In Israel, there is a community of between 1,000 and 2,000 people consisting of Pakistani Jews and their direct descendants. Upon the partition of British India in 1947, many Jews emigrated from the Dominion of Pakistan and resettled in the Dominion of India, joining the local Indian Jews. Following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, most of the remainder of Pakistan's Jews fled from the country as part of the wider Jewish exodus from the Muslim world, immigrating primarily to Israel and the Western world;[1] Israel's Pakistani Jewish community is largely concentrated in the city of Ramla. Sharing their heritage with the Indian Jews in Israel, the country's Pakistani Jews are mainly identified as having belonged to the Bene Israel, a community of the Jewish diaspora that coalesced in northern India.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000–2,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ramla | |
| Languages | |
| Modern: Hebrew Historical: Judeo-Urdu, Sindhi, Judeo-Marathi, other South Asian languages and Jewish languages | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Others of the Jewish diaspora (e.g., Indian Jews) |
History
editRecords cite that major Pakistani Jewish migration to Israel occurred in the 1960s and 1970s from India, where many Jewish refugees from Pakistan eventually settled during the independence period. Magain Shalome, built by Solomon David Umerdekar and his son Gershone Solomon, Karachi's last synagogue, was demolished in 1988 to make way for a shopping plaza. Most of the Karachi Jews now live in Ramla and Lod, Israel, Toronto, Canada, Mumbai, India and in several states in the United States and built a synagogue they named Magen Shalome.[2]
Jewish immigrants from Pakistan have served with distinction in the Israel Defense Forces and helped revive the game of cricket in Israel.[3]
The Israeli authors, Yoel Reuben (Satamkar) and Eliaz Reuben-Dandeker are of Bene-Israel of Karachi descent.
Further reading
edit- Reuben (Satamkar), Yoel (2010). The Jews of Pakistan-A forgotten heritage. Bene Israel heritage museum and genealogical research centre.
- Reuben-Dandeker, Eliaz (2018). So, what's your Kar-A journey into unknown India & Pakistan. Or Akiva: Kammodan Mocadem Publishing House.
- Reuben-Dandeker, Eliaz (2019). The guide for the Bene Israel of India-culture, history and customs. Or Akiva: Kammodan Mocadem Publishing House.
- Reuben-Dandeker, Eliaz (2020). The Jammaat-Inspiring people of the Bene Israel of India community. Or Akiva: Kammodan Mocadem Publishing House.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Salman, Peerzada (Nov 3, 2013). "Role of Jews in Karachi's uplift highlighted". Dawn. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
When in 1948 Israel came into being a lot of Jews migrated to Israel, and after the Arab-Israel war a majority of them left the city.
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library - Pakistan
- ^ Cricket in Israel
External links
edit- In search of the Jews of Karachi
- Rashid, Ibrahim (5 June 2018). "I met a Pakistani-Jew in Israel. This is what he taught me". Daily Times. Retrieved 27 May 2019.