My research on the movement of Jews from India to Israel since 1948 and their socio-cultural absorption into Israeli society brought me to several interesting works by sociologists, anthropologists, and historians last week when I was reading about Indian Jewry.
As a defense studies student, I am well aware of India’s and Israel’s strong military connections and security cooperation. The Jewish link, though, is a lesser-known part of this close bond. Following the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948, many Indians began to migrate to Israel, yet they could not abandon their Indian roots. Such a blend of identities may be both exciting and chaotic.
Israel, a young nation created in 1948, has a population of about 9 million people, including 6.8 million Jews. Indian Jews are classified as Mizrahi Jews in the Jewish community, which is divided into three groups: Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, and Mizrahi Jews. According to government reports, there will be over 80,000 Indian Jews in Israel by 2020. According to Shalva Weil, a well-known scholar, and researcher on the issue, Indian Jews are classified into three groups: Cochin Jews, Baghdadi Jews, and Bene Israeli. The Indian Israeli community’s path has been intriguing, marked by the complicated ways in which Jews of Indian descent have formed identities as Indians, Jews, and Israelis.
Source: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-saga-of-indian-jews-in-israel/
