Abstract
Studies conducted into minorities like the Jews serves the purpose of sensitizing one about the existence of communities other than one’s own one, thereby promoting harmony and better understanding of other cultures. The Paper is titled ‘A Chronicle of Calcutta Jewry’. It lays stress on the beginning of the Jewish community in Calcutta with reference to the prominent Jewish families from the city. Most of the Jews in Calcutta were from the middle-east and came to be called as Baghdadi Jews. Initially they were influenced by Arabic culture, language and customs, but later they became Anglicized with English replacing Judeo-Arabic (Arabic written in Hebrew script) as their language. A few social evils residing among the Jews briefly discussed. Although, the Jews of our city never experienced direct consequences of the Holocaust, they contributed wholeheartedly to the Jewish Relief Fund that was set up by the Jewish Relief Association (JRA) to help the victims of the Shoah. The experience of a Jewish girl amidst the violence during the partition of India has been briefly touched upon. The reason for the exodus of Jews from Calcutta after Independence of India and the establishment of the State of Israel has also been discussed. The contribution of the Jews to the lifestyle of the city is described with case study on ‘Nahoums’, the famous Jewish bakery of the city. A brief discussion on an eminent Jew from Calcutta who distinguished himself in service to the nation – J.F.R. Jacob, popularly known as Jack by his fellow soldiers has been given. The amicable relations between the Jews and Muslims in Calcutta have also been briefly portrayed. The research concludes with the prospect of the Jews becoming a part of the City’s history, peacefully resting in their cemeteries. Keywords: Jews, Calcutta, India, Baghdadi, Holocaust
Highlights
Calcutta was home to a vibrant Jewish community at one time, who enriched the city socially, culturally, and economically
The Jews arriving from places in the middle-east like Aleppo, Basra, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, to Calcutta in the 18th Century were classified as Baghdadi Jews
The bakery was established by Nahoum Israel Mordecai, a Baghdadi Jew who came to Calcutta in 1868
Summary
“The Jews are bound to suffer and, in that suffering he enriches the human heritage.”. Calcutta was home to a vibrant Jewish community at one time, who enriched the city socially, culturally, and economically. The Baghdadis were Arabic Jews (Fig. 1), who later adopted European customs and clothes. They were the most-anglicised and least Indianized of Indian Jewry. On social occasions like circumcision and wedding, Arabic songs were sung alongside Hebrew ones. They learnt a few Hindustani phrases into their vocabulary to help in their dealings with locals. They adopted the English to replace Judeo-Arabic (Arabic written in Hebrew script) as their first language in the 19th century. Due to emigration to Israel and other parts of the world, the numbers sunk to 700 in 1969 and 54 in 1990‟s. Currently there are less than 20 Jews present in the city, most of them are octogenarian
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