History of the Jews in India

A map of India, showing the main areas of Jewish concentration. Indian Jews are a religious minority of India . Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. The better-established ancient communities have assimilated a large number of local traditions through cultural diffusion . The Jewish population in India is hard to estimate since each Jewish community is distinct with different origins; some arrived during the time of the Kingdom of Judah , others are seen by some as descendants of Israel's Ten Lost Tribes . Of the total Jewish population in India, about half live in Manipur and Mizoram and a quarter live in the city of Mumbai . Unlike many parts of the world, Jews have historically lived in India without any instances of Anti-Semitism from Hindus . However,Jews were persecuted by the Portuguese during their colonial rule. The Jews settled in Kodungallur (Cranganore) on the Malabar Coast, where they traded peacefully, until 1524. Jews have held important positions under Indian (Hindu) princes in the past and even after independence from British Rule, have risen to very high positions in government, military and industry. In addition to Jewish expatriates and recent immigrants, there are five native Jewish communities in India : The Cochin Jews arrived in India 2,500 years ago and settled down in Cochin , Kerala as traders. The Bene Israel arrived in the state of Maharashtra 2,100 years ago. The Baghdadi Jews arrived in the city Mumbai from Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, and Arab countries about 250 years ago. The Bnei Menashe are Mizo and Kuki tribesmen in Manipur and Mizoram who claim descent from the tribe of Manasseh . The Bene Ephraim (also called "Telugu Jews") are a small group who speak Telugu ; their observance of Judaism dates to 1981 . Mark Taper Foundation imprint in Jewish studies . They soon established an Office of Inquisition at Goa, and at their hands Indian Jews experienced the only instance of anti-Semitism ever to occur in Indian soil.

A map of India, showing the main areas of Jewish concentration. The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient times. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history . Indian Jews are a religious minority of India , but unlike many parts of the world, have historically lived in India without any instances of antisemitism from the local majority populace, the Hindus . The better-established ancient communities have assimilated a large number of local traditions through cultural diffusion . The Jewish population in India is hard to estimate since each Jewish community is distinct with different origins; while some allegedly arrived during the time of the Kingdom of Judah , others are seen by some as descendants of Israel's Ten Lost Tribes . In addition to Jewish expatriates and recent immigrants, there are five Jewish groups in India: The 'black' Malabar component of the Cochin Jews , according to Shalva Weil, might have arrived in India together with Solomon's merchants. The Cochin Jews settled down in Kerala as traders. The 'white' component is of European and other Jewish descent. The Spanish and Portuguese Jews and British arrived at Madras during the 17th century, mainly as traders and diamond businessmen. They also had a large presence in the Portuguese colony of Goa , where the Goan Inquisition was initiated. The Bene Israel arrived in the state of Maharashtra 900 years ago. The Baghdadi Jews arrived in the city of Surat from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Arab countries about 250 years ago. The Bnei Menashe are Mizo and Kuki tribesmen in Manipur and Mizoram who are recent converts to Judaism. The Bene Ephraim (also called "Telugu Jews") are a small group who speak Telugu ; their observance of Judaism dates to 1981. The Bene Israel or Bani Israel from Karachi , when Karachi used to be from India until 1947. The Indian Jewish from Sindh , Punjab or Pathan area are often called Bani Israel Jews. The Indian Karachi Jews , The Indian Lahore Jews , Indian Peshewar Jews , Indian Rawalpindi Jews have quickly moved either to Maharashtra or Israel after India partition but still considered Indians Jews coming from those places. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009. [first published in 2002; 3Arts, 54(2): 26-37. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.

Aspect of Indian history Map of Jewish communities in India. Greyed out labels indicate ancient or premodern communities The 1921 Census of British India shows 22,000 Jews, of which approximately three quarters were located in the Bombay Presidency . The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient times. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history . Indian Jews are a religious minority of India, but, unlike many parts of the world, have historically lived in India without any instances of anti-Semitism from the local majority populace. The better-established ancient communities have assimilated many local traditions through cultural diffusion . While some Jews state their ancestors arrived in India during the time of the Kingdom of Judah , others identify themselves as descendants of Israel's Ten Lost Tribes . It is estimated that India's Jewish population peaked at around 20,000 in the mid-1940s, and began to rapidly decline due to their emigration to Israel after its creation in 1948. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009. [first published in 2002]; 3Arts, 54(2): 26-37. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.

Overview of the historical presence and impact of the Jewish people in India "Hodi" redirects here. The history of the Jews in India dates back to antiquity . Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history . Indian Jews are a small religious minority who have lived in India since ancient times. The 2,000-year history of Indian Jews was marked by a total absence of antisemitism from the Hindu majority and a visible assimilation in the local languages and cultures. The better-established ancient Jewish communities have assimilated many of the local traditions through cultural diffusion . 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. 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, 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. The Indian Jewish community is now estimated to number no more than 5,000 people. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009. [first published in 2002]; 3Arts, 54(2): 26–37. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.

The history of the Jews in India dates back to antiquity . Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the Indian subcontinent in recorded history . Rabbi Eliezer ben Jose of the 2nd-century AD mentions the Jewish people of India ( Hebrew : הנדויים ) in his work Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer , saying that they are required to ask for rain in the summer months, during their regular rainy season, yet make use of the format found for winter in the Standing Prayer , and to cite it in the blessing, 'Hear our voice' ( שמע קולנו יי' אלהינו ‎). 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 by Portuguese colonizers and nonnative antisemitic inquisitions. The better-established ancient Jewish communities have assimilated many of the local traditions through cultural diffusion . 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. 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, but the community declined rapidly due to emigration to the newly formed state of Israel after 1948. The Indian Jewish community now comprises 4,429 people according to the latest census. Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.]. 2009. OCLC 607826 . , s.v. אפי' בני מזרח, אפי' הנדויים ‎ Saraiva, António José (2001). [first published in 2002]; 3Arts, 54(2): 26–37. (1991) "Beyond the Sambatyon: the Myth of the Ten Lost Tribes." Tel-Aviv: Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora. "C-01 Appendix: Details of religious community shown under 'Other religions and persuasions' in main table C01 – 2011" .