The Bene Israel are arguably the world’s only Jewish community that has never faced anti-Semitism. For two thousand years, they lived in peace with their Indian neighbors, free to practice Judaism and grow as a society. The Bene Israel were thoroughly assimilated into Indian society while maintaining a distinct sense of self; nonetheless, they were cut off from the mainstream of Judaism for generations. The Israeli Rabbinate recognized Bene Israel as “complete Jews in every regard” in 1964, completing the process of reunification with international Jewry.
Some Bene Israel claim to be descended from Israel’s “lost” 10 tribes. According to Biblical history, the Assyrian King Shalmaneser and subsequent rulers exiled these 10 tribes, which founded the Kingdom of Israel, from their capital, Samaria, beginning in the year 722 BCE. Others among the Bene Israel claim that their forefathers fled Israel by water in 175 BCE, during Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign (before the events that led to the festival of Chanukkah).
According to legend, the Bene Israel’s progenitors were shipwrecked and washed ashore on the Konkan coast, south of Bombay, during their journey from the Kingdom of Israel. Seven men and seven women survived the massacre and buried their dead near the settlement of Nawgaon, which later became the Bene Israel cemetery.
Source: https://www.anumuseum.org.il/bene-israel-mumbai-india/
