Bene Ephraim
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2013) |
Total population | |
---|---|
350 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Part of a series on |
Jews and Judaism |
---|
The Bene Ephraim (
History
The Bene Ephraim claim descent from the Tribe of Ephraim, and say that they traveled from Israel through western Asia: Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and into China for 1,600 years before arriving in southern India more than 1,000 years ago.
During the medieval period, they had worked as farm laborers and many adapted regional cultures. Although nominally practicing
Their leader, Shmuel Yacobi, went to Jerusalem in the 1980s and became convinced they were of Jewish descent.[3] Because of the long period in which the people were not practicing Judaism, they did not develop any distinctly identifiable Judæo-Telugu language as other groups did.
Since the 1980s, about fifty families in
Today, Hebrew is used as a living language rather than limited to the liturgy. The community has been visited over the years by rabbis from the chief rabbinate in Israel to study their Jewish tradition and practices. To be recognized as legitimate Jews, the Chief Rabbi has to recognize the community as being of Jewish descent. The rabbis have taught mainstream Judaism and made converts, and some women have intermarried with Jewish families. They have sought recognition from many rabbis around the world.[1] They always practiced their own oral traditions and customs (caviloth), such as: burying the dead; marrying under a chuppah; observing Shabbat and other Jewish festivals, and maintaining a beit din (ie, a Jewish rabbinical court).
According to the Washington Times in 2006
Many think the Bnei Ephraim Jews are trying to escape poverty and that they want to leave this region of Andhra Pradesh where six successive years of drought and crop failure have driven more than 3,000 peasants into debt and to suicide.[3]
Chandra Sekhar Angadi, a social scientist in neighboring Karnataka, said of the Telugu Jews:
They are among the poorest of Jews in the world. They are desperate for the recognition by Israel’s chief rabbinate simply to be guaranteed a passport from that country where they can lead a much better life—away from this life of poverty and hunger.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b Yacobi, Sadok. "Bene Ephraim of Andhra Pradesh, South India" Archived 2015-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, Kulanu
- ^ Egorova, Yulia. "The Children of Ephraim: being Jewish in Andhra Pradesh". Anthropology Today. 26. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Shaikh Azizur Rahman, "Another tribe seeks rabbinical recognition", Washington Times, 1 May 2006, accessed 16 May 2013
Further reading
- Tudor Parfitt (2002), "The Lemba: An African Judaising Tribe", in Judaising Movements: Studies in the Margins of Judaism, edited by Parfitt, Tudor and Trevisan-Semi, E., London: Routledge Curzon.
- Shmuel Yacobi, THE CULTURAL HERMENEUTICS, an introduction to the cultural translation of the Hebrew Bible among the ancient nations of the Thalmulic Telugu Empire of India.
- Shmuel Yacobi, Manamevaru, Ereb Rab Telugu people and their links with Israel.
- Chilaka Abraham, Ten Commandments Constitution - A Sociological study - A.N. University, Guntur.
- Ministry of Interior, Israel, Rabbi Marvin Tokayer U.S - Letters to Shmuel Yacobi, member of Bene Ephraim Community
External links
- Francisco, Jason L., "Meet the Telugu Jews of India", Kulanu website
- Sussman, Bonita & Gerald., "India Journal", 2007, Kulanu website
- Indian Jews, Kulanu Website index.