The Bene Israel and the Baghdadis: two Indian Jewish communities in conflict

Judaism, Summer, 1994 by Sadok Masliyah

AT ITS HEIGHT IN THE LATE 1940s, THE JEWISH POPUlation of India numbered 26,000, amidst a population of over three hundred million, but its reputation far exceeded its size. It consisted of four communities: the first two were long-term residents--the Cochin(1) Jews of the Malabar Coast in the southwest, and the "native" Bene Israel(2) of western India. The other two were of more recent vintage: the so-called Baghdadi(3) Jews, who hailed from the Middle Eastern countries of the Ottoman Empire and settled in Bombay and Calcutta; and Jewish refugees from Central Europe fleeing Nazi persecution in the 1930s and '40s.(4) The Cochin Jews, who never numbered more than 2,500, were divided into three endogamous subgroups: white Jews, black Jews (the majority), and meshuhrarim (descendants of manumitted, converted slaves and of the illegitimate offspring of unions between white Jews and native mistresses). The Cochin Jews came to India from various places, including Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, and Spain, at different times from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Motivated by a religious messianic drive, most of them emigrated to Israel in the 1950s. The European refugees mixed mainly with the upper crust of Baghdadis; they numbered perhaps 1,800 at their peak, and included many professionals and industrialists, but after World War II they emigrated to Western European countries and to Australia.

Although the various groups coexisted, the continuous strife between the "white" and "black" Cochin Jews and the tension between the Bene Israel and the Baghdadis in Bombay hampered the development of a cohesive Indian Jewish community. The Jews of India enjoyed all the privileges of citizenship. In contrast to other Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East, they never experienced persecution. The Bene Israel, in particular, had lived for centuries in harmony with Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. They are perhaps singular among the world's Jews in that for over a century, a large proportion of their manpower served in the armed forces of the host country.

The Indian caste system(5) enabled the Bene Israel to blend into the Indian society without losing their own distinctive Jewish character. Since the caste system did not allow intermarriage with other castes, the Bene Israel were not totally assimilated into Hindu society, although Indian society, as a whole, practiced tolerance. If the Bene Israel experienced any prejudice at all it was from their fellow Jews, the newcomers, the Baghdadis in Bombay.

The doubts that the Baghdadis had about the Bene Israel's origin contributed to the conflict between the two groups. The Bene Israel had no historical records to help them throw light on their obscure early history in India and counter the Baghdadis' charges against them. There was no mention of the Bene Israel in travelers' records, tales, or inscriptions. According to one Bene Israel tradition,(6) their presence on the western coast of India goes back 2,000 years. They claimed to be the descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel who were shipwrecked off the west coast of India, near Nawgaon on the Konkan coast, in the second century B.C.E. By this account, only seven couples survived, and their offspring were cut off from other Jewish communities for a long time. However, several different theories date the arrival of the Bene Israel to periods ranging from the sixth century B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E., suggesting that they came to India from Palestine, Yemen, Persia, or even Babylon. The Bene Israel gradually dispersed throughout the coastal Konkan villages, living in small communities. They were essentially a rural class who monopolized the industry of oil pressing, hence their name Telis Shanwar, or "oil-men who observed Saturday [as their holiday]." They distinguished themselves in the armies of pre-British rulers and, owing to their education, earned promotion to officer ranks(7).

To establish their rule in Bombay, the British recruited skilled and reliable natives as soldiers in the British Native Infantry Regiments. It was during this period that the Bene Israel (or the "Native Jew Caste,"(8) as they were then called) took advantage of this opportunity and moved to Bombay in 1786 to enlist in the Native Regiments of the British East India Company and to secure other jobs in government and private companies. Under British rule in Bombay, the Bene Israel rose to high military ranks and established a reputation as devoted, efficient, and faithful soldiers. They fought with the British in the Anglo-Marathi wars, the Anglo-Mysore wars, the Anglo-Afghan wars, the Anglo-Burmese wars, the Sikh wars, and during the Indian Mutiny in 1857.

The move of the Bene Israel to Bombay brought rapid social and religious changes. They formed a sizable group and emerged as a strongly knit community bound together by common tradition and heritage. In Bombay they also established themselves as a clerk caste, working in private companies and in different departments of government--customs, railways, and post and telegraph. Some rose to become doctors, engineers, mayors, judges, lawyers, architects, writers, historians, social workers, teachers, and college professors. Since the 1920s, the total number of Bene Israel professionals, however, did not exceed ten percent of the community's population. The Bene Israel women earned a reputation as primary school teachers. However, by the mid-twentieth century, the majority of Bene Israel were lower-middle class, engaged as carpenters, construction builders, mechanics, mill workers, tailors, hospital assistants, and nurses.