The history of Jews in India dates back thousands of years. In documented history, Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to enter India. Indian Jews are a religious minority who have lived in India for centuries without encountering anti-Semitism from the non-Jewish majority. Many of the local traditions have been incorporated by the more established ancient Jewish communities through cultural diffusion. While some Indian Jews claim to be descendants of Ancient Israel’s Ten Lost Tribes who arrived before the Ancient Kingdom of Judah, others claim to be descendants of Ancient Israel’s Ten Lost Tribes who arrived earlier. Some claim to be descended from the ancient Israelite tribe of Menashe and are known as the Bnei Menashe. India’s Jewish population peaked in the mid-1940s at roughly 20,000 people, before rapidly declining due to emigration to Israel after its establishment in 1948.
