The Jews of India
NEW
By T. NARAIN
(Copyright, 1958, JTA, Inc.)
vv cii aa vv...,,, y %_ u may meet a Jew, or rather
ct
Jew
Jews. In Europe and in the a Bene Israel, with the name
Jnited States, a Jew is often of Nagonkar, a Marathi name.
To understand the position of
:ecognizable by his' name. But
in India, surnames like Abra- th e Jewry in India of today,
ham, Samuel and Solomon are on e has to go back 2,000 years.
T. e Jews were living in India
common, especially in the state T
of Kerala, now ruled by a Corn- lc ng before there were Chris-
munist government. In Bombay ti ans in Europe. The Jewish
cc mmunity in India was estab-
li. shed 400 years before the
C hristian era. Some years back,
New Year Greetings
inara-1i
I) .t.;1,1-11 ,
1, ell
you
1
• 1
1
_ulu/.
an Indian that "there are
ews in India," he will be sur
wised. But if you tell a Euro
eart that there are both black
Jews and white Jews in India,
le will be more surprised.
It is a fact that there are Jews
n India — about 26,900 — and
.7,
1
It is the tenuous bonds of a com-
mon ritual and faith that bind
them together.
In keeping with its historical
tradition, India has still left
open its doors for the people of
any faith to settle in India. Once
they adopt India as their home,
they are guaranteed the same
rights available to the other citi-
zens of India under the Indian
Constitution. H. Cynowicz, presi-
dent of the Bombay Zionist As-
sociation, was born in Poland
and after the second World War
had adopted India as his Home-
land. An active member of the
Zionist Actions Committee and
of the World Jewish Congress
executive, Cynowicz- 7--the law-
yer, economist, Hebrew scholar
and a distinguished citizen of
India — made possible the
immigration of about 3,000 Jews
from India including 500 Afgan
Jews.
Best Wishes of the Season
Krishna Menon, India's Defense
Minister, said that "the Jews
EDWARD A. BAKER
h ave become a part and parcel
a our country," and pointed
Catering to Special Banquets and Parties
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a t that only recently 5,000
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J ews of Afgan origin had found
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Bldg.
456-457oo
a home in India and "were re-
-6-ra tiats0000ts000mt5
si pected citizens." Freedom of
r eligious practice is cherished in
I ndia, where discrimination on
7127,15 4
g rounds of religion and race,
Sincerest Best Wishes to the Jewish
re
considered
a
crime
and
a
a
Community for a Happy New Year
v iolation of the spirit of the
1 ndian Constitution.
EXCAVATING COMPANY
Commercial & Residential Excavating
According to scholars, at
M. H. ZACKHEIM
Fuel Oil and Gas Tanks Installed
the time of the Destruction
Sewers - Bulldozing - Fill Sand - Fill Dirt
1113 MAJESTIC BLDG.
of the Second Temple in '70
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15496 Telegraph, Redford
A.D., seven men and seven
women, sailing the Arabian
sea in a small boat, were ship-
New Year Greetings
wrecked off the coast of Born-
Sincerest Greetings on the New Year
bay. These were the Bene
Israeli. Descendants of these
FEDERAL CARPET CLEANING CO.
people. still live in Bombay.
Carpeting and Furniture Cleaning in Your Home.
Early records of Arab traders
Civil Engineers and Surveyors
Carpeting and Rugs picked up and delivered
vho reached the west coast of
Fully Insured
ndia mention the presence of
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ewish communities. It is known
UN 1-3500
3301 Puritan
hat the later Bene Israeli took
he names of the villages in
vhich they lived, and still later
hey took to the fields, probably
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
1 ecoming the first Jewish corn-
To Our Friends and Patrons
unity after the Dispersion and
efore the formation of the
Inc.
Printing,
Gaylord
tate of Israel to become peas-
Lithographers - Printers - Office Supplies
ants. Later on, these commun-
ties drifted to the cities, and
WA 1-8036
TE 4-9550
10023 Gratiot
14603 WYOMING
ecame skilled workmen, pro-
essionals or businessmen.
These people always kept
...Q.M.SULQ;
closely within their com- -9_9...t.suuuust_suzsutsuistsuzsasistsiss
S.
-
Happy New Year Greetings
munity, and kept alive the
spirit of Israel. The Bene
To All Our Friends and Patrons
New Year Greetings
Israeli of Bombay, however,
WHITE TOWER
adopted Indian dress—the wo-
men wearing the sari in the
INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY and CLEANERS
Marathi manner. Their lan-
Harry and Nate Krause
guage is also Marathi and they
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2-5266
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260.29 W. 8 Mile Rd.
publish their own papers in
the Marathi language.
o
The Jewish community of
Kerala, along the extreme south-
Holiday Greetings
western coast of India, has its
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
own story. There is evidence
To Our Friends and Patrons
that
at
Cochin,
Kerala,
Jews
O'BRIEN'S PRESCRIPTIONS
first arrived about the fourth
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century, C.E. This is supported
by the evistence of copper plate
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N and Grand Rapids
grants of the Maharaja of
Call KE. 2-2410
WE DELIVER
Cochin making over tracts of
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roA
it
6331 T1RDEetM
land to the Jewish immigrants
..... and assuring them of favorable
trading facilities. It is in Cochin
New Year Greetings
Cordial Holiday Greetings
that we find "black" and
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"white"
Jews.
From The
It is held by some that the
"black" Jews are converts.
This fact is widely contested
Contracting Service and Maintenance
SUN OIL COMPANY
by the - Jews in India. Even
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7133
W.
CHICAGO
the question of conversion to
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the faith is a matter of argu-
ment. But the fact remains
0
that these two varieties of
Jews even today live in sepa-
Holiday Greetings
rate communities and have
their own synagogues.. In
Cochin the Jews have their
own .."Jew town." . But . the
"black" Jews are closer to the
UN 3-0503
16216 Wyoming
land of their adoption, in
dress and speech and appear-
ance. In Calcutta we have
"Baghdadi Jews."
Happy New Year Greetings
Whatever the origin of the
Greetings on the Holiday
Indian JeWs, the fact remains
To All Our Friends and Patrons
that the Jews in India have
fully identified themselves with
Non-Ferrous and Precious Metals
the other Indian communities.
Joseph Soverinsky, President
Formica and Plastic Wall Tile
They speak the language of
their adopted land and wear
VE 8-3300
14799 Meyers Rd.
KE. 1-7908
22028
Fenkell
the same kind of dress as ,other
,
Indians. But this is not the case
41•11111•111/ with the "Baghadadi Jews of
Calcutta. With very few excep-
New Year Greetings
Happy Holiday Greetings
tions they have not been able
to integrate themselves into the
life around them.
Thus in view of the diversity
Licensed by the Board of Health
Weather-Stripping and Caulking
of origin of the various com-
Bonded
munities of Jews in India it is
WE. 3-3722
14950 Washburn
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2348 Michigan
difficult to talk in general terms
of an Indian Jewish community.
CATHAY HOUSE
sts
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WEISSMAN
CLAUDE POSTIFF & CO.
Alexander & Hornung s Mkt.
OFFICE PRODUCTS INC. --:
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THE .EARLE EQUIPMENT CO.
ROTOR ELECTRIC CO.
•
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too
STANDARD
OIL CO.
0
Gre tings of the Season
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PURITAN ELECTRIC CO.
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101 Fourth WO. 2-5870
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_ _ _ • - •- - - - - -
SAVOY METAL CO.
ATLAS PEST CONTROL CO.
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PASKY & CO.