THE HISTORY OF THE BENE-ISRAEL OF INDIA - a comprehensive and unique publication about the "Bnei Israel" community in India, by Haeem Samuel Kehimkar - Dayag Publishing Tel Aviv, 1937 - only edition. English. Accompanied by rare photographs of the members of the Jewish community in India.
Important publication about the "Bnei Israel" community in India. In his book, the author, who was a very active and educational figure in the Bnei Israel community in India during the 19th century, reviews the history of the Jewish community in India, its origins, lifestyles, customs - the special wedding customs of the community, divorce (according to him, there is almost no known case of divorce in the Bnei Israel community in India), the special customs of circumcision in the Bombay Jewish community, the special mourning customs, the hierarchy of leadership, special customs related to the woman giving birth (among other things, a special custom is described, in which the woman and her son would bathe in a hot water bath twice a day for a week from birth, and that the woman's head was wrapped in a bandage during this entire time for protection from the evil eye, and more), the typical cuisine of Indian Jewry, the various arts practiced by the Jews, and more.
The author documents in his book notable Jews in the community, such as Yehezkel Benjamin, who published various holy books on his own, such as the Passover Haggadot, prayer books, and Jewish press, also Shalom Volvatkar who translated many books into the Marathi language, there is a special chapter on the many holy books printed in Marathi in the 19th century in Bombay, there is a list of benefactors who contributed to the community on a regular basis, the names of Jewish military officers who served as soldiers in India and their work, etc.
At the end of the book there are 28 pages with 51 photographs of important Jews from Indian communities - among them a photograph of the author, Rabbi Yosef Yehezkel Rajpurkar, Yosef Salomon Jiratkar Pune, Dr. Avraham Chaim Kaminkar, the principal of the "Elly Kadoorie" school Mrs. Rivka Reuven, the Indian Jewish playwright Joseph David Fluker, praying at Magen Avraham Synagogue during Lord Barborn's visit - in this photograph you can see women and men sitting separately in the same Azara (section), A Jewish bride in traditional clothes, a group photograph of the author and his family, a group photograph of Simchat Torah celebrants, a group of carpenters, a multi-participant photograph at the reception held for Dr. Emanuel Oswanger in 1936 in Bombay, the Baal Tokea sounding the shofar, a photograph of the interior of the Shaar HaShamayim synagogue - 1896, dignitaries and community leaders, and more.
Cover design: Indian Jews say "Shema Israel" in the face of a storm at sea and a sinking ship.
VII, 290, +28 photo plates. Some detached pages. worn and loose cover, glued paper reinforcements. Condition Moderate.
