In case you weren’t aware, there is a silent but significant Jewish population living in India. Maharashtra, especially Mumbai has a lot of landmarks commemorating their presence. India and Israel are soon said to sign a number of bilateral trade agreements. For that, the Foreign Minister of Israel, Eli Cohen, will be travelling to India for three days. During his visit, he plans on inaugurating what is being called a “Jewish Trail.”
Jewish Trail: What Is It?
This particular trail will be blazed in Mumbai. Since there are a number of Jewish monuments in the city, all well-maintained. These monuments will be thrown open to the public and they will be able to learn about the Jewish heritage in Mumbai.
Cohen will be visiting India from the 9th of May to the 11th of May. During his visit, he will inaugurate the trail. The Jewish monuments are construed as a sign of tolerance that India has shown towards the Jewish culture.
The important Jewish monuments, after the inauguration by the Israeli foreign minister, will be open to the public around the world. The population may have been relatively small but it’s the largest in Maharashtra.
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Jewish History And Heritage In Mumbai
According to an NDTV article, Jewish people have been living in India for almost 2,000 years now. The lack of anti-semitism in India made it a habitable country for them. The Jewish people who migrated from Israel to India are known as Bene Israel.
A majority of this population has migrated back to Israel. Among the Indian Jews in Israel, the ones from Maharashtra make up the majority of the population. The idea of a “Jewish Trail” was taken from a book published by Professor Saul Sapir from the Hebrew University. The book was called “Bombay: Exploring the Jewish Urban Heritage”.
The trail is a joint effort by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation or the MTDC and the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai. It is hoped that this move will boost tourism in Maharashtra.
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Would you go on this Jewish Trail? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons