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If your ancestors were baptised, married or buried in a European church in British India, then the [[church records]] should have been transcribed and you can access these records at the [[British Library]] in London, or at [[LDS]] [[Family History Centres]]. The FIBIS database contains many transcribed BMD records.  
If your ancestors were baptised, married or buried in a European church in British India, then the [[church records]] should have been transcribed and you can access these records at the [[British Library]] in London, or at [[LDS]] [[Family History Centres]]. The FIBIS database contains many transcribed BMD records.  


If your ancestors were married in a [[Registrar marriages|Registry Office]], then these records will be included with the church record indexes.  FIBIS volunteers have transcribed the Registry Office index and this is on the [https://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=4&s_id=102 FIBIS database]. Further details with images of regsitry pages ca be found on the subscription website [http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=2114&id=201071 findmypast]. Details of Registry Office marriages are not available on microfilm through the [[LDS]].  
If your ancestors were married in a [[Registrar marriages|Registry Office]], then these records will be included with the church record indexes.  FIBIS volunteers have transcribed the Registry Office index and this is on the [http://fibis.ourarchives.online/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=4&s_id=102 FIBIS database]. Further details with images of regsitry pages ca be found on the subscription website [http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=2114&id=201071 findmypast]. Details of Registry Office marriages are not available on microfilm through the [[LDS]].  


Some records of the births of Jewish people were included in the [[church records]] for the Bombay Presidency. It would seem that Jewish parents submitted a letter from their Rabbi or other figure of authority certifying that the individual was born on a certain day at a certain place. These letters were then included with the regular church records. Later, this 'registration' could then be used as proof of British citizenship. This does not seem to have been a very widespread practice. However, if you are at a loss to find a record of your ancestor, it may be worth examining the indexes to the [[church records]] of the Presidency in which they resided.  
Some records of the births of Jewish people were included in the [[church records]] for the Bombay Presidency. It would seem that Jewish parents submitted a letter from their Rabbi or other figure of authority certifying that the individual was born on a certain day at a certain place. These letters were then included with the regular church records. Later, this 'registration' could then be used as proof of British citizenship. This does not seem to have been a very widespread practice. However, if you are at a loss to find a record of your ancestor, it may be worth examining the indexes to the [[church records]] of the Presidency in which they resided.  
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== External links ==
== External links ==
*[https://www.jgsgb.org.uk Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain] Site for all information relating to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdadi_Jews Baghdadi Jews] Wikipedia
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdadi_Jews Baghdadi Jews] Wikipedia
*[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/jl101.htm  "The Last Jews In India And Burma"] by Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg. ''Jerusalem Letter No. 101  15 April 1988''. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Includes  an overview of the historical details.
*[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/jl101.htm  "The Last Jews In India And Burma"] by Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg. ''Jerusalem Letter No. 101  15 April 1988''. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Includes  an overview of the historical details.
*[http://www.jacobsassoon.com Sassoon Synagogues of Mumbai & Pune]. Three synagogues, two in Bombay  and one at Poona, are still ongoing, and contact details for the group are provided on the website.
*[http://www.jacobsassoon.com Sassoon Synagogues of Mumbai & Pune]. Three synagogues, two in Bombay  and one at Poona, are still ongoing, and contact details for the group are provided on the website.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110219144254/http://sephardiclibrary.org/genealogy.html Online records from Rangoon and Calcutta Grave records]  from the National Sephardic Library (Genealogy) of the  American Sephardi Federation, now archived. Five datasets of birth records from Rangoon, see [[Burma]], and [[Cemeteries in Calcutta]] for individual links.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110219144254/http://sephardiclibrary.org/genealogy.html Online records from Rangoon and Calcutta Grave records]  from the National Sephardic Library (Genealogy) of the  American Sephardi Federation, now archived. Five datasets of birth records from Rangoon, see [[Burma]], and [[Cemeteries in Calcutta]] for individual links.
*[https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/mizrahi-jewish-genealogy "Mizrahi Jews: A Minority of a Minority"] May 8, 2022 FamilySearch Blog. Advises "The term Mizrahi describes Jews from North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, including parts of India and Turkey. Mizrahi Jews are of Babylonian and Persian heritage", and "Among Mizrahi Jews was the Sassoon family of Baghdad", who immigrated to India and important financial centers in other eastern countries.
*From the catalogue of the [http://search.cjh.org:1701/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?menuitem=0&fromTop=true&fromPreferences=false&fromEshelf=false&vid=beta Centre for Jewish History], New York and available through the American Sephardi Federation:
*From the catalogue of the [http://search.cjh.org:1701/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?menuitem=0&fromTop=true&fromPreferences=false&fromEshelf=false&vid=beta Centre for Jewish History], New York and available through the American Sephardi Federation:
**Birth Register Book: Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue Rangoon. Published 1979 In English, available from  1896. In Hebrew, available from 1888. The English records may be  the same as the online Rangoon records in the previous link.
**Birth Register Book: Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue Rangoon. Published 1979 In English, available from  1896. In Hebrew, available from 1888. The English records may be  the same as the online Rangoon records in the previous link.
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**[http://labs.tribune.com.pk/hazel-lahore/  "Yearning for home: A Jewish woman’s memories of Lahore"] by Taha Anis, 14 February 2016 ''The Express Tribune''/Tribune Labs. Hazel Kahan was the daughter of Dr Herman Selzer, and his wife Kate, both doctors who studied in Germany, who settled in Lahore  c 1938. The family was interred during WW2.  
**[http://labs.tribune.com.pk/hazel-lahore/  "Yearning for home: A Jewish woman’s memories of Lahore"] by Taha Anis, 14 February 2016 ''The Express Tribune''/Tribune Labs. Hazel Kahan was the daughter of Dr Herman Selzer, and his wife Kate, both doctors who studied in Germany, who settled in Lahore  c 1938. The family was interred during WW2.  
::For Dr Selzer’s account of the years of internment, see [[POW Camps in India#German prisoners of war|POW Camps in India- Second World War- German prisoners of war]].
::For Dr Selzer’s account of the years of internment, see [[POW Camps in India#German prisoners of war|POW Camps in India- Second World War- German prisoners of war]].
*[https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Category:Jews Category:Jews] Family Search (LDS)  Wiki
*[https://www.ija.archives.gov  Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage].  Records from Iraq which are, or will become. available online on the website of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
*[https://www.ija.archives.gov  Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage].  Records from Iraq which are, or will become. available online on the website of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
*Bollywood connections
*Bollywood connections
**[http://www.totallyjewish.com/entertainment/features_and_reviews/?content_id=5452 The Jews Who Built Bollywood] 30  January 2007 TotallyJewish.com
**[http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41319/bollywoods-bad-girls-jewish-actresses-lit-up-screen-in-indian-cinemas-early/ Bollywood’s ‘bad girls’: Jewish actresses lit up screen in Indian cinema’s early years] 11 February 2010 Jweekly.com
**[http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41319/bollywoods-bad-girls-jewish-actresses-lit-up-screen-in-indian-cinemas-early/ Bollywood’s ‘bad girls’: Jewish actresses lit up screen in Indian cinema’s early years] 11 February 2010 Jweekly.com
**[http://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/7960/the-queens-of-bollywood/ The Queens of Bollywood: When Jewish women were the leading ladies of Indian cinema] Tablet 29 June 2009  This link includes a podcast  by reporter Eric Molinsky
**Sammy Benjamin’s  [http://b-inet.com/sammy/indian-jewish-actors/ (Lesser Known) Pioneering Indian Jewish Bollywood  Actresses & Actors]
**Sammy Benjamin’s  [http://b-inet.com/sammy/indian-jewish-actors/ (Lesser Known) Pioneering Indian Jewish Bollywood  Actresses & Actors]
*[http://scroll.in/article/685009/Remembering-the-Jewish-refugee-who-composed-the-All-India-Radio-caller-tune Remembering the Jewish refugee who composed the All India Radio caller tune] by Naresh Fernandes, October 24, 2014 Scroll.in. Walter Kaufmann arrived in [[Bombay]] in 1934,  where he founded the Bombay Chamber Music Society. He stayed 14 years in India.
*[http://scroll.in/article/685009/Remembering-the-Jewish-refugee-who-composed-the-All-India-Radio-caller-tune Remembering the Jewish refugee who composed the All India Radio caller tune] by Naresh Fernandes, October 24, 2014 Scroll.in. Walter Kaufmann arrived in [[Bombay]] in 1934,  where he founded the Bombay Chamber Music Society. He stayed 14 years in India.
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===Historical books online===
===Historical books online===
*"The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) during the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Contribution to the Economic and Social History of the Jews in India" by Walter J. Fischel  ''Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Apr., 1960)'', pp. 78-107 and ''Vol. 3, No. 2 (Aug., 1960)'', pp. 175-195 may be read online for free on the  website JSTOR, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3596030 Part 1], [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3596295 Part 2]. Registration with JSTOR is required, or some card holders of participating libraries  may have access, and limits may apply, refer [[Miscellaneous tips]]. Also available at the [[British Library]].
*"The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) during the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Contribution to the Economic and Social History of the Jews in India" by Walter J. Fischel  ''Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Apr., 1960)'', pp. 78-107 and ''Vol. 3, No. 2 (Aug., 1960)'', pp. 175-195 may be read online for free on the  website JSTOR, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3596030 Part 1], [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3596295 Part 2]. Registration with JSTOR is required, or some card holders of participating libraries  may have access, and limits may apply, refer [[Miscellaneous tips]]. Also available at the [[British Library]].
*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.55396/page/n19/mode/2up "The Racial Affinities of the Jews of Cochin"] by Eileen W Erlanson Macfarlane  page 1, ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal  Letters'' Volume III 1937 Archive.org.
*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.461583 ''The Origin And History Of The Calcutta Jews''] by  I S Abraham, 1963. Archive.org
*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.461583 ''The Origin And History Of The Calcutta Jews''] by  I S Abraham, 1963. Archive.org
   
   
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[[Category:Non-British Ancestors]]
[[Category:Non-British Ancestors]]

Latest revision as of 08:27, 14 May 2022

Non-British Ancestors:
Armenian
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Greek
Indian
Jewish
Portuguese

There were three main communities of Jews in India : the Bene Israel (near Bombay), the "Black Jews" of Cochin and the "White Jews" from Iraq. The Virtual Jewish History Tour has a summary of the History of Jews in India online.

General information about Jewish genealogy can be found at JewishGen InfoFiles, which has a host of links providing guidance on researching Jewish family history throughout the world.

Religious Records

If your ancestors were baptised, married or buried in a European church in British India, then the church records should have been transcribed and you can access these records at the British Library in London, or at LDS Family History Centres. The FIBIS database contains many transcribed BMD records.

If your ancestors were married in a Registry Office, then these records will be included with the church record indexes. FIBIS volunteers have transcribed the Registry Office index and this is on the FIBIS database. Further details with images of regsitry pages ca be found on the subscription website findmypast. Details of Registry Office marriages are not available on microfilm through the LDS.

Some records of the births of Jewish people were included in the church records for the Bombay Presidency. It would seem that Jewish parents submitted a letter from their Rabbi or other figure of authority certifying that the individual was born on a certain day at a certain place. These letters were then included with the regular church records. Later, this 'registration' could then be used as proof of British citizenship. This does not seem to have been a very widespread practice. However, if you are at a loss to find a record of your ancestor, it may be worth examining the indexes to the church records of the Presidency in which they resided.

Also see External Links below for some record references

National Archives of India

Search National Archives of India website abhilekh-patal.in. Particularly for the Second World War period there are known to be some records from the Aliens Advisory Committee which have either already been digitised, (Digitized Collection : Digitized Public Records, Home Political) or can be requested to be digitised for a fee. A 1946 Naturalisation request was seen: Application from ... For A German Jew, For Nationalization Under the British Nationality Status of Aliens Act 1914. [Should be Naturalization].

Names

Common Jewish surnames in India include Sassoon and Joseph. Since many Indian Jews were of Baghdadi origin, other surnames tend to be of the Shephardic style. It is rare to hear of Ashkenazi surnames in India. Other surnames include biblical names.

Directories

Many European, Anglo-Indian and other businessmen were named in the Directories of their day. The most prominent Directory was Thacker's, which originally only covered Bengal, but eventually encompassed all of British India. If your Jewish ancestors were merchants or businessmen, there is a good chance that they would have been listed in Thacker's Directories. A complete set is now housed at the Asian & African Studies Reading Room at the British Library, but most major libraries will hold a few copies for given years. For a comprehensive description, and lists of where they can be located, visit the informative Thacker's Directories webpage. Some Thacker's Directories are available online, refer Directories online-Thackers's Indian Directory.

Books

Also see

  • Sardhana for a brief mention of Jewish mercenaries.

External links

These doctors were mainly Jewish. Between the years 1933 and 1938, there were three waves of forced emigration to British India. The first started in the year 1933 with German doctors. A second wave started with Jewish refugees coming from Italy. The Austrian exodus after the German occupation in March 1938 formed the third wave of medical refugees coming to British India, at which point Czech and Hungarian Jewish medical refugees started joining the population of refugees.
Margit Franz is the author of Gateway India. German-speaking Exile to India between British colonial rule, Maharajas and Gandhi. There is an interview with Dr. Margit Franz in the following article "From the Reich to the Raj".
For Dr Selzer’s account of the years of internment, see POW Camps in India- Second World War- German prisoners of war.

Historical books online

  • "The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) during the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Contribution to the Economic and Social History of the Jews in India" by Walter J. Fischel Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Apr., 1960), pp. 78-107 and Vol. 3, No. 2 (Aug., 1960), pp. 175-195 may be read online for free on the website JSTOR, Part 1, Part 2. Registration with JSTOR is required, or some card holders of participating libraries may have access, and limits may apply, refer Miscellaneous tips. Also available at the British Library.
  • "The Racial Affinities of the Jews of Cochin" by Eileen W Erlanson Macfarlane page 1, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Letters Volume III 1937 Archive.org.
  • The Origin And History Of The Calcutta Jews by I S Abraham, 1963. Archive.org