^[6] While some Indian Jews have stated that their ancestors arrived during the time of the Biblical Kingdom of Judah, others claim descent from the Ten Lost Tribes of the pre-Judaic Israelites who arrived in India earlier.^[7] Still some other Indian Jews contend that they descend from the Israelite Tribe of Manasseh, and they are referred to as the Bnei Menashe.

The Jewish population in British India peaked at around 20,000 in the mid-1940s, according to some estimates, with others putting the number as high as 50,000,^[8] but the community declined rapidly due to emigration to the newly formed Israel after the Partition of Palestine at the end of the British Mandate in 1948.^[9] The Indian Jewish community now comprises 4,429 people according to the latest census.^[10]

^ Sohoni, Pushkar; Robbins, Kenneth X. (2017). Jewish Heritage of the Deccan: Mumbai, the Northern Konkan and Pune. Mumbai: Deccan Heritage Foundation; Jaico. ISBN 9789386348661.
^ The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities by Orpa Slapak. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 2003. p. 27. ISBN 965-278-179-7.
^ Weil, Shalva. India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art, and Life-Cycle. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009.
^ Weil, Shalva. "Indian Judaic Tradition" in Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby (eds) Religions in South Asia, London: Palgrave Publishers, 2006. pp. 169–183.
^ Saraiva, António José (2001). The Marrano Factory: The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians 1536-1765. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-12080-8.
^ Weil, Shalva. "Bene Israel Rites and Routines" in Shalva Weil (ed.) India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle, Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2009. [first published in 2002]; 3Arts, 54(2): 26–37.
^ Weil, Shalva. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.
^ Kashi, Anita Rao. "The surprising landscape of Indian Jewish food". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
^ Hutchison, Peter (14 January 2018). "Netanyahu trip highlights India's tiny Jewish community". Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^ "C-01 Appendix: Details of religious community shown under 'Other religions and persuasions' in main table C01 - 2011". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.

[1] Sohoni, Pushkar; Robbins, Kenneth X. (2017). Jewish Heritage of the Deccan: Mumbai, the Northern Konkan and Pune. Mumbai: Deccan Heritage Foundation; Jaico. ISBN 9789386348661.

[Orpa_Slapak-2] The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities by Orpa Slapak. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 2003. p. 27. ISBN 965-278-179-7.

[:0-3] Weil, Shalva. India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art, and Life-Cycle. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009.

[4] Weil, Shalva. "Indian Judaic Tradition" in Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby (eds) Religions in South Asia, London: Palgrave Publishers, 2006. pp. 169–183.

[5] Saraiva, António José (2001). The Marrano Factory: The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians 1536-1765. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-12080-8.

[6] Weil, Shalva. "Bene Israel Rites and Routines" in Shalva Weil (ed.) India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle, Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2009. [first published in 2002]; 3Arts, 54(2): 26–37.

[7] Weil, Shalva. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.

[8] Kashi, Anita Rao. "The surprising landscape of Indian Jewish food". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.

[9] Hutchison, Peter (14 January 2018). "Netanyahu trip highlights India's tiny Jewish community". Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 July 2018.

[10] "C-01 Appendix: Details of religious community shown under 'Other religions and persuasions' in main table C01 - 2011". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.

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