The Bene Israel, also referred to as the "Shanivar Teli" or "Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via their ancestors who had settled there centuries ago. Starting in the second half of the 18th century, after they were taught about normative Sephardi Judaism, they migrated from villages in the Konkan region where they had previously lived to nearby cities throughout British India—primarily to Mumbai where their first synagogue opened in 1796 but also to Pune, Ahmedabad, and Karachi, where they gained prominent positions within the British colonial government and the Indian Army.
Bene Israel wedding
Synagogue in Pen, India.
Magen Abraham Synagogue in Ahmedabad.
Bene Israel Cemetery, Mumbai.
History of the Jews in India
The history of the Jews in India dates back to antiquity. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the Indian subcontinent in recorded history. Desi Jews are a small religious minority who have lived in the region since ancient times. They were able to survive for centuries despite persecution and antisemitic inquisitions.
Arrival of the Jewish pilgrims at Cochin, A.D. 68
"Malabarese Jews", as depicted by the Portuguese in the 16th century Códice Casanatense
The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi is an active 16th century synagogue
A plan of Fort St George and the city of Madras in 1726, shows the "Jews Burying Place" (marked as "b."), the "Jewish Cemetery Chennai", Four Brothers Garden and Bartolomeo Rodrigues Tomb