The Bene Israel community in Mumbai is the last relic of a once-thriving Jewish population that was devastated in part due to emigration to Israel. I claim that the Bene Israel, who have been criticized for their dark skin color and copied Hindu practices, represent a Jewish way of life that consciously opposes the authoritarian and rabbinic rule. They form a ‘third,’ hybrid kind of place, implying that Jewish identity’s boundaries are permeable and fluid. They are thus a shining illustration of Judaism’s possibilities, which are not restricted to a predetermined and circumscribed system of belief and practice, but rather a living witness to cultural and religious diversity.
Source: https://www.journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0008429813513232?journalCode=sira&
