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 ADVERTISING AGENCY a t that only recently 5,000 DU. 2-7787 J ews of Afgan origin had found WO. 1-0126 1216 Fort St., Lincoln Park 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 KE. 3-2660 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 JO. 6-9845 Oak Park 20731 Coolidge 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 VA. 2-5266 KE 7-5700 13100 Kercheval 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 Your Family Drug Store century, C.E. This is supported by the evistence of copper plate 20655 West 7 Mile, at Braile N and Grand Rapids grants of the Maharaja of Call KE. 2-2410 WE DELIVER Cochin making over tracts of TE 4-2100 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 To All Our Friends and Customers "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 TE 4-2780 7133 W. CHICAGO the question of conversion to ::,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,::,:„,,,::::,,,,,:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,:::::::::::::::::„:::::::::::::::„,:::::::::,,,,,:::::::::::::,*::::::::::,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,:„:: 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 WO. 1-1388 2348 Michigan difficult to talk in general terms of an Indian Jewish community. 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