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JEWS IN INDIA: A STUDY OF HISTORY AND CULTURE
Three groups of Jews experience acceptance in Indian society: the Bene Israel, the Cochin Jews, and the Baghdadi Jews. All three groups arrived at different times in India’s history, but the essential foundations of the society that welcomed them remained the same. Each group remained essentially Je...
| Autore principale: | |
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| Natura: | Printed Book |
| Pubblicazione: |
Saginaw Valley State University
2007
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | http://10.26.1.76/ks/005075.pdf |
| Riassunto: | Three groups of Jews experience acceptance in Indian society: the Bene Israel, the
Cochin Jews, and the Baghdadi Jews. All three groups arrived at different times in India’s
history, but the essential foundations of the society that welcomed them remained the same.
Each group remained essentially Jewish, the Bene Israel less so and the Baghdadi more so than
the Cochin Jews, without persecution or assimilation in their adopted country in a process called
acculturation.
This occurred due to a few factors. This first is the Indian philosophical tradition of
tolerance. This is, in part, affected by India’s long history and natural diversity, embraced even
by India’s Muslim rulers. Akbar putting in place this system of toleration, that even Aurangzeb
could not destroy. Not only was toleration a help, but the caste system contributed in that it
helped form the expectation that different groups of people have different religious practices.
The third factor is the nature of Judaism itself as a religion that does not exclude others from
ultimately attaining heaven.
Three time periods are examined to give evidence for the acculturation of the Jews in
India. The first is the period c500 BCE to c900 CE where early Indian philosophical traditions
were formed and the Bene Israel and Cochin Jews arrived. The second is c900 CE to c1650 CE
when Muslims invaded and began to rule parts of the subcontinent. The third time period covers
Colonial rule to Independence and the arrival of the Baghdadis from c1650 CE to c1960. Eachperiod is examined phisophically, politically, and historically to look for reaons why the
experience of the Jews was indeed acculturation and not assimilation. Finally, the conclusion is
made that India still provides opportunities for acculturation to groups such as the Tibetans. |
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| Descrizione del documento: | Thesis Submitted to the Honors committee in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Honors |