“I grew up in the Mellah and as a child large groups of Jews would visit the synagogue. I was curious about them and I would say Shalom to them with a big smile… . One day, I met an old blind Jewish man named David Perez who lived near […]
“…. there are other countries where you could live….would you move to one of those countries? “I’m 100% Moroccan. My ancestors have lived in Morocco for 2500 years…and [also from] the expulsion from Spain in 1492. No matter what anyone says, this is a Jewish land and my land…. Let […]
“Why did you move to Mumbai?” “My community is literally dying. Most of them bedridden. My father was a shochet but now he has stopped. There are no young men. There is no minyan. I’m the second youngest Jew in my community…. There is no future for me in Cochin.” […]
“I am Jacob Elijah Dandekar. I am known as Baba. I’m 84 years old and I am one of the last Beni Israel of Alibagh. I’ve been a Hazan for over 45 years. I learned to be a Hazan from Baruch Gadkar who was the secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru, the […]
“I was born and raised in Kolkata to a family of Arab-Iraqi ancestry. We spoke Arabic and Hindi at home. I’m one of the last members of the Baghdadi community…. Our community was once thriving but now we are twenty-two.” “How does that feel?” “All my classmates from Yeshiva are […]
“I feel safe in India. I am safe. I visited Turkey and the Jews there are afraid to tell people they are Jewish. In India, I tell everyone and nobody cares. Actually, most people – seven out of ten people – have never heard of Jews. I try to explain […]
“I have watched over this synagogue for over sixty years. Inshallah, my son will continue to watch after it when I am gone. He will be the fifth generation of my family to do so.” “Why is it important for you to look after the synagogue?” “It is our Islamic […]
“Why did you come to Nepal?” “I am a shliach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Like every Lubavitcher kid, my dream in life was to be a shliach. My wife and I came to Nepal to give spiritual and physical sustenance to Jewish travelers. The Chabad House is their home away […]
