Russell wrote back,
"Nikhil my dear friend your note deserves a universal circulation; it is a testimony to so much the world need to know and understand
I see Robin was touched and will circulate it.
This explains in part why you are such a wonderful person and why Robin and I love you
please send this message to all the others you sent your message to."
So, humbly, not vainly, I am sending it. Love is always humbling.
Along with a message from a woman who now lives in Bangalore but grew up in Calcutta. With some more of my reminiscences to Jael, followed by two news items on Jews in Ahmedabad - currently around 100 or more.
"Though we speak English, Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi as language, we pray exclusively in Hebrew. Circumcision, Bar mitzvah, marriage and baby naming ceremonies are held in the synagogue only, according to local tradition.
Great emphasis is placed on education; classes take place mostly on Sunday. Though the Jews have settled far away from the synagogue, we maintain a minyan at Erev Shabbat and Shabbat prayers. Jewish festivals are celebrated with great pomp and pride."
I am interested in sweets and availability of women - any age - to know, to converse.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nikhil Desai <ndesai@alum.mit.edu>
The king of Saurashtra city Jamnagar (the Jamsaheb, Ranaji's father perhaps) had hosted Polish Jewish children on way to Shanghai during WW II. His daughter told me, 12+ years ago. The princess lives in Delhi, I think. I can help locate.
Some 20+ years ago, a bearded white man in an Addis Ababa hotel, hearing my name, extended his hand and said, "Oh, an Indian Jew! I am an Australian Jew. Steve Joseph. Glad to see you."
Raechelle had said "Oh, so you are like an Indian Jew!" when I had explained to her Gujarati stereotype. That was in 1979, and I had no idea what Jewish stereotypes were. I still didn't know much till a year later, and mostly only after 1990.
It was in 1993 that Steve explained Jewish humor to me, and we went on insulting each other for days. Addis was so dull otherwise.
Around the same time I was given the label of "an honorary Jesuit" by a Catholic friend, and "an honorary Jew" by a Jewish friend.
I am fond of my Jewishness. Sentimental, cynical, wandering fool. (How's that for Jewish humor? I insulted Jews and deprecated myself at the same time. My Jesuit training shows!)
N
From: Nikhil Desai <ndesai@alum.mit.edu>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Dear Nikhil,
Thanks for sharing your memories. Brought back memories of Armenian friends I used to go swimming with in our little town. I had no idea what Armenian meant. In Calcutta, we have a ghat on the Hooghly called Armani Ghat - I didn't know that was Armenian ghat!
I enjoyed reading the article too. Here are two shorts ones I wrote about two Jewish women who were in Bombay during Worls War II.
---------
Ahmedabad’s chosen educators
Author: Anil Mulchandani
- Published Date: Jul 31, 2011 12:44 AM
- Last Updated: May 16, 2012 8:51 PM
Ahmedabad’s Jewish population is about 125, but the contribution of Bene Israel families in establishing some of the city’s first English medium schools can never be ignored. Even today, schoo
Ahmedabad’s Jewish population is about 125, but the contribution of Bene Israel families in establishing some of the city’s first English medium schools can never be ignored. Even today, schools started in the 1950s and ’60s by the city’s Jews continue to be among the most prestigious institutions.
The Bene Israel are a group of Jewish agriculturalists from Alibaug and coastal Konkan, who migrated to Mumbai and nearby cities in the 1700s and 1800s in search of prosperity. The first Bene Israel migrants to Ahmedabad in the mid-1800s were personnel of the civil services, military and railway, and doctors and traders. Most of them lived in the walled city of Ahmedabad, in the area called Khamasa, where they built the Magen Abraham Synagogue in 1934, in memory of Dr Abraham Benjamin Erulkar, who had opened a prayer room for the community in his house in the 1840s and ’50s. As Ahmedabad’s industry prospered and the city became known as the Manchester of India because of its textile mills in the 1950s, the Bene Israel community began to grow, and the population was over 2,000 at one time. The community included well-known citizens like Padmashri Reuben David, who masterminded Ahmedabad’s zoological park, Padmashri Dr Esther Solomon, a notable Sanskrit scholar, Dr Joseph Benjamin, former mayor of Ahmedabad, and many doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers and academicians.
Says Esther David, the author of historical Indian Jewish novels, “It was in the 1950s that Bene Israel families realised the potential of English medium education in Ahmedabad. My mother, Sarah, was a school teacher in Prakash, one of the English medium schools in the walled city. The best such school at the time was St Xaviers’ School in Mirzapur, but it was the Bene Israel schools started in areas like Maninagar and Shahpur, near the industrial estates of the city, that gained a reputation for being truly secular in their treatment of students. These schools rapidly became popular with Hindus, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs of eastern Ahmedabad. One of the first Bene Israeli schools, called Infants High School, started in the 1950s by Rachel and Samson Benjamin, no longer exists, but most of the schools opened subsequently–Best, Nelson, Little Flower, Ruebs and Classical, have expanded over the years.”
Recalls Queenie Best, who heads Best High School, “I came to Ahmedabad after my marriage to husband Ralph in 1957, and started a small classroom at our house in Maninagar a year later. As I had no background in pedagogy at the time, we charged just Rs 6 per child and enrolled a few children. The concept caught on, and we had 90 children in 1959, and 150 by 1960. It was an enjoyable time—I was a pianist, my husband a violinist, and we played music for the children, and sang with them.” While running this school, Best went onto qualify as a teacher with a BEd degree. “The school is now run by my sons, Amiel and Shalosh, and daughter-in-law, Nili and Esther, and has a capacity of 4,000 students. We have consistently produced high rankers in the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards, engineers, doctors, and other professionals,’’ she explains proudly, adding, “The main reason why we have been able to sustain the brand is that we have kept pace with the times, improving the facilities at the school from time to time. For instance, we now have computers in every classroom, and CCTV that keeps a watch on school activities.”
Austin Haeems, director of Nelson International School, agrees that the reason for the success of Bene Israeli schools in Ahmedabad is their adaptability to new trends. “The Nelson group of schools was started in Gujarat by my grandfather, Sam Minashe Haeems, in the early 1960s. Today, there are three schools of the group which are run in Ahmedabad by different members of my family,” he says, adding, “One of these is the Nelson International School, the first international curriculum school in eastern Ahmedabad, and still the only one in the densely-populated and cosmopolitan Maninagar area. We have an astronomy club and wide-ranging modern facilities. The school has wireless connectivity, so computers can be set up in any classroom or activity rooms.” About 1,000 students from the school appear for the state board exams and around 150 for the Cambridge certified International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) system. Ian Scott, head of the school, has considerable experience working in IGCSE schools, having worked in Washington, Taiwan and Cyprus.
While most of the Bene Israel-family-promoted schools are located in the eastern part of the city, Little Flower has successfully made it mark in the affluent and relatively modern western neighbourhoods of Ahmedabad. This school was started in 1964 by Samson Samuel, a civil services officer from Mumbai, and his wife Sophie, in a small, low-rise building, and now covers two buildings in the Paldi area of Ahmedabad. “Even today, Samson Sameul who is in his 90s, is very active in running the school, with his daughter Ivon,” says Irene, the school supervisor, adding, “They are upholding the tradition of quality education for which the Bene Israel families have become known in Ahmedabad.”
The Bene Israel are a group of Jewish agriculturalists from Alibaug and coastal Konkan, who migrated to Mumbai and nearby cities in the 1700s and 1800s in search of prosperity. The first Bene Israel migrants to Ahmedabad in the mid-1800s were personnel of the civil services, military and railway, and doctors and traders. Most of them lived in the walled city of Ahmedabad, in the area called Khamasa, where they built the Magen Abraham Synagogue in 1934, in memory of Dr Abraham Benjamin Erulkar, who had opened a prayer room for the community in his house in the 1840s and ’50s. As Ahmedabad’s industry prospered and the city became known as the Manchester of India because of its textile mills in the 1950s, the Bene Israel community began to grow, and the population was over 2,000 at one time. The community included well-known citizens like Padmashri Reuben David, who masterminded Ahmedabad’s zoological park, Padmashri Dr Esther Solomon, a notable Sanskrit scholar, Dr Joseph Benjamin, former mayor of Ahmedabad, and many doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers and academicians.
Says Esther David, the author of historical Indian Jewish novels, “It was in the 1950s that Bene Israel families realised the potential of English medium education in Ahmedabad. My mother, Sarah, was a school teacher in Prakash, one of the English medium schools in the walled city. The best such school at the time was St Xaviers’ School in Mirzapur, but it was the Bene Israel schools started in areas like Maninagar and Shahpur, near the industrial estates of the city, that gained a reputation for being truly secular in their treatment of students. These schools rapidly became popular with Hindus, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs of eastern Ahmedabad. One of the first Bene Israeli schools, called Infants High School, started in the 1950s by Rachel and Samson Benjamin, no longer exists, but most of the schools opened subsequently–Best, Nelson, Little Flower, Ruebs and Classical, have expanded over the years.”
Recalls Queenie Best, who heads Best High School, “I came to Ahmedabad after my marriage to husband Ralph in 1957, and started a small classroom at our house in Maninagar a year later. As I had no background in pedagogy at the time, we charged just Rs 6 per child and enrolled a few children. The concept caught on, and we had 90 children in 1959, and 150 by 1960. It was an enjoyable time—I was a pianist, my husband a violinist, and we played music for the children, and sang with them.” While running this school, Best went onto qualify as a teacher with a BEd degree. “The school is now run by my sons, Amiel and Shalosh, and daughter-in-law, Nili and Esther, and has a capacity of 4,000 students. We have consistently produced high rankers in the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards, engineers, doctors, and other professionals,’’ she explains proudly, adding, “The main reason why we have been able to sustain the brand is that we have kept pace with the times, improving the facilities at the school from time to time. For instance, we now have computers in every classroom, and CCTV that keeps a watch on school activities.”
Austin Haeems, director of Nelson International School, agrees that the reason for the success of Bene Israeli schools in Ahmedabad is their adaptability to new trends. “The Nelson group of schools was started in Gujarat by my grandfather, Sam Minashe Haeems, in the early 1960s. Today, there are three schools of the group which are run in Ahmedabad by different members of my family,” he says, adding, “One of these is the Nelson International School, the first international curriculum school in eastern Ahmedabad, and still the only one in the densely-populated and cosmopolitan Maninagar area. We have an astronomy club and wide-ranging modern facilities. The school has wireless connectivity, so computers can be set up in any classroom or activity rooms.” About 1,000 students from the school appear for the state board exams and around 150 for the Cambridge certified International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) system. Ian Scott, head of the school, has considerable experience working in IGCSE schools, having worked in Washington, Taiwan and Cyprus.
While most of the Bene Israel-family-promoted schools are located in the eastern part of the city, Little Flower has successfully made it mark in the affluent and relatively modern western neighbourhoods of Ahmedabad. This school was started in 1964 by Samson Samuel, a civil services officer from Mumbai, and his wife Sophie, in a small, low-rise building, and now covers two buildings in the Paldi area of Ahmedabad. “Even today, Samson Sameul who is in his 90s, is very active in running the school, with his daughter Ivon,” says Irene, the school supervisor, adding, “They are upholding the tradition of quality education for which the Bene Israel families have become known in Ahmedabad.”
Copyright © 2012 The New Indian Express. All rights reserved.
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Jewish Community of Ahmedabad - Shulmith Solomon
 | The Jewish Community of Ahmedabad, India: Yesterday and Today Shulmith Solomon, Ahmedabad, India May 2004 | |
India is a vast country with 29 states and 6 union territories. Gujarat is the 7th largest state on the western coast of India, and Ahmedabad is its old capital.
The Jews arrived Gujarat during the British régime, enjoying high posts in the army, and as collectors, judges, businessmen, doctors, advocates and commissioners. With the rapid development of transportation they settled in the various cities of Gujarat. When the railway was laid between Mumbai and Baroda and other junctions Jews began to settle in other places in Gujarat as Surat, Baroda, Deesa, Rajkot, Wadhwan, Surendranagar and Ahmedabad. Till today there are Jewish cemeteries in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot, Sirendranagar, Surat, Deesa, and Abu road.
The Jews settled in Ahmedabad in 1840. It is on record that in 1846, forty Bene Israel lived in Ahmedabad. They were mostly clerks or hospital staff. Dr. Abraham Benjamin Erulkar (1822-1887), head of the Civil Hospital, was a major player in building the Jewish community; in his death will he left a large amount for the construction of a synagogue in Ahmedabad. After his death, his son Dr. Solomon Abraham Erulkar returned from England and provided guidance and leadership to the Jews of Ahmedabad.
A beautiful hall, the Magen Avraham Synagogue, was inaugurated on 8th September 1934 in loving memory of the late Dr. Abraham Erulkar. The structure houses a sanctuary, a hall for social gatherings, guest rooms, storerooms and a library. We celebrate the synagogue’s birthday every year according to the Hebrew calendar; The Magen Abraham Synagogue celebrates its 70th birthay this September 2004.
Although a few years a ago there were around 800 Jewish families living in Ahmedabad, today there are only thirty. Due to economic difficulty, many families have emigrated to Israel. Among the members of the community were the late Mr. Reuben David, creator of the Kamala Nehru Zoo in Ahmedabad and a world-renowned animal lover; and currently Ms. Esther Solomon, a renowned Sanskrit scholar. Both Ms. Ether Solomon and the late Mr. Reuben David have won the President’s Award and Padmashree for their outstanding work. Ahmedabad presently has two Jewish cemeteries – the old cemetry in the city which is filled to capacity, and a new one outside the city.
Most of the Jews work in educational institutions, banks, hospitals, private companies, railways etc. There are currently five reputed educational institutes owned by the Jewish families in Ahmedabad. These schools provide strong support to the synagogue and the community through donations. A managing committee administers the affairs of the synagogue and the Jewish community on a volunteer basis; likewise the shamash and chazzan provide service without remuneration. There are a number of other volunteers, men and women, who work selflessly on behalf of the community.
Though we speak English, Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi as language, we pray exclusively in Hebrew. Circumcision, Bar mitzvah, marriage and baby naming ceremonies are held in the synagogue only, according to local tradition.
Great emphasis is placed on education; classes take place mostly on Sunday. Though the Jews have settled far away from the synagogue, we maintain a minyan at Erev Shabbat and Shabbat prayers. Jewish festivals are celebrated with great pomp and pride.
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