Once again, Ariel Goldstein - an untiring pilgrim and globetrotter - brings us stories of history and Jewish identity in his narratives. His travel chronicles bear witness and vividly portray places and events, along with his personal experiences.
His travel memoirs through India immerse the reader in a tunnel of time, connecting them to recent history. Jewish life in India is like a drop in the ocean when considering the culture and history of a country inhabited by nearly 1.3 billion people.
The Jewish community in India dates back approximately two thousand years. The first Jewish immigrants who arrived gave rise to the Bnei Israel community, and later, the Cochinis and the Baghdadi Jews settled in the region.
Ariel, tell us about the different Jewish communities that established themselves in India.
The members of Bnei Israel are considered descendants of one of the ten lost tribes who escaped the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes during the time of the Second Temple. They quickly assimilated with the local population and were involved in the olive oil business. This is why they were known as "The Saturday Oil Men," as they did not work on Shabbat. It wasn't until 1796 that they had their first synagogue in the city of Mumbai.
In 1948, the Bnei Israel population numbered around 20,000 people, and many of them emigrated to Israel with the establishment of the state, settling in moshavim, mainly in the Beersheba area. Only in 1964 were they recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as Jews, as they had previously not been recognized due to their level of assimilation and isolation.
In your chronicles, you also refer to the second wave of immigration of the Cochinis. Where does that name come from?
They are the Jews who arrived in the city of Cochin on the south coast of India in the 1st century, which is why they are known as the "Cochinis." There are discrepancies regarding their origin. Some believe that these Jews left during the time of the destruction of the First Temple and arrived in India from Babylon during the exile. Others argue that their presence began after the destruction of the Second Temple.
The Cochinis lived in a very distant area from the Bnei Israel community, spoke different languages, and, being in a port city, had some contact with European Jews. Benjamin of Tudela, the Jewish traveler from the Middle Ages, says verbatim: "The Jews of Cochin are black (like most of the population in southern India), they know the laws of Moses and the prophets, they know the Talmud and Halacha."
Like most members of Bnei Israel, the Cochinis made Aliyah, and today it is almost impossible to form a minyan there. The synagogues of Cochin are famous for their architecture and several of them still stand but function as museums.
With the decree of the expulsion of Jews in 1492, some Sephardic families arrived in Cochin. Differences in race, customs, and language caused tensions and division among them. These Jews came to be known as "Pardesi," which in the local language means foreigners or outsiders. In 1568, they built their own synagogue, which still stands today and is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. This was the second synagogue built since the first one was destroyed by the Portuguese with the arrival of the navigator Vasco da Gama and the inquisitors. The Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch, which is how the Jews of Cochin were saved.
I found it very interesting what you mentioned about the journey of the Baghdadi Jews and their impact on India.
In 2013, I had the opportunity to visit Shanghai, where I learned about the Baghdadi Jews. They arrived from ancient Babylon in the late 18th century, fleeing persecution by the ruling authorities. It is noteworthy that the Sasson family, who built a commercial empire and became known as the "Rothschilds of the East," divided their children between Mumbai (India), Rangoon (Burma), and Shanghai (China).
The founder of this dynasty, David Sasson (1792-1864), later moved to the city of Pune (three hours by train east of Mumbai), from where he governed his empire. The Sassons built synagogues, with the most impressive one in Pune being "Ohel David," which looks like an Anglican church from the outside. The patriarch of the family is buried on the synagogue grounds. With the fall of the British Empire, India's independence (1947), and the communist revolution in China (1949), the Sasson family and other Baghdadi Jews relocated their businesses to Hong Kong and London, where they currently reside. The impact this family had on Mumbai and Pune continues to be felt to this day. The local hospital, library, the first pier, and a school bear their name.
Ariel, in your travel narratives, you write about the swastika and the Star of David; symbols that do not go unnoticed by any traveler, especially Jews, due to their strong connotations and meanings.
Yes, that's true. If one travels to India uninformed, they might think the country is full of Jews and Nazis. It's common to encounter these symbols on buildings and temples in India. The swastika has been used by many cultures and religions since the 5th century BCE, and in Hinduism, it represents the two forms in which the creator God Brahma and the destroyer God Shiva manifest themselves.
The Jewish people adopted the six-pointed star - later called the Star of David or Magen David in Hebrew - during the Middle Ages. In 1920, the Nazis adopted the swastika as their emblem and incorporated it into the flag of the Third Reich.
The Lubavitch Movement also reached India and took root in the cities of Goa, Bangalore, Manali, and Mumbai. In 2008, downtown Mumbai became internationally known due to the tragic and bloody terrorist attack in which Rabbi Gavriel and his wife Rivkah Holtzberg (Z'L) were murdered, along with four other people.
Like the "Phoenix" rising from its ashes, a new Chabad center - led by Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky - was inaugurated in 2014 in the same place where there had been destruction and death. This is the nature of the Jewish spirit: in the face of pain, it redoubles and emerges with greater strength. Hopefully, humanity can be an architect of what Mahatma Gandhi preached about the value of tolerance, where only love drives one towards the faith of others, with the same respect that one has for their own.
Ariel, you had the opportunity to visit the Chabad center in Mumbai before and after its reopening. Tell us about this experience.
In 2014, Chabad Mumbai was just the skeleton of a building, and it was inaccessible. There was no rabbi, and the shock of the terrorist attack still lingered, with the announcement that the center would soon reopen. Chabad in 2016 is a community center that encompasses religious and social aspects, with a restaurant and some lodging rooms, all led by the rabbi and his wife, as you described.
I witnessed the rabbi participating in the Kabalat Shabbat at the Magen David synagogue, but he did not stay for dinner with the community members; instead, he does so at the Chabad center. There is a collaborative effort between Chabad and the Jewish community in Mumbai. As you can imagine, Chabad Mumbai has extensive security measures and is no longer an open-door center for everyone; it has security cameras and other precautions in place.
There is also a Chabad center in the state of Goa, on the western coast, where one of the largest Passover Seders in the world is organized. Historically, there were never Jews in Goa, and the presence of Chabad there is primarily to serve Israeli backpackers who visit the area. Few people are aware of Goa's rich history. In 1498, the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama successfully navigated around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, connecting India to Europe by sea.
Today, it is estimated that the Jewish population in India numbers around 4,000 souls, with a strong presence of Israeli tourists and diplomats. An important gathering point where they often come together for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the "Yehuda Haym" synagogue, built in 1956 in New Delhi.
As a closing note, I would like to ask you to share some final thoughts or an impactful experience.
On a personal note, I can tell you that most of the Jews I know around the world were unaware of the long and rich Jewish history in India. However, what fascinated me the most was discussing this topic with Indians living in San Francisco; they were astonished because they had no idea that there was and once had been Jewish life in India. In fact, the Indian community in San Francisco is one of the largest in the world.
Since childhood, we have known what an Etrog is, and we have held it in our hands a thousand times. Next to David Sasson's tomb in Pune, I saw an Etrog tree for the first time, with a fruit still hanging from it.
Published for: Uruguayan Hebrew Weekly
Date: 2016
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