No longer a minor matter

After a long history of negligence and obscurity, the Jewish community in the country has finally got a shot in the arm in the form of an official decree recognising the 5,000-strong sect as a minority

There can’t be many who’ve walked down the lanes in Kala Ghoda and have not set their eyes upon the majestic blue façade of the Knesset Eliyahu Synagogue. But unlike their place of worship, the Jewish community of Mumbai, though seeped in history, have so far remained on the sidelines. In fact, there’s very little that the average Mumbaikar knows about the 5,000-strong community and its unique culture scattered as vignettes across the state. However, their status in the country took a turn for the better on June 21, when the government declared them as a minority community. A move that means a lot to a community grappling with dwindling numbers and a constant challenge to retain its cultural uniqueness.

The presence of the Jewish community in Maharashtra dates back over 2,000 years when the Bene Israel Jews landed on the Konkan coast, close to Alibaug. Also known as the Shanvar Telis, the group took up Maharashtrian identities while still holding on to their Jewish culture. The next group to arrive in India were the Baghdadi Jews who came to India from different parts of Europe and North America. The Sassoon family was part of this group and the contributions of this single family to this city are only too clearly visible around the older parts of town. Slightly more than a month since the decree, hopes are high among the Jewish Mumbaikars that things will turn for the better, now that they finally have some recognition.

“The fact that we have got the minority status gives us a feeling of great honour and well-being as those of a community that has been more or less neglected so far,” says chairman and president of the Sir Jacob Sassoon Charity Trust, Solomon Sopher. “Before I petitioned that Jews be granted minority status, I went around India and gathered evidence of Jews living in Maharashtra, Kolkata, Kochi, Ahmedabad and other areas. The number came up to 3,500 through that one survey alone; many had just not been added to the census records,” reveals Sopher, whose efforts led in part to the decree.

But apart from the feeling of acceptance, the move is a blessing in more ways than one, feels Elijah Jacob, an active member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Gabriel Project, an NGO that works in the Kalwa slums. Elijah believes that status as a minority community will solve a lot of practical problems. He explains, “A lot of Jewish holidays fall right in the middle of the exam season in schools. Also, getting marriage certificates will become easier now since there will be a recognised marriage act for the community.”

Elijah’s daughter, Jennifer, who has been a part of many Jewish volunteer groups, views the development as a great step forward. Jennifer says, “Thanks to the legal recognition, we can now have open establishments that are Jewish such as Jewish schools and some scholarships are now being granted.” She further elaborates, “I think that the most important thing is the fact that we are identified and recognised as a minority.”

However, the biggest boon that the community has been bestowed with in the form of this decree is the possibility of observing Sabbath — the weekly ritual most symbolic with the Jewish religion.

Jennifer recalls that being a part of a regular public school meant that she often couldn’t observe Sabbath, which continues from sundown on Friday to Saturday evening. “There are so many things that you are not allowed to do according to the doctrines, and you’re forced to do them if you don’t get a holiday,” she explains.

However, there’s much more to Sabbath than just following the rules, as we find out when we visit yet another Mumbai Jew, Sharon Galsurkar’s home. The Jewish educator’s home is much like most other heritage dwellings in the Byculla region. A few things that stand out are the many Hebrew books that stand distinctly on the bookshelf, a painting of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and an heirloom wooden Star of David mounted on the wall. While we wait for the sun to go down and Sabbath to begin, Sharon explains the nuances of the ritual. “There are two aspects to Sabbath — guard the day and remember the day. By guarding, the Torah (Jewish holy book) refers to abstaining from 39 types of work, while remembering the day means that you celebrate it by singing songs, reciting parts of the Torah and generally speaking about God,” explains Sharon. The list of things that the Torah forbids, according to Sharon, include handling money, writing, handling electricity of any kind and cooking on the stove. “You are basically forced to relax,” Sharon says with a laugh, “it is a nice opportunity to slow down in a city that is so fast paced.”

While Sharon gets busy with preparations, his wife Sharona, who is also a Jewish educator, cooks up a storm in the kitchen. With the couple busy, we turn to their 12-year-old daughter Tiph Ereth, who shares nuggets about the tradition. We are told that, while there are many Sabbath songs, three are sung every Friday evening. One is a song about the thirteen Jewish principles, while another is an invitation to angels, and the third is a song praising the lady of the house that was originally written by King Solomon for his mother. Time flies as guests arrive and before we know it, everyone is gathered around the table, singing in fluent Hebrew. The songs are followed by blessings on wine and bread (a tradition also followed in the later Abrahamic religion, Christianity) and then the feast is served. Conversation flows freely, occasionally interspersed with popular Sabbath songs. Ari Marder, a New York-based Jewish student who has come to India for a summer fellowship at the Gabriel Project, elaborates on the work that he has been doing and also shows us how the Kippah or skullcap stays on his head with the help of hairclips.

By this time, the clock is edging towards eleven in the night, but no one seems to be in a hurry to go anywhere. “We have nothing to do all day tomorrow except to visit the synagogue once in the morning, so these celebrations tend to stretch on,” Sharon explains. “The late hour compels us to leave but the joy and atmosphere of celebration remains with us long afterwards,” he adds.