The Bene Israel, or Sons of Israel, are small ancient people who have a long history of survival. They set off on a quest to escape the chaos and upheaval in their homeland, only to be shipwrecked near the Henery Kenery Islands.
On March 16, 1863, Subedar Abraham David Charikar of the 3rd Bombay Native Infantry was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Police at Poona. Charikar’s migration to the city with his family paved the way for other Bene Israelis from Konkan’s rural hamlets to make the journey to a better life. In the same year, work on a spectacular red-brick structure along what is now Moledina Road began. The Ohel David Synagogue was emerging as the first-ever place of worship for Baghdadi Jews in Poona, nearly three decades after they arrive in the hill city, owing to their aliyah to Israel following independence or migration to western countries, thanks to a generous donation by Bombay’s rich Baghdadi Jewish trade magnate and philanthropist David Sassoon. Their synagogues, on the other hand, convey tales of Poona’s Judaic heritage, and the families that remain pass along their stories and distinctive traditions from generation to generation, with many, even returning to India to trace their ancestry, a two-square-mile phenomenon.
