The history of the Jews in India dates back to
antiquity.
[''The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities''](_blank)
by Orpa Slapak. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 2003. p. 27. .[Weil, Shalva. ''India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art, and Life-Cycle''. Mumbai: Marg Publications irst published in 2002; 3rd edn. 2009.] Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
in
recorded history
Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...
. Rabbi
Eliezer ben Jose
Eliezer ben Jose ( Heb. ''Eliezer ben Yose HaGelili'') was a Jewish rabbi who lived in Judea in the 2nd century CE. He was the son of Jose the Galilean, and is regarded as a tanna of the fourth generation. He was a pupil of Rabbi Akiva.
Career a ...
of the 2nd-century AD mentions the Jewish people of India () 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' ().
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
In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as conceptualized by Leo Frobenius in his 1897/98 publication ''Der westafrikanische Kulturkreis'', is the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technolo ...
. While some Indian Jews have stated that their ancestors arrived during the time of the Biblical
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was an Israelites, Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. Centered in the highlands to the west of the Dead Sea, the kingdom's capital was Jerusalem. It was ruled by the Davidic line for four centuries ...
, others claim descent from the
Ten Lost Tribes
The Ten Lost Tribes were those from the Twelve Tribes of Israel that were said to have been exiled from the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Kingdom of Israel after it was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire around 720 BCE. They were the following ...
of the pre-Judaic
Israelite
Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age.
Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...
s who arrived in India earlier. Still some other
Indian Jews contend that they descend from the Israelite
Tribe of Manasseh
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Manasseh (; Hebrew: ''Ševet Mənašše,'' Tiberian: ''Šēḇeṭ Mănašše'') was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. After the catastrophic Assyrian invasion of 720 BCE, it is counted as one ...
, and they are referred to as the
Bnei Menashe
The Bnei Menashe (, "Children of Menasseh", known as the Shinlung in India) is a community of Indian Jews from various Tibeto-Burmese ethnic groups from the border of India and Burma who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, al ...
.
The Jewish population in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
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
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
after 1948. The Indian Jewish community now comprises 4,429 people according to the latest census.
Demographics
Population of Indian Jews in Israel
Jewish groups in India

In addition to Jewish expatriates and recent immigrants, there are seven Jewish groups in India.
# Among the many theories noted by
Shalva Weil as to the origin of
Malabar Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim from ) are one of the oldest groups of History of the Jews in India, Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the King ...
, they claim to have first arrived in India together with the Hebrew King
Solomon
Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
's merchants. The fair-complexioned component is of European-Jewish descent, both Ashkenazi and
Sephardi
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
.
# Madras Jews: The
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the fe ...
,
Paradesi Jews
Paradesi Jews refer to Jewish immigrants to the Indian subcontinent during the 15th and 16th centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. ''Paradesi'' means ''foreign'' in Malayalam and Tamil language, Tamil. These Sephar ...
and
British Jews
British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British citizens who are Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 2021.
History
The fir ...
arrived at
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
during the 16th century. They were diamond businesspeople and of
Sephardi
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
and
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
heritage. Following expulsion from
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
in 1492 by the
Alhambra Decree
The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdi ...
, a few families of
Sephardic Jews
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
eventually made their way to Madras in the 16th century. They maintained trade connections to Europe, and their language skills were useful. Although the Sephardim mostly spoke
Ladino (i.e. Spanish or Judeo-Spanish), in India they learned Tamil and Judeo-Malayalam from the
Malabar Jewish.
[Katz 2000; Koder 1973; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973.]
# Nagercoil Jews: The
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews ( ''Yehudey Surya'', ''al-Yahūd as-Sūriyyūn'', colloquially called SYs in the United States) are Jews who live in the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin ...
,
Musta'arabi Jews
Musta'arabi Jews ( al-Mustaʿribīn " Mozarabs"; ''Mustaʿravim'') were the Arabic-speaking Jews, largely Mizrahi Jews and Maghrebi Jews, who lived in the Middle East and North Africa prior to the arrival and integration of Ladino-speaking Seph ...
were Arab Jews who arrived at
Nagercoil
Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...
and
Kanyakumari District in 52 AD along with the arrival of
St. Thomas. Most of them were merchants and had also settled around the town of
Thiruvithamcode. By the turn of the 20th century, most of the families made their way to Cochin and eventually migrated to Israel. In their early days, they maintained trade connections to Europe through the nearby ports of Colachal and Thengaipattinam, and their language skills were useful to the Travancore Kings. As historians Rev. Daniel Tyerman and George Bennett cited, the reason for the Jews selecting Nagercoil as their settlement was the town's salubrious climate and its significant Christian population.
# The
Jews of Goa: These were
Sephardic Jews
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
from Spain and Portugal who fled to
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
after the commencement of the
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
in those countries. The community consisted mainly of Jews who had falsely converted to Christianity but wanted to continue taking advantage of being Portuguese subjects, instead of immigrating to countries where they could practice Judaism openly (e.g. Morocco, Ottoman Empire). They were the primary targets of the
Goa Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition (, ) was an extension of the Portuguese Inquisition in Portuguese India. Its objective was to enforce Catholic orthodoxy and allegiance to the Apostolic See of the Pontifex.
The inquisition primarily focused on the New Chr ...
. As a result, its members fled to parts of India that were not under Portuguese control.
# The Main branch of the Native
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Teli, Shanivar Teli" () or "History of the Jews in India, Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via t ...
Community is said to have arrived at the Konkan Coast in ancient times they are completely mingled in native culture. They believe that their ancestors fled
Judea
Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...
during the persecution under
Antiochus Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ( 215 BC–November/December 164 BC) was king of the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. Notable events during Antiochus' reign include his near-conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt, his persecution of the Jews of ...
and arrived on Indian soil after seven people survived a shipwreck near the Nagaon village on the
Konkan coast in 175 BC.
# Another branch of the
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Teli, Shanivar Teli" () or "History of the Jews in India, Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via t ...
community resided in Karachi until the
Partition of India
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
in 1947, when they fled to India (in particular, to Mumbai). Many of them also
moved to Israel. The Jews from the
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
and
Pathan
Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...
areas are often incorrectly called Bani Israel Jews. The Jewish community who used to reside in other parts of what became Pakistan (such as
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
or
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
) also fled to India in 1947, similarly to the larger Karachi Jewish community.
# The
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews (; ) or Iraqi Jews are historic terms for the former communities of Jewish migrants and their descendants from Baghdad and elsewhere in the Middle East. They settled primarily in the ports and along the trade routes around the In ...
arrived in the city of
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
from Iraq (and other Arab states), Iran and Afghanistan about 250 years ago, in the mid 18th and 19th centuries.
# The
Bnei Menashe
The Bnei Menashe (, "Children of Menasseh", known as the Shinlung in India) is a community of Indian Jews from various Tibeto-Burmese ethnic groups from the border of India and Burma who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, al ...
meaning "Sons of Manassah" in Hebrew, are
Mizo and
Kuki tribesmen in
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
and
Mizoram
Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...
who are recent converts to the modern form of Judaism, but claim ancestry reaching back to one of the lost ten tribes of Israel; specifically, one of the sons of Joseph.
[Weil, Shalva. "Lost Israelites from North-East India: Re-Traditionalisation and Conversion among the Shinlung from the Indo-Burmese Borderlands." ''The Anthropologist'', 2004. 6(3): 219-233.]
# Similarly, the small
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India
** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language.
* Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
-speaking group, the
Bene Ephraim (meaning "Sons of Ephraim" in Hebrew) also claim ancestry from Ephraim, one of the sons of Joseph and a lost tribe of ancient Israel. Also called "Telugu Jews", their observance of modern Judaism dates to 1981.
# European Jewish immigrants to India escaping persecution during World War II account for a small portion of Jewish Indians today. From 1938 to 1947, about 200 Jews fled from Europe and sought asylum in India. Over seventy years later, the descendants of these Jewish migrants have made their own Jewish-Indian mixed community and culture within India.
Cochin Jews

The oldest of the Indian Jewish communities was in the erstwhile
Cochin Kingdom.
The traditional account is that traders of
Judea
Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...
arrived at Cranganore, an ancient port near Cochin in 562 BC, and that more Jews came as exiles from Israel in the year 70 AD, after the destruction of the
Second Temple
The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...
.
Many of these Jews' ancestors passed on the account that they settled in India when the Hebrew King Solomon was in power. This was a time when teak wood, ivory, spices, monkeys, and peacocks were popular in trade in Cochin.
There is no specific date or reason mentioned as to why they arrived in India, but Hebrew scholars date it to up to around the early Middle Ages. Cochin is a group of small tropical islands filled with markets and many different cultures such as Dutch, Hindu, Jewish, Portuguese, and British.
The distinct Jewish community was called
Anjuvannam. The still-functioning
synagogue in Mattancherry belongs to the
Paradesi Jews
Paradesi Jews refer to Jewish immigrants to the Indian subcontinent during the 15th and 16th centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. ''Paradesi'' means ''foreign'' in Malayalam and Tamil language, Tamil. These Sephar ...
, the descendants of
Sephardim
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendan ...
who were expelled from Spain in
1492
Year 1492 ( MCDXCII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
1492 is considered to be a significant year in the history of the West, Europe, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Spain, and the New World, among others, because of the ...
,
although the Jewish community in Mattancherry adjacent to Fort Cochin had only six remaining members as of 2015.
Central to the history of the Cochin Jews is their close relationship with Indian rulers, and this was eventually codified on a set of copper plates granting the community special privileges. The date of these plates, known as "Sâsanam", is contentious. The plates themselves provide a date of 379 AD, but in 1925, the tradition was setting it as 1069 AD,
Joseph Rabban
Joseph Rabban ( old Malayalam: Issuppu Irappan, also Yusuf/Oueseph Rabban; fl. 1000 AD) was a prominent Jewish merchant and aristocrat in the entrepôt of Kodungallur (Muyirikode) on the Malabar Coast, India in early 11th century AD.
Ca ...
by Bhaskara Ravi Varma, the fourth ruler of Maliban granted the copper plates to the Jews. The plates were inscribed with a message stating that the village of Anjuvannam belonged to the Jews and that they were the rightful lords of Anjuvannam and it should remain theirs and be passed on to their Jewish descendants "so long as the world and moon exist". This is the earliest document that shows that the Jews were living in India permanently. It is stored in Cochins main synagogue.
The Jews settled in
Kodungallur (Cranganore) of the
Malabar region
The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regions of the subcontin ...
, where they traded peacefully until 1524. The Jewish leader Rabban was granted the rank of prince over the Jews of Cochin, given the rulership and tax revenue of a pocket
principality
A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...
in
Anjuvannam, near Cranganore, and rights to seventy-two "free houses". The Hindu king permitted in perpetuity (or, in the more poetic expression of those days, "as long as the world and moon exist") for Jews to live freely, build
synagogues
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, and own property "without conditions attached".
A link back to Rabban, "the king of Shingly" (another name for Cranganore), was a sign of both purity and prestige. Rabban's descendants maintained this distinct community until a chieftainship dispute broke out between two brothers, one of them named
Joseph Azar, in the 16th century. The Jews lived peacefully for over a thousand years in Anjuvannam. After the reign of the Rabban's, the Jewish people no longer had the protection of the copper plates. Neighboring princes of Anjuvannam intervened and revoked all privileges that the Jewish people were given. In 1524, the Jews were attacked by the Moors brothers (Muslim Community) on suspicion that they were tampering with the pepper trade and the homes and synagogues belonging to them were destroyed. The damage was so extensive that when the Portuguese arrived a few years later, only a small amount of impoverished Jews remained. They remained there for 40 more years only to return to their land of Cochin.
Today it also attracts tourists as a historic site. Cochin synagogue at Ernakulum operates partly as a shop by one of the few remaining Cochin Jews. It is recorded that currently only 26 Jews live in Kerala, located in different parts of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
such as
Cochin
Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
,
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...
and
Thiruvalla
Thiruvalla, () also spelled Tiruvalla, is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of and has a population of 52,883 people, down from 56,837 in 2001. It is also the H ...
. Dr. John Jacob was one of Kerala's most senior Jews, who lived in
Kaviyoor village,
Thiruvalla
Thiruvalla, () also spelled Tiruvalla, is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of and has a population of 52,883 people, down from 56,837 in 2001. It is also the H ...
,
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...
District died on 25th May 2025. His body is buried at his
Kaviyoor family church.
In Mala,
Thrissur
Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...
District, the Malabar Jews have a Synagogue and a cemetery, as well as in
Chennamangalam
Chendamangalam (or Chennamangalam) is a small town and a panchayat in Paravur Taluk, Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala, India.
Location
It is about 23 km from Ernakulam. It has three rivers, seven inlets, hillocks and large e ...
,
Parur and
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
. There are at least seven existing
synagogues in Kerala, although not serving their original purpose anymore.
Madras Jews

Jews also settled in
Madras (now Chennai) soon after its founding in 1640.
Most of them were coral merchants from
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, the Caribbean, London, and Amsterdam who were of Portuguese origin and belonged to the Henriques De Castro, Franco, Paiva or Porto families.
Jacques de Paiva, originally from the
Amsterdam Sephardic community of Amsterdam, was an early Jewish arrival and the leader of the Madras Jewish community. He built the
Madras Synagogue
The Madras Synagogue () is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Completed in 1644, by Jacques de Paiva, a Paradesi Jew, it is the only synagogue in ...
and
Jewish Cemetery Chennai
The Jewish Cemetery is a cemetery for the Paradesi Jews of Chennai, India. It is located off Lloyd's Road. The cemetery remains the only memoir of the once significant Jewish population of Chennai, which has now almost become extinct. Burial ...
in Peddanaickenpet, which later became the south end of
Mint Street.
De Paiva established good relations with those in power and bought several mines to source
Golconda diamonds. Through his efforts, Jews were permitted to live within
Fort St. George.
De Paiva died in 1687 after a visit to his mines and was buried in the Jewish cemetery he had established in Peddanaickenpet, which later became north Mint Street.
In 1670, the Portuguese population in Madras numbered around 3000. Before his death he established "The Colony of Jewish Traders of Madraspatam" with Antonio do Porto, Pedro Pereira and Fernando Mendes Henriques.
This enabled more Portuguese Jews from Livorno, the Caribbean, London and Amsterdam, to settle in Madras. Coral Merchant Street was named after the Jews' business.
Three Portuguese Jews were nominated to be aldermen of the
Madras Corporation. Three – Bartolomeo Rodrigues, Domingo do Porto and Alvaro da Fonseca – also founded the largest trading house in Madras. The large tomb of Rodrigues, who died in Madras in 1692, became a landmark in Peddanaickenpet, but was later destroyed.
Samuel de Castro came to Madras from Curaçao and Salomon Franco came from Leghorn.
In 1688, there were three Jewish representatives in the Madras Corporation.
Most Jewish settlers resided in Coral Merchants Street in Muthialpet.
They also had a
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
, called
Jewish Cemetery Chennai
The Jewish Cemetery is a cemetery for the Paradesi Jews of Chennai, India. It is located off Lloyd's Road. The cemetery remains the only memoir of the once significant Jewish population of Chennai, which has now almost become extinct. Burial ...
in the neighbouring Peddanaickenpet.
File:Rabbi Salomon Halevi and Rebecca Cohen, Paradesi Jews of Madras.jpg, Rabbi Salomon Halevi (last Rabbi of Madras Synagogue) and his wife Rebecca Cohen, Paradesi Jews of Madras
File:Mr.Cohen his German wife and kids, Paradesi Jews of Madras.jpg, Mr. Cohen, his German wife, and children, Paradesi Jews of Madras
Bene Israel

Foreign notices of the
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Teli, Shanivar Teli" () or "History of the Jews in India, Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via t ...
go back at least to 1768, when
Rahabi Ezekiel
Ezekiel Rahabi (1694–1771) was the chief Jewish merchant of the Dutch East India Company in Kochi, Cochin, India for almost 50 years.
Rabbi ''Rahabi Ezekiel'', (or ''Ezekiel Rahabi'') was from Aleppo, in modern Syria. A rabbinical writer know ...
wrote to a Dutch trading partner that they were widespread in Maharatta Province, and observed two Jewish observances, recital of the
Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...
and observation of
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
rest.
[Nathan Katz]
''Who Are the Jews of India?,''
California University Press, 2000 pp.91ff. They claim that they descend from 14 Jewish men and women, equally divided by gender, who survived the shipwreck
of refugees from persecution or political turmoil, and came ashore at Navagaon near
Alibag, 20 miles south of Mumbai, some 17 to 19 centuries ago.
They were instructed in the rudiments of normative Judaism by Cochin Jews.
Their Jewishness is controversial, and initially was not accepted by the Rabbinate in Israel.
Since 1964 however they intermarried throughout Israel and are now considered Israeli and Jewish in all respects.
They are divided into sub-castes that do not intermarry: the dark-skinned "Kala" and fair-skinned "Gora." The latter are believed to be lineal descendants of the shipwreck survivors, while the former are considered to descend from the concubinage of a male with local women.
They were nicknamed the ''shanivār telī'' ("Saturday oil-pressers") by the local population as they abstained from work on Saturdays. Bene Israel communities and synagogues are situated in
Pen
PEN may refer to:
* (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI)
* PEN International, a worldwide association of writers
** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International
** PEN America, located ...
, Mumbai, Panvel, Alibag, Pune, and Ahmedabad with smaller communities scattered around India. The largest synagogue in Asia outside Israel is in Pune, the
Ohel David Synagogue.
Mumbai had a thriving Bene Israel community until the 1950s to 1960s, when many families from the community immigrated to Israel, where they are known as Hodi'im (Indians).
The Bene Israel community has risen to many positions of prominence in Israel. In India, the Bene Israel community has shrunk considerably with many of the old synagogues in disuse.
Unlike many parts of the world, Jews have historically lived in India with relatively little
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
from the local majority populace, the
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s.
However, Jews were persecuted by the
Portuguese during their control of Goa.
Mumbai
Baghdadi Jews
The first known Baghdadi Jewish immigrant to India, Joseph Semah, arrived in the port city of
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
in 1730. He and other early immigrants established a synagogue and cemetery in Surat, though most of the city's Jewish community eventually moved to Bombay (
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
), where they established a new
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
and cemetery. They were traders and quickly became one of the most prosperous communities in the city. As philanthropists, some donated their wealth for public building projects. The
Sassoon Docks
Sassoon Docks, built in 1875, is one of the oldest docks in Mumbai and was the first wet dock constructed in Bombay. It is one of the few docks in the city open to the public. It is situated in Mumbai harbour in South Mumbai area of Colaba. It ...
and
David Sassoon Library
The David Sassoon Library and Reading Room is a famous library and heritage structure in Mumbai, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seven ...
are famous landmarks still standing today.
The synagogue in Surat was eventually razed; the cemetery, though in poor condition, can still be seen on the Katargam-Amroli road. One of the graves within is that of Moseh Tobi, buried in 1769, who was described as 'ha-Nasi ha-Zaken' (The Elder Prince) by
David Solomon Sassoon
David Solomon Sassoon (; 8 December 1880 – 10 August 1942) (also known as "David Suleiman Sassoon"), was a bibliophile and grandson of 19th century Baghdadi Jewish community leader David Sassoon.
Family
Sassoon was born in Bombay to Solom ...
in his book ''A History of the Jews in Baghdad'' (Simon Wallenburg Press, 2006, ).
Baghdadi Jewish populations spread beyond Bombay to other parts of India, with an important community forming in Calcutta (
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
). Scions of this community did well in trade (particularly
jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
and
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
), and in later years contributed officers to the army. One, Lt-Gen
J. F. R. Jacob PVSM
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...
, became state governor of
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
(1998–1999), then
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, and later served as administrator of
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
.
Pramila (Esther Victoria Abraham)
Esther Victoria Abraham (30 December 1916 – 6 August 2006), better known by her stage name Pramila, was an Indian actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. She is the first woman film producer in the Hindi film industry. She is also we ...
became the first ever
Miss India, in 1947.
File:Keneseth Eliyahu Synagogue of Bombay.jpg, Knesset Eliyahoo, a 150-year-old Jewish synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
in Fort, Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
File:Interiors in wider view of Magen David Synagogue, Kolkata.jpg, The Magen David Synagogue of Kolkata was built in 1884
Bnei Menashe

The Bnei Menashe are a group of more than 9,000 people from the northeastern Indian states of
Mizoram
Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...
and
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
who practice a form of biblical Judaism and claim descent from one of the
Lost Tribes of Israel
The Ten Lost Tribes were those from the Twelve Tribes of Israel that were said to have been exiled from the Kingdom of Israel after it was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire around 720 BCE. They were the following: Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naph ...
, the tribe of Menasseh.
About 7,000 of the Bnei Menashe immigrated to Israel in 2011.
Bene Ephraim
The Bene Ephraim are a small group of
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India
** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language.
* Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
-speaking Jews in eastern
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
whose recorded observance of Judaism, like that of the Bnei Menashe, is quite recent, dating only to 1991.
There are a few families in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
who follow Judaism. Many among them follow the customs of
Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tr ...
, like wearing long beards men and using head coverings (men) and hair coverings (women) all the time.
Delhi Jewry

Judaism in Delhi is primarily focused on the expatriate community who work in Delhi, as well as Israeli diplomats and a small local community. In
Paharganj
Paharganj ( literally 'hilly neighbourhood') is a neighbourhood of Central Delhi, located just west of the New Delhi Railway Station. Known as ''Shahganj'' or King's ganj or market place during Mughal era, it is one of the three administrati ...
,
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...
has set up a synagogue and religious center in a backpacker area regularly visited by Israeli tourists.
Holocaust refugees
Between 1938 and 1947, roughly 200 Jews illegally migrated from Europe to India to escape persecution by the Nazi regime. Most of these refugees arrived in India at the start of World War II and consequently were better positioned to find employment and shelter than many European Jews who were forced to leave amid war. Jewish refugees in British India were able to secure jobs in the arts and the service industry while a disproportionately large percentage of the migrants found employment in the medical field. Alongside the adoption of various Indian societal practices and customs, these jobs helped Jewish immigrants create a sense of their unique cultural place and identity as Jews within British India.
Immigration policy within the British Empire in the late 1930s and early 1940s often complicated Jewish entry into British India. One requirement of wartime migrants entering British India was for their passports to be "valid for return," where British officials could repatriate refugees if they were deemed burdensome. The
annexation of Austria in 1938 saw the replacement of Austrian passports with German documents, meaning that Austrian Jews attempting to flee with Austrian passports no longer met British immigration requirements. Still, Jewish aid organizations in India (most prominently the Council for German Jewry and the Jewish Relief Association) helped to form policies that benefited Jewish immigrants and regulated how Jews were resettled in India.
Since most Jewish refugees spoke German and originated from Germany or its neighboring countries, British officials and Indian locals often found the migrants indistinguishable from their non-Jewish counterparts. By 1940, many Jewish refugees were suspected of being Nazi sympathizers or agents passing as Jewish.
Today
The majority of Indian Jews have "made
Aliyah
''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...
" (migrated) to
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
since the creation of the modern state in 1948. Over 70,000 Indian Jews now live in Israel (over 1% of Israel's total population). Of the remaining 5,000, the largest community is concentrated in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, where 3,500 have remained from the 30,000 Jews registered there in the 1940s, divided into
B'nei and
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews (; ) or Iraqi Jews are historic terms for the former communities of Jewish migrants and their descendants from Baghdad and elsewhere in the Middle East. They settled primarily in the ports and along the trade routes around the In ...
,
though the Baghdadi Jews refused to recognize the B'nei Israel as Jews, and withheld dispensing charity to them for that reason.
There are reminders of Jewish localities in Kerala still left such as synagogues. The majority of Jews from the old British-Indian capital of Calcutta (Kolkata) have also migrated to Israel over the last six decades.
Notable people of Jewish Indian descent

*
Esther Victoria Abraham, also known as Pramila, first
Miss India
*
Firoza Begum, Indian actress born as 'Erin Daniels'
*
Eli Ben-Menachem (b. 1947), Israeli politician
*
Jacqueline Bhabha (b. 1951), lecturer at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government
*
Ranjit Chaudhry (1955–2020), Bollywood actor
*
David Abraham Cheulkar
David Abraham Cheulkar (21 June 1908 – 2 January 1982), popularly known as David, was an Indian Hindi film actor. In a career spanning four decades, he played mostly character roles, starting with the 1941 film '' Naya Sansar'', and went on ...
(1908–1982), Bollywood actor
*
Lila Irene Clerides
Lila-Irene Clerides (''née'' Lila Erulkar; 31 October 1921 – 6 June 2007) was the First Lady of Cyprus briefly in 1974 and again from 1993 until 2003 during the presidency of her husband, Glafcos Clerides.
Biography
Clerides was born in Ah ...
,
First Lady of Cyprus
First Lady of Cyprus refers to the wife of the president of Cyprus. The country's current first lady is Philippa Karsera, a career diplomat and wife of President Nikos Christodoulides, who has held the position since 2023.
First ladies of Cyprus
...
(1993–2003) and wife of
Glafcos Clerides
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.
A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the ...
, president of the
Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third lar ...
*
Ruby Daniel, Israeli author of Cochin Jewish origin
*
Esther David
Esther David (born 17 March 1945) is an Indian Jewish author, an artist and a sculptor. She is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Early life
She was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She won Sahitya Akade ...
(b. March 17 1945), Jewish-Indian author, an artist and a sculptor
*
Karen David
Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter, best known for portraying Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia in ABC's fairytale-themed musical-comedy television series '' Galavant'', as ...
(b. 1979), British-Canadian actress
*
Reuben David
Reuben David (19 September 1912 – 24 March 1989) was a zoologist and the founder of the Kankaria Zoo in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Biography
He was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad. He was the youngest son of Joseph David. ...
(1912–1989) zoologist
*
Fleur Ezekiel – Bene Israel model, chosen as Miss India World in 1959
*
Revital Moses – Bene Israeli content creator bridging cultural gap between India and Israel
*
Nissim Ezekiel
Nissim Ezekiel (16 December 1924 – 9 January 2004) was an Indian poet, actor, playwright, editor, and art critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian poetry in English.
He was awar ...
, poet, playwright, editor and art-critic
*
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
J F R Jacob, former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command, and former Governor of Punjab and Goa
*
Gerry Judah, artist and designer
*
Ellis Kadoorie, philanthropist
*
Elly Kadoorie, philanthropists
*
Horace Kadoorie, philanthropist
*
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the United Ki ...
, artist
*
Aditya Roy Kapur
Aditya Roy Kapur (born 16 November 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. After working as a VJ, he made his acting debut with the musical drama '' London Dreams'' (2009). Kapur had his first commercial success with the romance '' A ...
(b. 1985), Indian actor
*
Isaac David Kehimkar (b. 1957),
lepidopterist
Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the two superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.
Origins
Post-Renaissance, the r ...
, butterfly expert based in Navi Mumbai.
*
Samson Kehimkar, musician
*
Lillian, Indian film actress
*
Ezekiel Isaac Malekar,
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Teli, Shanivar Teli" () or "History of the Jews in India, Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via t ...
rabbi
*
Ruby Myers
Ruby Myers (1907 – 10 October 1983), better known by her stage name Sulochana, was an Indian silent film actress of Jewish descent, from the community of Baghdadi Jews in India.
In her heyday she was one of the highest paid actresses of he ...
, Bollywood actress of the 1920s known as Sulochana
*
Nadira (1932–2006), Bollywood actress
*
Madhura Naik, actress
*
Pearl Padamsee
Pearl Padamsee (1931 – 23 April 2000) was an Indian theatre personality as a stage actress, director and producer of English language theatre in Mumbai active in 1950s–1990s. She acted in a few Hindi and English language films, including ' ...
, theatre personality
*
Sheila Singh Paul, paediatrician, founder and director of Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi; pioneer in polio vaccination
*
Joseph Rabban
Joseph Rabban ( old Malayalam: Issuppu Irappan, also Yusuf/Oueseph Rabban; fl. 1000 AD) was a prominent Jewish merchant and aristocrat in the entrepôt of Kodungallur (Muyirikode) on the Malabar Coast, India in early 11th century AD.
Ca ...
, the first Israeli king of
Shingly was given copper plates of special grants from the
Chera
The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...
ruler Bhaskara Ravivarman II from
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
*
Ezekiel Rahabi (1694–1771), chief Jewish merchant of the Dutch East India Company in Cochin (Kochi) for almost 50 years
*
David and Simon Reuben
David Reuben (born 1941) and Simon Reuben (born 1944) are British businessmen. In 2024, they were named the third-richest family in the UK by the '' Sunday Times Rich List'', with a net worth of £24.9 billion.
Early life and background
Th ...
, businessmen
*
Lalchanhima Sailo, rabbi and founder of Chhinlung Israel People's Convention
*
Abraham Barak Salem (1882–1967),
Cochin Jewish Indian nationalist leader
*
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
Benjamin Abraham Samson, Indian Navy Admiral, former
Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet
*
Leela Samson
Leela Samson (born 6 May 1951) is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor, writer and actress from India. As a soloist, she is known for her technical virtuosity and has taught Bharatanatyam at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi fo ...
, dancer, choreographer, and actress
*
Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, British Indian merchant
*
David Sassoon, businessman
*
Sassoon David Sassoon
Sassoon David Sassoon (August 1832 – 24 June 1867) was a British Indian Iraqi businessman, banker, and philanthropist. Sassoon was the first member of the Sassoon family to expand the family's business interests into England.
Biography
...
, philanthropist and benefactor of the greater Indian Jewish community
*
Jael Silliman, Baghdadi Indian Jewish author based in Kolkata
*
Bensiyon Songavkar, Indian cricket, silver medalist at the
2009 Maccabiah Games
The 18th Maccabiah Games (), were held in July 2009. According to the organizing committee these were the largest games held yet. These Games were the world's fifth-largest sporting event, behind the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Poli ...
*
Solomon Sopher, Jewish community leader in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
See also
*
Bene Ephraim
*
Bnei Menashe
The Bnei Menashe (, "Children of Menasseh", known as the Shinlung in India) is a community of Indian Jews from various Tibeto-Burmese ethnic groups from the border of India and Burma who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, al ...
*
Christianity in India
Christianity is Religion in India, India's third-most followed religion with about 28 million adherents, making up 2.3 percent of the population as of the 2011 Census of India, 2011 census. Christianity is the largest religion in parts of Nor ...
*
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim from ) are one of the oldest groups of History of the Jews in India, Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the King ...
*
Desi Jews
*
History of the Jews in Afghanistan
The history of the Jews in Afghanistan goes back at least 2,500 years. Ancient Iranian tradition suggests that Jews settled in Balkh, a Zoroastrian and Buddhist stronghold at the time. The Kingdom of Judah collapsed in 587 BCE leading to th ...
*
History of the Jews in Pakistan
*
History of the Jews in Sri Lanka
The known history of the Jews in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) begins at least in the ninth century BCE. Jews living in the neighbouring Kerala as well as Yemen had connections with those living on the island.
Ancient history
Jews have had a presen ...
*
History of the Jews in Tajikistan
*
Meshuchrarim
*
Paradesi Jews
Paradesi Jews refer to Jewish immigrants to the Indian subcontinent during the 15th and 16th centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. ''Paradesi'' means ''foreign'' in Malayalam and Tamil language, Tamil. These Sephar ...
*
Sephardic Jews in India
Explanatory notes
References
Further reading
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat, ed., ''Café Dissensus''
Issue 12: Indian Jewry January 2015
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
"Community and Belonging in Indian Jewish Literature" ''Himal Southasian'' (), May 2014
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
''Asian Jewish Life'' (), Autumn 2010, pp. 31–34.
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
''Asian Jewish Life'' (), Issue 15, October 2014, pp. 13–16.
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
"The Attitudes of Lucknow's Muslims towards Jews, Israel and Zionism" ''Café Dissensus'' (), Issue 7, 15 April 2014
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
''Yedioth Ahronoth'', 3 August 2013
* Aafreedi, Navras Jaat
''Yedioth Ahronoth'', 23 May 2013
* Fernandes Edna (2008). ''The Last Jews of Kerala''. Portobello Books. .
* Isenberg, Shirley Berry. ''India's Bene Israel: A Comprehensive Inquiry and Sourcebook''. Berkeley:
Judah L. Magnes Museum, 1988
* Katz N., Chakravarti, R., Sinha, B. M. and Weil, S. (2007). ''Indo-Judaic Studies in the Twenty-First Century: A Perspective from the Margin''. New York and Basingstoke, England:
Palgrave Macmillan
Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains offi ...
.
*
Shalva Weil, ed. (2009). ''Indian Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle''. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 3rd ed.
* Shulman, D. and Weil, S. (2008). ''Karmic Passages: Israeli Scholarship on India''. New Delhi:
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
.
* Weil, S. (2018a). "Indian Judaic Traditions". In: Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby (eds.) ''Religions in South Asia: An Introduction'' (second edition). New York and London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, pp. 186–205.
* Weil, S., ed. (2019).
The Baghdadi Jews in India: Maintaining Communities, Negotiating Identities and Creating Super-Diversity'' London and New York: Routledge.
* Weil, S., ed. (2020a). ''The Jews of Goa''. New Delhi: Primus Books.
* Weil, S. 2020b. "Les Bene Israel"; "Paradesis et Malabaris: les Juifs de Cochin". In: Edith Bruder (ed.) ''Juifs d'aillleurs''. Paris: Albin Michel, pp. 245–251 & 252–257.
External links
Jews of India��''Encyclopedia of India'' article in
Encyclopedia.com
''Encyclopedia.com'' is an online encyclopedia. It aggregates information, images, and videos from other published dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference works.
History
The website was launched by Infonautics in March 1998. Infonautics w ...
TheJewsOfIndia.com��Comprehensive website of Jews in India
Bneimenashe.com Bnei Menashe Jews of North East India
��Jewish India
Jewsofindia.org��Jews of India
Indjews.com Indian synagogues in Israel
Indian Jews– ''
The Jewish Encyclopedia
''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on the ...
''
Bene Israel– ''The Jewish Encyclopedia''
Cochin Jews– ''The Jewish Encyclopedia''
Calcutta Jews– ''The Jewish Encyclopedia''
India Virtual Jewish History Tour– Jewish Virtual Library
Information on synagogues in Kerala, India
{{Use Indian English, date=December 2024