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'''The Jewish Communities of India : Identity in a Colonial Era'''
'''The Jewish Communities of India : Identity in a Colonial Era'''
By Joan G. Roland.  
By Joan G. Roland. [http://books.google.com/books?id=kHJccZ92IecC&pg=PP1 Preview Google Books] This [http://www.pace.edu/dyson/academic-departments-and-programs/history/faculty/joan-roland link] is about the author.


'''Bene Israel of India : Some Studies'''
'''Bene Israel of India : Some Studies'''
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***[http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/10/m2.htm The Jewish Community in Shanghai], which states that the Sassoon family began trading with the Far East and then trained young men of their community in Bombay to be sent as clerks to work for the Sassoon firm in Shanghai.  
***[http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/10/m2.htm The Jewish Community in Shanghai], which states that the Sassoon family began trading with the Far East and then trained young men of their community in Bombay to be sent as clerks to work for the Sassoon firm in Shanghai.  
**[http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/nehar16.htm Issue No. 16, Spring  2008]: [http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/16/44.htm Dr. R. Fredman-Cernea talks about her book ''Almost Englishmen: Baghdadi Jews in British Burma''].
**[http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/nehar16.htm Issue No. 16, Spring  2008]: [http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/16/44.htm Dr. R. Fredman-Cernea talks about her book ''Almost Englishmen: Baghdadi Jews in British Burma''].
*[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/baghdadi-jewish-women-in-india "Baghdadi Jewish Women in India."] by Joan G. Roland and Tamar Marge Gubbay, ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia'' 1 March 2009.  
*[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/baghdadi-jewish-women-in-india "Baghdadi Jewish Women in India."] by Joan G. Roland and Tamar Marge Gubbay, ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia'' 1 March 2009.
*[http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/jael-silliman-bringing-indias-jews-light?page=0%252C1&order=DESC Jael Silliman: Bringing India's Jews to Light] Asiasociety.org. Mainly about the Baghdadi Jewish community
* Ted Margulis’ [http://jewishwebindex.com/jewish_orient.htm Jewish Web index, category Jewish Orient]  includes subcategories Burma, India and Singapore
* Ted Margulis’ [http://jewishwebindex.com/jewish_orient.htm Jewish Web index, category Jewish Orient]  includes subcategories Burma, India and Singapore
*[http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/041/5.html "The Portuguese Jewish Community Of Madras, India, In The Seventeenth Century"] from ''Los Muestros'' numéro 41, Décembre 2000  Sefarad.org
*[http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/041/5.html "The Portuguese Jewish Community Of Madras, India, In The Seventeenth Century"] from ''Los Muestros'' numéro 41, Décembre 2000  Sefarad.org
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*"[http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090524/jsp/calcutta/story_10951040.jsp The Jews of Agarpara]" ''The Telegraph'' (Calcutta), 24 May 2009, details a jute connection. [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/calcutta/story_11006900.jsp Part 2: "By the lazy river"] ''The Telegraph'' (Calcutta), 31 May 2009.
*"[http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090524/jsp/calcutta/story_10951040.jsp The Jews of Agarpara]" ''The Telegraph'' (Calcutta), 24 May 2009, details a jute connection. [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/calcutta/story_11006900.jsp Part 2: "By the lazy river"] ''The Telegraph'' (Calcutta), 31 May 2009.
*[http://webhome.idirect.com/~julios/genealogy.html The Barook Family website] includes "Early Jews in Calcutta"
*[http://webhome.idirect.com/~julios/genealogy.html The Barook Family website] includes "Early Jews in Calcutta"
*Pakistan
**[http://fletcher.tufts.edu/news/2005/09/najam091605.shtml  Where have Pakistan’s Jews gone?] by Adil Najam September 16, 2005  The Flecther School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA. [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-9-2005_pg3_3 Alternative version]
**[http://archives.dawn.com/archives/13209 No more in Karachi] 27 February  2010 Dawn.com [http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2010/03/ashkenazi-hotel-owners-living-in.html  Alternative version]
**[http://issuu.com/etribune/docs/february-6 The Express Tribune Magazine for 6 February  2011] contains the article  "In Search of the Jews of Karachi", pages 18-25. Click to page 18.
**[http://www.jewishtimesasia.org/main-news-topmenu-48/359-2010-08/1732-jewish-cemetery-in-karachi-documented-for-first-time Jewish Cemetery In Karachi Documented For First Time]  Jewishtimesasia.org  [http://www.cemeteryofthelosttribe.com  View the documentary film]
**[http://haroonhaider.com/2010/09/13/magen-shalom-the-last-synagogue-in-pakistan/ Magen Shalom, The Last Synagogue in Pakistan?] Haroonhaider.com [http://www.flickr.com/photos/daudpota/2059883242 Magain Shalome Synagogue, Karachi] Flickr.com
**[http://website.thejc.com/home.aspx?AId=54702&ATypeId=1&search=true2&srchstr=karachi&srchtxt=0&srchhead=1&srchauthor=0&srchsandp=0&scsrch=0 Karachi’s forgotten Jews] The JC.com
*[https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Category:Jews Category:Jews] Family Search (LDS)  Wiki
*[https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Category:Jews Category:Jews] Family Search (LDS)  Wiki
*Bollywood connections
*Bollywood connections

Revision as of 13:49, 1 July 2011

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. However, the full details of Registry Office marriages are not available on microfilm through the LDS, so if you find an index reference to a Registry Office marriage, you will need to visit the British Library, or have someone visit there on your behalf. FIBIS volunteers have transcribed the Registry Office index and this is on the FIBIS database.

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.

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.

Books

The following books related to Jews in India are currently available :

Who Are the Jews of India By Nathan Katz. Publication date November 2000. Of all the Diaspora communities, the Jews of India are among the least known and most interesting. This readable study, full of vivid details of everyday life, looks in depth at the religious life of the Jewish community in Cochin, the Bene Israel from the remote Konkan coast near Bombay, and the Baghdadi Jews, who migrated to Indian port cities and flourished under the British Raj.

Ruby of Cochin : An Indian Jewish Woman Remembers By Ruby Daniel. The autobiography of a Jewish woman from Cochin.

The Jewish Communities of India : Identity in a Colonial Era By Joan G. Roland. Preview Google Books This link is about the author.

Bene Israel of India : Some Studies By Benjamin J. Israel. Ranges over the history, religious evolution, some social and deomographic aspects of the life of the community.

India's Bene Israel : A Comprehensive Inquiry and Sourcebook By Shirley Berry Isenberg.

The Sephardic Table : The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews-A Personal Collection of Recipes from the Middle East, North Africa and India By Pamela Grau Twena. From her Iraqi husband's extended family, Pamela Grau Twena coaxed out recipes that had been passed through generations but never written down. The result is an inviting collection of more than 125 Sephardic Jewish favorites for everyday meals, Sabbath suppers, and holidays. These inspired kosher recipes will appeal to all food lovers.

The British Library has the following books

  • Jews of the Raj by Mavis Hyman 1995 includes bibliographical references and index. Available from the author , as is the book Indian Jewish Cooking.
  • Turning Back the Pages : A Chronicle of Calcutta Jewry by Esmond David Erza 1986

External Links