For the past 2,000 years, the Bene Israel community has lived in India, but unlike the Parsis, the country’s Jews are difficult to recognize. This is partly because Parsi cuisine, customs, and lovable individuals have become part of Mumbai’s allure. The Bene Israelis (Hebrew for “children of Israel”), on the other hand, have assimilated Indian cultural aspects into their lifestyle through food, clothes, and jewelry alone. This makes it difficult to tell them apart from the rest of the population.
However, as you learn more about them, their characteristics become more apparent. Bindi Sheth, a photojournalist, discovered this in 2010.
Sheth met Indian-Jewish writer and art critic Esther David, who grew up in Ahmedabad, by a series of lucky occurrences. Sheth was guided into the narrow, nameless world of the Bene Jewish community in Ahmedabad by David, whom Sheth refers to as Estherben. “While filming the synagogue, Estherben and I became good friends,” Sheth added. “After every shoot, we’d check over the photos together. We covered every facet of the community, therefore we went to Jewish families’ birthday celebrations in restaurants, weddings in clubs, and traditions like baby showers at their houses. We also went to the cemetery to cover burials.”
Source: https://www.qz.com/india/915527/in-photos-bene-israelis-the-ancient-jewish-community-of-india/
