An upcoming presentation focuses on the various food and cultural traditions that characterize the community, such as the ‘na’rale halwa’ made during the Jewish new year and the ‘malida’, a traditional celebratory staple.
Lately, Pezarkar, 27, is hard at work preparing a detailed lecture about the Bene Israeli community, their food, and customs, for an online talk. The Culture Series will be hosting this 1.5-hour-long session on 3 August. When working on her master’s in heritage management from Ahmedabad, Pezarkar, who is originally from the community, decided to explore the community’s fascinating history in 2017. The Bene Israeli Jews believe that they immigrated to India over 2,000 years ago to escape persecution. Several different dates are in use. There are some older members of the community who say that the community was in India as early as the 2nd century BC, while other records claim that it arrived during the 6th century CE. “Thus, there is no guarantee that the date will be certain,” explains Pezarkar. Nonetheless, it is certain that after a shipwreck the community ended up in Raigad on the western coast of India. These individuals established themselves throughout the regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat, making it impossible for them to escape the local culture.
