Another not so widely known fact is the history of Jewish population in India. They predate their settlement in Europe. If you visit Cochin, Kerala you would find one of the oldest synagogues there, inlaid with beautiful porcelain tiles imported from China, all hand made and hand painted, and hence unique - a must visit.
People make a great leap of generalization when they make the case for anti-semitism (I do dislike that word, it does not mean what it literally means) to be a uniform phenomena. It was categorically lacking in India. In fact many a Indian not so educated in world history would go "Huh!" in bewilderment if one makes such a claim. I find many Jewish people in US are unaware of this history, particularly the right wing kind.
I remember attending a Jewish student gathering organized to mourn the death of a Mumbai Rabbi killed in the Mumbai terrorist attack. Us new Indian students left with a lot of head scratching because of the strong singular rhetoric that permeated the gathering. It was that of Jewish population being persecuted everywhere (hinting that the same is true in India and in particular was true for the Rabbi) and the need to stand up, resist and confront that. Not a word about others who lost their lives in that terrorist incident.
It was a bit awkward. No ill feelings, just a bit of head-scratching "OK, if you say so" bizarre.
Ironically, the Bene Israel (Indian Jews) often face severe discrimination from other Jewish groups when they go to Israel[0] .
Because they have been in India for so long, they don't "look" Jewish (ie, not like Ashkenazi or Sephardic or Mezrahi groups), so they aren't considered "real" Jews. Only recently have they been able to "prove" their status with blood tests.
Indeed, ironic perhaps because Israel commits some of the same mistakes against minorities as many Israeli citizens experienced as a minority group themselves in other countries.
The plight of the Ethiopian jews in Israel (Beta Israel) for example is riddled with controversy. Just recently there was the birth-control issue[0] which is quite shameful.
It is almost astoundingly comical how the xenophobia & generally retrograde thinking of some elements in Israel, barely gets a mention, in mainstream American media narratives.
Racist Israelis Protest Against African Refugees! "N*ggers Go Home"
Wow, that is messed up. I though Israel as a society was way more aware of such issues. I don't think you'd see something like that in Europe today either.
People make a great leap of generalization when they make the case for anti-semitism (I do dislike that word, it does not mean what it literally means) to be a uniform phenomena. It was categorically lacking in India. In fact many a Indian not so educated in world history would go "Huh!" in bewilderment if one makes such a claim. I find many Jewish people in US are unaware of this history, particularly the right wing kind.
I remember attending a Jewish student gathering organized to mourn the death of a Mumbai Rabbi killed in the Mumbai terrorist attack. Us new Indian students left with a lot of head scratching because of the strong singular rhetoric that permeated the gathering. It was that of Jewish population being persecuted everywhere (hinting that the same is true in India and in particular was true for the Rabbi) and the need to stand up, resist and confront that. Not a word about others who lost their lives in that terrorist incident.
It was a bit awkward. No ill feelings, just a bit of head-scratching "OK, if you say so" bizarre.