Recently, I was happy to receive a phone call from Isaac Ashkenazy (a Jewish ex-colleague from Calcutta), inviting me to attend an informal review and book-reading event by two female Indian Jewish authors, Sophie Judah and Esther David, at Sophie Judah’s home in Hod HaSharon.
How nice to have this unusual event floated down to me from out of the blue.
So, with a friend, I travelled there from Netanya to see what it was all about. We were not disappointed - our interest was piqued and our understanding of the small Indian community grew as the evening progressed.
Isaac, with his brother who was visiting from India, welcomed us warmly as did the ladies who were organizing the function. Sophie Judah is the author of the book Dropped from Heaven, which was published in 2007. Sophie immigrated to Israel in 1973, and she and her husband, Simon, have brought up five children in Hod Hasharon.
For all intents and purposes, the Judahs' are an Israeli family; they speak Hebrew (Avishai, one of their sons, is just completing his army duties), have an Indian accent and dress according to Indian tradition. At least they did on that evening. What a warm family indeed.
After greetings outside, we were shown into their modest home where a table was laden with fruit and Indian delicacies and chai tea. I was excited as this was my first encounter with India since my early days of heavy training in yoga techniques, asana and meditation back in Johannesburg before I arrived here 30 years ago.
Isaac opened the meeting of 30 of us assorted types, introduced the speakers and gave general information about our hosts and some background explanation about what circumstances brought him and these families from India.
He then introduced the chairman and the president of the Bnei Israel Indian community, Beni Walter and Enoch Joseph, respectively. Beni and the committee are in the throes of trying to reach the Bnei Israel residents in the country. It is not a wealthy community and is spread all over - Ashdod, Hadera, Or Akiva, Lod, Ramle, Rehovot and further away from the center of the country. Recognizing the need for a reorganization, Beni and Enoch have proceeded as well as they possibly could to raise funds and locate otherwise reticent immigrants. To this end, they believe that internal local groups would prove to be the answer, and they hope to encourage their formation. We learned of scholarships which are donated to promising students by overseas donors, but sadly, a "black and white” or “other” mentality still apparently exists in Israel, preventing immediate progress. Nevertheless, these organizers are determined to see it through the correct channels to reach the ultimate goals. Indeed, this is an uphill climb, even during this particular generation.
We were fortunate to have Ruth Greenfield, vice president of coordinating and fundraising at the Indian Jewish Heritage Center (IJHC), present a most informative short lecture on their nonprofit organization. The mission of this center is "the establishment of the Indian Jewish Heritage Center in Israel, where the rich heritage of all the Jewish communities in India will be collected, catalogued, professionally preserved, digitalized and exhibited to the general public, using modern interactive programs and displays. Future plans are to include the Karachi, Lahore and other pre-partition (Indo-Pakistan) communities, and also the Jewish community from Burma.
The IJHC has many ambitious projects. These include plans to develop and support research on collected material, prepare a travelling exhibition to publicize Indian Jewish Heritage in Israel and overseas, help create friends of the organization and keep the exhibitions exciting, with special projects and events. Please check their colorful and interesting website - www.indianjews.org
Ruth Greenfield is a lively and most enthusiastic young lady, anxious to increase awareness of the Indian Jewish heritage in Israel. I gave her all the general information on ESRA that I could, as our organization was all new to her.
Both authors are educated women. Sophie immigrated on her own in 1972 and mentioned how important it was that both India and Israel received their independence at the same time. Sophie has a degree from India in chemistry and biology, and in her late 40s completed her bachelor's and master’s degrees in literature at Bar Ilan University where she participated in a creative writing course. She has two new novels and a collection of short stories pending publication.
Even though Sophie lives in Israel, author Esther David does not.She was born in 1945 into a Bnei Israel Jewish family in the city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat. Her mother, Sarah, was a school teacher, whereas her father, Reuben David, was a hunter turned veterinarian who nurtured and studied animal life at the Kamala Nehru Zoological Garden in the city. Her father was a remarkable man who would actually talk to nature. She has a great respect for his memory.
Esther became a student in fine arts and art history, where she met Sankho Chaudhary, a renowned sculptor. She was a professor of art history and became the art critic for the Times of India and a columnist in Femina magazine and other dailies. Her first book, The Walled City, was published in 1997, followed by the Book of Esther, My Father’s Zoo (directed to teenagers) and Shalom India Housing Society, released in 2007. Esther is a single mother, the grandmother of two and a full-time writer who lives in Ahmedabad, India.
Currently, Esther is visiting Israel by invitation, to speak at the Literature Festival, 'Words on Water', commemorating 20 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel. Her book, The Man with Enormous Wings, about the late Mahatma Gandhi, made its debut in Israel and is dedicated to his memory. Esther reveres Gandhi and is heartbroken that his memory is being erased from Indian history. As she told us, she is no politician, just someone who wants and believes in peace.
Esther is an artist too, and on this visit she mentioned meeting Alona Frankel, the Israeli author, with whom she struck up an immediate rapport.
Esther feels alien to the Jewish religion, living in Ahmedabad where she is surrounded by Indian traditions and symbols. She accepts it although she does not attend the synagogue or show an interest in Jewish affairs. She laughed when she said that her greatest understanding of Israel comes from the many young people who have visited India as their 'journey' place in their search for peace and quiet and with their deep need to connect to the Eastern way of life there. It was her grandmother’s insistence on following Jewish tradition, she says, which led Esther to understand something of her birthright.
Both women read excerpts from their books - Sophie, matter-of-fact and down-to- earth, and Esther, having written from the heart. Esther’s books have been translated into French, and one is presently being made into a film in Israel and will be screened in the near future. The film will be in Hebrew, dubbed in English and Marathi.
I left the gathering with an understanding of the urgent need of this community to be heard in Israel, and I wish them all the best on their way.
We are indeed a land of wonderful people, blessed with the mosaic of so many different members, cultures and languages. How special it was to break the barriers, smile, and be entertained by our very own brothers and sisters at this house not far from our own.
All in all, we left the event thoroughly happy to have attended it.
Sophie can be reached at sophiejudah@yahoo.co.uk , and Esther’s website is www.estherdavid.com
All are invited to their next Chai & Chat event. Details will appear in their website