Ashok Ogra
ashokogra@gmail.com
With mainstream media often absorbed in the rivalries of political parties-and more recently in the war involving Iran-while social media debates frequently revolve around religion, and are often marked by polarised exchanges described variously as “Nehru-bashing” and “Modi-hatred,” two unrelated but interesting developments have largely escaped public attention.
The first development relates to the recent T-20 cricket matches that were followed with great enthusiasm, thousands of kilometres away in Israel, by Konkani Indian Jews who started migrating to the Jewish homeland after its establishment in 1948.
For them, cricket is more than just a sport. It is a cultural thread linking them to their land, their ancestors once called home. On weekends, players gather on dusty grounds to practise the game.
In fact, this cultural continuity can be experienced at an Indian Jewish wedding in Israel. The bride invariably wears a sari. Bollywood music fills the air. Jewish religious rituals guide the ceremony, yet the celebration carries unmistakable Indian colours, flavours and rhythms.
The second development relates to a plan approved by the Israeli government to bring the remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community to Israel by 2030. The Bnei Menashe Jews-mainly from the North East states -believe they are descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel.
Before their migration, these small Jewish communities had lived in India for more than two thousand years, facing no antisemitism or discrimination. They flourished mainly in Maharashtra, Kerala and Kolkata, adapting to local cultures while preserving their religious traditions. The Bene Israel of the Konkan coast spoke Marathi and absorbed many aspects of local life while continuing to observe Jewish practices such as the Sabbath and dietary laws.
The Cochin Jews of Kerala formed one of the oldest Jewish settlements in Asia, with traditions stretching back many centuries.
The Baghdadi Jews, who arrived from Iraq and other parts of West Asia during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, became prominent traders and philanthropists in cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata.
These Jewish families were closely woven into India’s social and cultural life, and several members of the community achieved distinction in different fields.
Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacob, one of India’s most respected military leaders, played a decisive role in the 1971 war with Pakistan. Eliyahu Moses distinguished himself as a successful diplomat. Poet Nissim Ezekiel emerged as a pioneer of modern Indian English literature. Sulochana (Ruby Myers) was a well-known star of the silent era. And actor David Abraham Cheulkar became a familiar presence in Hindi cinema. Ezra Mir was a pioneering documentary filmmaker working in Films Division.
Esther David has written extensively about Jewish life in India and received the Sahitya Akademi Award for her work.
One must also recall the contribution of the Sassoon family, whose philanthropy and enterprise helped shape parts of Mumbai’s civic life, including the development of docks, schools and charitable institutions such as Sassoon Hospital in Pune.
These examples reflect a broader reality: Jews in India were rarely viewed as outsiders in the way they were in many other parts of the world.
However, the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 changed the course of Jewish history worldwide. After centuries of dispersion, there was now a Jewish homeland. Israel’s founders spoke of the “fusion of exiles”-the idea that Jews from across the world would come together to build a unified national society.
Around the time of India’s independence in 1947, the Jewish population in the country was estimated at about 30,000-40,000. During the 1950s and 1960s, a large section of this community migrated to Israel. For many families, the decision was shaped by religious conviction- return to the sacred land.
During those early decades, Israel was simultaneously absorbing immigrants from all over the world. Resources were limited, infrastructure was still developing, and integrating diverse communities posed a major challenge.
Within this setting, social hierarchies gradually appeared. Jews of European origin, known as Ashkenazim, occupied many positions in government, and major institutions. This was partly because many of Israel’s founding leaders had come from Europe and already had political experience and established educational networks.
Jews arriving from Asia, Africa and the Middle East were often grouped under the broader category of Mizrahim and were settled in under-developed towns or near conflict zones that offered fewer opportunities.
Indian Jews had to find their place within this layered social structure. Many encountered discriminations linked to skin colour, language and unfamiliar cultural practices. Professionals who had worked in offices in India were sometimes assigned manual labour. Housing conditions were basic, and adjusting to Hebrew and to a different climate proved difficult.
In her book ‘Being Indian, Being Israeli’, Prof. Maina Chawla Singh describes Indian Jews in Israel as an “invisible community,” largely outside the national elite.
One of the most painful episodes occurred in the early 1960s when Israel’s Chief Rabbinate questioned the Jewish lineage of the Bene Israel community from Maharashtra. The ruling suggested that marriages between Bene Israel and other Jewish groups would require special verification.
The Bene Israel community responded with protests and public demonstrations. After sustained pressure, the rabbinate eventually reversed its decision, but the episode left a lasting imprint on collective memory.
In some cases, a few Jews chose to return to India after finding life in Israel difficult.
A personal example illustrates this sentiment. My close friend, the learned, Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, belongs to the Bene Israel community. While several members of his family and other relatives, migrated to Israel, he chose to remain in India.
Explaining his decision, Ezekiel often quotes “Janani Janmabhumischa Swargaadapi Gariyasi?,” which he recites in Sanskrit- which means “Mother and motherland are greater than heaven”.
A strong advocate of interfaith dialogue, Ezekiel notes that the Jewish population in India today is around 6,000 people. In Delhi, the community is particularly tiny, with fewer than 50 Jews currently residing in the city.
Recalling an interaction with the media during the visit of Shimon Peres to India in 1992, Ezekiel was asked about his feelings towards India. He responded: “Israel is in my heart, but India is in my blood.”
The above developments point to a broader reality: religion alone does not always determine where people choose to live. Nor does it necessarily create social cohesion.
Cultural background, historical memory, language and everyday experience often shape identities just as strongly, and that even within a shared faith, societies may remain layered and complex.
Israel too reflects this diversity. Although it is widely regarded as the Jewish homeland, Muslims constitute nearly 18 per cent of its population, alongside Christians and Druze.
If religion alone determined belonging, the continued presence of Jews in several predominantly Muslim-majority countries would be difficult to explain. From Turkey to Azerbaijan, Jewish communities still exist, though their numbers today is insignificant than in the past.
An utterly surprising case is Iran, where an estimated 8,000-10,000 Jews still reside today. Despite the war with Israel, they are recognised as a protected minority and have one representative in the Iranian parliament (Majlis).
I gained a deeper understanding of this dual identity among Jews who migrated to Israel when I met Avi Shlaim, a historian of Iraqi-Jewish origin and former Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, at the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2024. In his memoir ‘Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab -Jew’, he recalls that Iraqi Jews spoke Arabic, shared many cultural practices with their Muslim and Christian neighbours, and were part of everyday life in Baghdad.
He also writes that after migrating to Israel, the Arab aspect of this heritage was often overlooked and sometimes looked down upon by Jews of European origin. For this reason, he uses the term “Arab-Jew” to describe the cultural identity of many Jews from the Middle East.
Interestingly, when Sharad Pawar visited Israel in 1993, members of the Bene Israel community insisted that he speak in Marathi-symbolising their deep emotional connection to Maharashtra. Marathi phrases-along with familiar Bengali and Malayalam expressions- can still be heard in conversations among Indian Jewish families settled in Israel. Many older Indian Jews, now settled in Isarel, describe their identity in simple but meaningful terms: India is the motherland, Israel the fatherland.
(The author works for reputed Apeejay Education, New Delhi)
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