Hinglish

The Story of Indian Jews

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 17: India, a Home to Many · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 17.1

Learn

One rainy night, a stranger knocks at Zoya's door asking for shelter because his car has broken down. Her family debates: is it safe, is it kind? A country faces the same question when refugees, people forced to flee their homes, ask for shelter. Through history many communities came to India from abroad and made it home, some fleeing persecution (hostility and harm because of religion, ethnicity or politics), some seeking trade and a better life.

Jews came to India in several waves to escape persecution. The Bene Israel, by some accounts around 175 BCE, were shipwrecked on the Konkan coast south of Mumbai. They lost their holy books but remembered their prayer that there is one God, and grew to over 25,000 people, India's largest Jewish community. Later groups settled near Kochi, where the Raja granted land free "as long as the world, sun and moon endure", and they built a synagogue, a Jewish place of worship. In 1893 at Chicago, Swami Vivekananda said he was proud of a nation that had "sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions".

Explore: a safe home or not?

  1. Sort each experience.

Remember

  • Refugees and migrants from many lands made India their home.
  • The Bene Israel of the Konkan and the Jews of Kochi lived and worshipped freely in India.

Quick check

A synagogue is a place of worship for …

  1. Jews
  2. Parsis
  3. Baha'is
  4. Siddis
Answer

Jews. Kochi's synagogue let Jews keep their faith while joining Indian society.

Think about it

What arguments might a family make for and against sheltering a stranger at night?

One answer

For: he may be in real need and kindness matters; against: the family cannot be sure he is honest. Countries weigh similar concerns of compassion and safety with refugees.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.