Mumbai, India
- Although a sizeable number at its peak, the Jewish population in
India has diminished drastically, leaving behind a miniscule minority
who are trying to keep their traditions alive.
The
first Jews arrived in India more than 2,000 years ago and settled in
the southern state of Kerala. Six hundred years later, the Bene Israelis
followed, while the Baghdadi Jews arrived in 1730, some of them fleeing religious persecution in the Arab world.
After
the formation of Israel in 1948, around 33,000 people emigrated,
leaving just 5,000 Jews in India today. The majority of them are Bene
Israelis, most of whom live in Mumbai. The city is also host to around 100 Baghdadi Jews.
The community continues to observe Jewish practices and its synagogues serve as a meeting point.
"Very
few synagogues survive in this part of the world," conservation
architect Abha Narain Lambah told Al Jazeera, "but Bombay has
traditionally had a large Jewish population."
The
Jewish community has often been applauded for integrating completely
with the local population. Most people in the community wear Indian
traditional dress, participate in local festivals and speak local
languages.
Al
Jazeera visited some of Mumbai's most iconic Jewish buildings and met
the people who make up one of India's smallest religious minorities.
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