A Jewish Bollywood dance lesson

While on tour in Rajasthan, Sandra and I had taken a Bollywood dancing lesson: Swinging our hips from side to side; changing lightbulbs (reaching up to the ceiling and replicating the motion of turning a lightbulb); flapping our arms in a chicken dance-like movement; performing a movement like washing one’s face.

Bollywood dancing is not for the faint-hearted: frenetic and physical, you gyrate to the music, a mix of traditional Indian and Western styles.

Little did we know how useful it would be…

Later in the trip we travelled to Mumbai as the “guests of honour” at the centenary of the Rodef Shalom Synagogue. Founded in 1925, buoyed by the efforts of Rabbi Hugo Gryn, and run by the Jewish Religious Union, this unique congregation blends Indian customs and hospitality with a certain formal, British-flavoured Progressive Judaism.

They are part of an Indian Jewish community that numbers approximately 4000 – the majority of whom reside in Mumbai.

The history of Jews in India stretches back over 2000 years and Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in the Indian subcontinent in recorded history.

Under British rule, the Jewish population peaked at around 50,000, but the community rapidly declined due to emigration to the newly formed State of Israel. This leakage continues to this day, with many of the people we met having children living in Israel.

Mumbai has the largest concentration of Jews today. The community is made up of mainly Baghdadi Jews (Jews from Iraq) and Bene Israel, believed to have descended from seven couples fleeing Judea who were shipwrecked on the Konkan coast over 2000 years ago. The Baghdadi Jews were particularly successful in many walks of life, but particularly so in business.

Most famous were the Sassons, known as the “Rothschilds of the East”. Their immense wealth translated into philanthropic projects that remain part of the fabric of modern Mumbai. From synagogues to prominent buildings, the Sasson family left an indelible mark in Mumbai, and many other Asian cities.

On a tour of Jewish Mumbai, we visited two Sasson synagogues. Built in a stunning neo-classical/Victorian style, each is adorned by a trademark clock tower, something that is quite unusual to see as part of a synagogue. There are nine synagogues in Mumbai, some in use, others in a state of disrepair. With a diminishing community, they struggle to maintain their heritage.

Our Jewish guide took us to the Nariman Chabad House, where in 2008, members of the Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba held Chabad representatives Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg and four of their guests hostage, before brutally murdering them. The wider attacks left 166 people in Mumbai dead. Today, the bullet holes remain, as a reminder of the tragedy. In a statement of resilience, the Chabad House remains open and thriving, serving mainly tourists, the majority Israeli.

Despite this, India has very little antisemitism, despite a large Muslim population. It has also become a haven for Israelis. Some 40-50,000 Israelis travel to India each year, many “unwinding” after army service. We came across many, and in some places signs and menus were in Hebrew. A shopkeeper once even speaking to us in Hebrew, inexplicably assuming we were Israeli.

The connection between Israel and India has had its ups and downs, but today, with Narendra Modi in power, the rise of Hindu nationalism, and with cooperation in technology, defence and agriculture, the relationship between the two countries has thrived.

The celebration of 100 years of Progressive Judaism was a special event. Elijah Jacob and his wife Annie were our hosts for the weekend. Through them, we met many of the board of the JRU. Sadly, for the community, in 1993 their beautiful old synagogue was burnt down during Muslim-Hindu riots. While not the focus of the riots, it suffered substantial damage. They hope to rebuild if funds permit.

The commemoration was held at a country club, with me and the Consul-General of Israel, Mr Yaniv Revach, as the guests of honour. I would like to say that our speeches were the highlights of the night, but I would be lying! In true Indian style, following the formalities, the music was cranked up, and the entire community, if able, launched into a two-hour session of Bollywood dancing!

Sandra and I were happy for our earlier lesson, as we joined them on the dance floor. This spoke stronger than words of the spirit of Indian Jewry. Joyous and optimistic, they are warm, fun-loving and connected to both their Judaism and the Indian culture that has allowed them to thrive.

With ongoing emigration to Israel, we wish them well, and hope this unique corner of the Jewish world will have its contribution to the rich and diverse heritage of diversity and tolerance in India preserved, maintained or renewed.

Danny Hochberg is the co-president of the Union for Progressive Judaism.