glimpses lost jewish communities india myanmar

But they also found genetic components that are not present in other Indian groups – components which connect them to the Jewish people. The study, published March 24 th in PLOS ONE, concluded that the Bnei Israel did share much of their DNA with other Indians. It is possible that the community had been there for much longer Maimonides, a preeminent medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher, briefly mentioned a Jewish community living in India in a letter he wrote in the 13 th century. What is known is that at least as far back as the 18 th century, Bnei Israel members lived in villages along the Konkan coast and were called Shanivar Teli, Marathi for ‘Saturday oil pressers’, since they worked as oil pressers but did not work on Saturdays. There is no independent support or substantiating evidence for any of these claims. One theory holds they left northern Israel 2,000 years ago, another that they came from Southern Arabia or Persia, 500 years earlier, and yet another that they arrived from Yemen in the 8 th century BCE. Theories about the origins of the Bnei Israel vary greatly. The Cochin Jews have a history that is separate from the Bne Israel, as do the Bnei Menashe, who arrived at a different region in India via China. There are among the diverse population of India, several distinct groups of Jews. The history of the Bnei Israel is shrouded in mystery.

Glimpses lost jewish communities india myanmar