This week’s podcast is about Lost Cultures: Living LegaciesWe explore the rich and varied history of Kolkata’s Baghdadi Jewish Community. Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure associate editorial director and host, is joined by members of the Baghdadi Jewish community, who are helping to carry the story and culture of their people into the future.
Kolkata, or Calcutta as it was formerly called, is a richly historical city. You can stroll through colonial-era palaces, street markets and narrow lanes to experience the history of this city. Baghdadi Jewish Diaspora is one of many communities who helped shape the city’s identity. This small but influential group arrived from the Middle East towards the end 18th century attracted by the promise to be accepted.
In the episode, Jael Silliman says, “We were not tolerated in India. We were not accepted in India. But we were embraced in India.” Jael is a writer and educator who has lived in Calcutta her entire life. Her family originally came from Aleppo, Iraq. “Jews rose at every level of the society. They could achieve anything they set out to do.
Jewish traders travelled east from the Middle East following commercial routes towards Calcutta. Calcutta was emerging as a center for British colonial trading, but as Sillman states, “India is a place that Jews have always come.” We have been here from King Solomon and the Bible’s times. They brought Arabic foods and dialects, as well as Hebrew prayers, with them. Rahel Muhleah, journalist and tour guide, relates the story of how Baghdadi Jews began to migrate to Calcutta due to the opportunities for trade. “And there was no antisemitism in India. This is a big deal.”
Some of the synagogues that still exist today are built by these pioneers. grand Magen David SynagogueThe stunning building has Italian marble floors and stained glass. It is also known as the steeple by locals. lal girjaThe “red church” is also known as the “Red Church”.
By the beginning of the 20th century the Baghdadi Jewish Population had reached its peak at around 5,000. Even with a strong diaspora, a lot of the legacy is hidden. There are still pieces of culture to be found in places such as Nahoum & Sons bakeryThe Baghdadi Jewish Family founded. They sell Christmas Cakes to Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Silliman says that only in Calcutta do you find Muslims baking Christmas Cakes while Hindus are lining up for them.
This deep interfaith relationship was not accidental. “We have always had Muslim chefs in our homes because we knew there would be no ham, bacon or pork,” says Silliman. “The caretakers at our synagogue are still Muslim.”
In the 1960s however, due to global migration and shifting economic conditions, many Jewish families left Calcutta in favor of London, New York or Israel. Fewer than 30 Jews remain today. But efforts are being made to preserve this legacy, such as Silliman’s extensive digital archives and Musleah’s heritage tours conducted by her organization. Explore Jewish India. Musleah explains, “We continue our traditions everywhere we go.” “We have a responsibility to continue our traditions, no matter where we are.”
Its legacy is still huge. This week, learn more about the Baghdadi Jews of Kolkata in this episode of The Lost Cultures of Living Legacies Unravel it all. Now you can download it. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Player FMYou can also listen to the podcasts wherever you like.
