Synagogues in India

Map of Jewish communities in India. Greyed out labels indicate ancient or premodern communities

There are many synagogues in the Indian subcontinent, although many no longer function as such and today vary in their levels of preservation. These buildings dating from the mid-sixteenth through the mid-20th century once served the country's three distinct Jewish groups—the ancient Cochin Jews,[1] and Bene Israel[2] communities as well as the more recent Baghdadi Jews.[3]

The Jews in India had very peaceful existence compared to Middle East and Europe where they were persecuted repeatedly. They built numerous synagogues throughout India and almost all of them exist to current day. Most of Jews in India voluntarily made Aliyah after creation of Israel but a sizable Jewish community remains who use these synagogues actively, the ones not used for praying are now museums of Indian Jewish history.[4]

  1. ^ Weil, Shalva. 1992 'Cochin Jews' (3(South Asia):71–73), in Paul Hockings (ed.) Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Boston, Mass: G. K. Hall & Co.
  2. ^ Weil, Shalva. 1992 'Bene Israel' (3(South Asia): 27–29) in Paul Hockings (ed.) Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Boston, Mass: G. K. Hall & Co.
  3. ^ Weil, Shalva. 2009a India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle, Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.].
  4. ^ Meyer, Raphael. "Jews of India-Cochin Jews". The-south-asian.