CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The Bene Israel community has lived in India for the past 2, 000 years, but unlike the Parsis, the country’s Jews are hard to spot. This has to do in part with the fact that Parsi food, customs, and endearing characters have made them a part of Mumbai’s charm.

Detailed explanation-2: -According to the Bene Israel tradition, they arrived in India sometime in the first or second century when their ancestors were shipwrecked in western India while on a trading voyage to the far east.

Detailed explanation-3: -The people of modern-day Israel share the same language and culture shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations starting with the founding father Abraham (ca. 1800 BCE). Thus, Jews have had a continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3, 300 years.

Detailed explanation-4: -Origin story The Marathi-speaking Bene Israelis lived in the villages and towns of the Konkan coast for hundreds of years. Their lore traces their history to seven couples being ship-wrecked off the Konkan coast at Navgaon some 2, 200 years ago, when Jews faced persecution by the Seleucids in Palestine.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Banu Israil or Bani israili are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Their name means “Children of Israel", and the community claims descent from the Jewish community of Madinah. They belong to the Shaikh caste, and typically carry the surname Israily.