The Bene Israel of India and the politics of Jewish identity
This paper focuses on the Bene Israel community in Mumbai, a remnant of a once thriving Jewish population decimated in part because of emigration to Israel. I argue that the Bene Israel, who have been maligned because of their dark skin colour and borrowed customs, primarily from Hinduism, constitut...
| Published in: | Studies in religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2014]
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| In: |
Studies in religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
India
/ Beni Israel
/ Judaism
/ Interreligiosity
|
| RelBib Classification: | AX Inter-religious relations BH Judaism KBM Asia |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This paper focuses on the Bene Israel community in Mumbai, a remnant of a once thriving Jewish population decimated in part because of emigration to Israel. I argue that the Bene Israel, who have been maligned because of their dark skin colour and borrowed customs, primarily from Hinduism, constitute a way of being Jewish that consciously rejects authoritarian and rabbinic hegemony. They constitute a 'third,' hybrid kind of space signifying that the borders of Jewish identity are permeable and flexible. They are therefore a prime example of the possibilities within Judaism not limited to a prescribed, and circumscribed system of belief and practice but a living testament to cultural and religious multiplicity. |
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| ISSN: | 0008-4298 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0008429813513232 |