Another famous Jewish Israeli Indian is Samson Khamkar, a first generation Israeli Indian sitar and violin player. He belonged to a popular ethnically mixed Israeli musical group whose name translates to "The Natural Gathering". One of their more well...
Since its composition in 1936, the characteristic melody of All India Radio has been heard by hundreds of millions of people. The tune, based on raga Shivaranjini, was composed by a Czech man, Walter Kaufmann, somewhat unexpectedly. He was...
Shir Hodu: Jewish Song from Bombay of the ‘30s
Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing interest in the music of India's Jewish community. Indeed, the formation of a close-knit...
From India to Israel, Making Beautiful Music
Zubin Mehta is on the phone with an old buddy for the first few minutes of our encounter (who, it turns out, is a grandson of...
It may seem hard to believe, but the most ardent audiences and lovers of classical Indian music nowadays may be found in the tiny state of Israel, which is located outside of India (population some 8 million, far less...
At the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, Cantor Aviva Marer is the cantor. She grew up in Canada with a strong feeling of cultural Indian Judaism, having been born into a family of Bene Israel Jews from India. She enjoys educating...
Julian Futter, a record producer, was given a stack of vintage 78s six years ago. He knew little about them save that they featured music originating from Iraqi Jews.
These songs were ultimately included on the critically acclaimed CD Shbahoth....
On the music of Yahudi, Bimal Roy's unexpected Bollywood historical about the persecution of Jews in ancient Rome, the dulcet ring of the oud is impossible to miss. The background score, produced by Shankar and Jaikishan, has a slightly...
PUNE: The Bene Israel Jews are India's largest Jewish community. While there is considerable controversy about whether they are one of Israel's lost tribes, one of their most unique cultural customs is in grave danger of being lost forever.
"As...
The folk songs of Kerala of the 14th and 15th centuries bear an uncanny resemblance to the Jewish folk songs of the same period. Traditions of long-standing, which appear in the folk literature of the Jews, persist in these...