Jews In India

• Fleeing persecution in Galilee, the first Jews arrived in India 2,000 years ago. Since then, although many Jews have emigrated to Israel, Britain, America and Australia, they have left behind a rich legacy of synagogues, public institutions and cultural traditions. The Jews of India comprise the Cochin Jews, the Baghdadis and the Bene Israel.
  
  

Three Groups

• Also known as the Malabar Jews, the Cochin Jews have roots that can be traced to the time of King Solomon. Out of the three groups, the Cochins have resided in India the longest. Their historic homeland of the Kingdom of Cochin in South India now forms part of the Kerala state. Most Cochin Jews have since emigrated to Israel, and the survival of their dwindling community in India looks doubtful. The Baghdadi Jews, who fled Iraq, were a leading community in India during the era of British imperialism. The Bene Israel Jews claim their ancestry from the Jews who fled Galilee in the second century BCE. Interaction with the Cochin Jews introduced the Bene Israel members to modern Judaism, and many remain in India.
  
  

Tolerance

• India's native religions of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism absorbed with tolerance and goodwill the people of the Jewish, Islamic and Christian faith. The Jews were treated without persecution and accorded an honorable place in the social fabric of the land. Although there are less than 5,000 Jews, the country remains, for the most part, a tolerant host to the minority religion. However, the 2008 Mumbai attacks by Islamic terrorists have increased tension. It is estimated 166 people were killed and 300 wounded in an attack aimed at Westerners and Jews.
  
  

The Day of Atonement

• Yom Kippur, is the Jewish day of repentance and is regarded as one of the holiest days of the Jewish year. It revolves around atonement and reconciliation. A strict fast is observed, beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. Some Jews refer to the holiday as “the White Fast” because of the custom of wearing white clothing on the day to purge themselves of sin.
  A large part of the day is spent in prayer at a synagogue. There are morning, afternoon and evening services. The recitation of the Shema Yisrael prayer and the blowing of the shofar symbolize the end of Yom Kippur.