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...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage
[2014]
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In: |
Studies in religion
Year: 2014, Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 102-115 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
India
/ Beni Israel
/ Judaism
/ Interreligiosity
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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 |