Jews in India: A 2,000-Year Story of Coexistence, Commerce, and Cultural Harmony

India’s civilizational history is unique in the world for the way it absorbed diverse communities without forcing uniformity. Among the most remarkable examples of this inclusiveness is the story of the Jews in India. Unlike Jewish communities in much of Europe, West Asia, or North Africa, Jews in India never faced state-sponsored persecution, pogroms, or forced conversions. Instead, they lived, traded, worshipped, and evolved peacefully alongside India’s plural society for nearly two millennia.

The Jewish presence in India is not the result of a single migration but a series of arrivals across centuries, shaped by trade, exile, and opportunity. What unites these communities is not only their faith but also their shared experience of acceptance in the Indian subcontinent.

Early Arrival and Ancient Roots

Jewish tradition and historical evidence suggest that the earliest Jews arrived on India’s western coast as early as the 1st millennium BCE, possibly after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE or later after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. These early settlers are believed to have reached India via maritime trade routes connecting the Middle East with the Malabar Coast.

The absence of hostility allowed these Jewish settlers to integrate economically while preserving religious autonomy. This pattern would become a defining feature of Jewish life in India: cultural adaptation without religious dilution.

Bene Israel: India’s Oldest Jewish Community

The Bene Israel community, concentrated primarily in Maharashtra and Gujarat, traces its origins to a group of Jewish survivors of a shipwreck along India’s Konkan coast. Over centuries, they adopted local languages like Marathi and Gujarati, dressed like their neighbours, and followed Indian customs, while retaining core Jewish practices such as observing the Sabbath, dietary laws, and circumcision.

Remarkably, the Bene Israel lived as oil pressers and farmers for generations without losing their Jewish identity, even in the absence of rabbis or formal institutions. Their rediscovery by other Jewish groups in the 18th century helped reconnect them to global Judaism.

Cochin Jews and Royal Patronage

The Cochin Jews of Kerala represent one of the most well-documented Jewish communities in India. Historical records indicate that they were granted special privileges by local Hindu rulers, including copper plate charters that recognized their right to trade, worship, and self-govern.

The Cochin Jews built synagogues, engaged in spice trade, and maintained strong connections with Jewish centres in West Asia and later Europe. Their religious traditions blended Middle Eastern Jewish rituals with elements of Kerala’s cultural environment, creating a distinct Indo-Jewish heritage.

Baghdadi Jews: Merchants of the Colonial Era

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Baghdadi Jews arrived in India from Iraq, Syria, and surrounding regions, primarily settling in Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata), and Pune. These Jews were fluent in Arabic and deeply involved in global trade networks.

Baghdadi Jewish families became prominent industrialists, philanthropists, and civic leaders under British rule. They established schools, hospitals, libraries, and synagogues that served not only Jews but Indian society at large. Their economic success did not isolate them from Indian life; rather, they contributed actively to urban development.

Absence of Antisemitism in Indian Civilization

One of the most striking aspects of Jewish history in India is the near-total absence of antisemitism. Indian religious traditions, particularly Hinduism, lack theological hostility toward Jews. The Indian worldview, which accepts multiple paths to the divine, created a social environment where Jews were seen as just another community with its own customs.

Unlike Europe, where Jews were often scapegoated during economic crises or epidemics, India never institutionalized hatred against them. Even during periods of political upheaval, Jewish communities remained secure.

Cultural Integration Without Assimilation

Jews in India adopted Indian languages, food habits, music, and dress while preserving religious laws and festivals. Jewish weddings incorporated Indian aesthetics, local melodies were used for Hebrew prayers, and Indian spices entered Jewish cuisine.

This balance between integration and identity is a powerful example of India’s civilizational elasticity. Jews became culturally Indian without ceasing to be Jewish, proving that pluralism need not erase difference.

Zionism, Israel, and Migration

After the establishment of Israel in 1948, a significant portion of India’s Jewish population migrated there, driven by religious aspirations rather than persecution. Importantly, this migration was voluntary and peaceful, with no rupture in India–Jewish relations.

Even after migration, Indian Jews carried with them memories of India as a safe homeland. Many still speak Indian languages, follow Indian customs, and identify strongly with their Indian roots.

Jews in Modern India

Today, India’s Jewish population is small but symbolically significant. Synagogues still function in cities like Mumbai, Kochi, and Pune. Jewish heritage sites are preserved, and Indo-Jewish cuisine, music, and rituals continue to be documented.

India’s strong diplomatic and cultural ties with Israel further reflect a civilizational continuity rooted in mutual respect rather than political expediency.

A Civilizational Lesson

The history of Jews in India stands as a counterpoint to narratives of inevitable religious conflict. It demonstrates that diversity, when grounded in mutual respect, can endure for centuries without coercion or violence.

In a world increasingly fractured by identity politics, the Jewish experience in India offers a powerful lesson: civilizations that value pluralism not only protect minorities but enrich themselves.

India did not merely host Jews; it allowed them to flourish.