India isn’t the first place that comes to mind when people think of Jewish communities around the world. But from the Cochin Jews on the Malabar Coast, to the Bene Israel in the Mumbai region, and the Baghdadi Jews of the bustling port cities, Jewish life in India goes back many centuries. Read on for 16 facts about the fascinating story of the Jews of India.
1. India Was a Safe Haven for Ancient Jewish Refugees
Cochin is a city in the state of Kerala along the Malabar coast in southwest India. Remarkably, this city was home to a Jewish community for over 600 years. According to a tradition preserved by Cochin’s Jews, their ancestors fled to India after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, settling in a town called Shingly (modern-day Kodungallur). Around 1340, they began to move to nearby Cochin, where the community flourished for centuries.
2. They Were Welcomed by Local Rulers
India’s rulers were historically tolerant of minority groups, including Jews, respecting them and encouraging them to uphold their practices and beliefs. When the Jews first arrived in Shingly, the local raja (prince) welcomed them warmly, and Cochin Jews continued to enjoy peaceful relations with the leaders of Kerala up until modern times.
3. There Were Malabaris and Paradesis
In the 1500s, the Portuguese took control of parts of India’s coastline. Around the same time, Jews who had been expelled from Spain and Portugal arrived in the new colony. These newcomers—called Paradesis (meaning “foreigners” or “white ones”)—settled alongside the local Cochin Jews, who were known as Malabaris, meaning “People of the Malabar Coast.”
Read: The Spanish Expulsion
4. They Lived in “Jew Town”
In about 1565, the ruler of Cochin gave the Jews a plot of land right next to his palace. This area became known as “Jew Town.” At its heart was “Synagogue Lane,” home to many Jewish homes and three synagogues—including the famous Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568, which is still in use today!
5. The Portuguese Brought the Inquisition to India
The only real case of antisemitism in Indian history prior to modern times came under Portuguese rule. In 1560, the Portuguese established an Inquisition in Goa, their main Indian stronghold. In the following decades, the Inquisition issued several discriminatory edicts against the Jews, restricting new Jewish arrivals and limiting their interactions with Christians. In 1662, the Portuguese burned the Cochin synagogue along with its Torah scrolls and holy books. For the most part, however, the Jews of India escaped the worst horrors of the Inquisition that ravaged Spain and Portugal.
Read: The Spanish Inquisition
6. They Maintained Ties With Jews Around the World
Despite their remote location, the Jews of Cochin stayed connected to global Jewry. They sent halachic questions to leading rabbis like Rabbi Dovid ibn Zimra in Egypt,1 and Jews joined them from Yemen—including Rabbi Eilyahu Adeni, a prolific poet whose works became part of Cochin’s liturgy.
Later, when Kerala became a Dutch colony, the Cochin Jews developed strong ties with the Jewish community in Amsterdam. For many years, they celebrated the 15th of Av to commemorate the arrival of gifts shipped by the Dutch Jews: Torah scrolls and books to replace those destroyed by the Portuguese.2
7. The Paradesi Synagogue Holds Priceless Artifacts
The historic Paradesi Synagogue holds several ancient artifacts that tell the story of Cochin’s Jews. Two copper plates were given by an 11th-century raja to a Jewish leader named Joseph Rabban, granting the Jews rights and privileges. A solid-gold 22-carat goblet is kept there, which was used at Jewish weddings in Cochin for centuries. And a tablet on the outdoor wall is a remnant of Cochin’s oldest synagogue, dating all the way back to 1344! These treasures, and more, can be seen today by visitors to the historic site.
Watch: Synagogues Around the World
8. The Bene Israel Held On to Their Jewish Practices
Further north along India’s western coastline lived the Bene Israel, centered in villages near what is now Mumbai. Isolated from the rest of the Jewish world for centuries, they still held on to several core Jewish practices, such as observing Shabbat and saying the Shema. Many of them worked in oil pressing, earning the nickname Shanwar Teli, or “Saturday oil pressers,” because they did not work on Shabbat.
9. Maimonides Mentioned the Jews of India
In a letter written around the year 1200, the great Jewish leader Maimonides mentioned Jews in India, saying, “They do not know the written Torah, and all they practice from our religion is Shabbat and circumcision.”3 While he didn’t specify which group he meant, many believe he was referring to the Bene Israel.
10. David Rahabi Revitalized Jewish Practice
While the details are fuzzy, it seems that a Cochin Jew named David Rahabi made contact with the Bene Israel and shared with them many practices and beliefs from the mainstream Jewish community that they were either unaware of or had forgotten. Interestingly, while all agree that he existed, there is a wide range of opinions regarding when he lived.
11. They Venerate Elijah the Prophet
Elijah the Prophet plays a prominent role in the culture and beliefs of the Bene Israel. In fact, there is a tradition in which he appeared to the community in a striking nighttime visit on the holiday of 15 Shevat, which they celebrate with an extra layer of meaning. Today in Israel, many of them visit Mount Carmel, the site of Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal, every year on that day.
12. Baghdadi Jews Built Thriving Communities
Under British colonial rule, Indian port cities like Mumbai (then Bombay), Calcutta, and Yangon (then Rangoon, in nearby Myanmar) became major trade hubs. Jews from Iraq and Syria—often referred to as Baghdadi Jews—settled in these cities and established flourishing communities with synagogues, schools, and vibrant Jewish life.
13. They Helped Shape the City of Mumbai
Baghdadi Jews, especially the influential Sassoon family, left a lasting mark on Mumbai. They funded the construction of hospitals, schools, libraries, and other institutions, as well as the famous Gateway of India landmark. And they didn’t forget their own community: the Sassoons built synagogues and employed many Jews in their businesses, helping support Jewish life in the city and beyond, including Pune's Ohel David Synagogue, which is the largest in Asia outside of Israel.
14. Jewish Books Were Printed in India
Believe it or not, India was home to several Jewish printing presses. The first opened in Calcutta in 1840, followed by others in Mumbai, Pune, and Cochin. They printed everything from prayer books to halachic texts to newsletters—sometimes even translating them into local languages like Malayalam (spoken by Cochin Jews) and Marathi (spoken by the Bene Israel).4
15. Most Indian Jews Eventually Moved Elsewhere
After 1948, most of India’s Jewish population immigrated. The Cochin Jews and Bene Israel primarily settled in Israel, while most Baghdadi Jews moved to English-speaking countries like the UK. Still, small Jewish communities remain in India—especially in Mumbai—continuing a Jewish presence that has lasted thousands of years.
16. The Holtzbergs Left a Lasting Legacy in Mumbai
In 2003, Rabbi Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg moved to Mumbai as Chabad emissaries to offer hospitality and Jewish awareness to Jewish tourists and backpackers and serve the local Jewish population. Tragically, they were killed in a brutal terrorist attack in 2008, along with four of their guests.
But their memory lives on: Chabad activities have only increased in Mumbai, transforming tragedy and darkness into growth and light.
Read: New Emissaries Champion Mumbai Jewish School
Bibliography: Avraham Yaari, Hadfus Ha’ivri Be’artzot Hamizrach (Heb.), vol. 2, Jerusalem 1940. Walter J. Fischel, Hayehudim Behodu (Heb. trans.), Jerusalem 1960. Nathan Katz, Who Are the Jews of India? University of California Press, 2000.
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