History of the Jews in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Jews are a small religious group in Pakistan
. Various estimates suggest that there were about 1,000 Jews living in Karachi
at the beginning of the twentieth century. A smaller community of Jews also lived in Peshawar
. Many of these are Baghdadi Jews
, Bukharian Jews, Mizrahi Jews
mainly from Central Asia, neighbouring Iran
and Afghanistan
. The Bene Israel
Jews from India
were concentrated in Karachi.
province. By 1919, this figure had risen to about 650. By 1947 there were about 1,500 Jews living in Sindh with the majority residing in Karachi
. Most of these Jews were Bene Israel and they lived as tradesman
, artisans, poets, philosophers and civil servants. Some Baghdadi Jews
, Sephardi Jews
, Mizrahi Jews
and Bukharan Jews could also be found.
Built in 1893, by Shalome Solomon Umerdekar and his son Gershone Solomon. Other accounts suggest that it was built by Solomon David, a surveyor for the Karachi Municipal Committee and his wife Sheeoolabai, although these may be different names for the same people. The synagogue soon became the center of a small but vibrant Jewish community. A member of this Synagogue, Abraham Reuben, became a councilor in the Karachi City Corporation in 1936.
Founded in 1903 and whose aim was to encourage sports as well as religious and social activities of the Bene Israel in Karachi.
Established to support poor Jews in Karachi.
Formed in 1918 and whose aim was to provide homes to poor Jews at reasonable rents.
(also found in neighboring Afghanistan
) formed a small community in the northern city of Peshawar
in the North-West Frontier Province
.
Peshawar
was served by two synagogues.A complete list of now Pakistani
tribes in FATA
AND Balochistan
who are now Muslim
have biblical names of them and they can be viewed in the narration of Torah
.
Jewish rites. The first real exodus of Jewish refugees from Pakistan to Bombay and other cities in India came just prior to the creation of Israel
in 1948 when many Muslims, including mohajirs, committed violent and other anti-Semitic acts against the Bene Israel Jews of Karachi and other Jews in Pakistan. By 1953, less than 500 Jews were reported to be in all of Pakistan.
Anti-Jewish sentiment and violence often flared during ensuing conflicts in the Middle East, resulting in a further movement of Jewish refugees out of Pakistan.
, Israel
, Mumbai
, India
and Toronto
, Canada
and built a synagogue they named Magen Shalome after the Pakistani Synagogue in Ramla. Developments in the Middle East peace process such as the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza strip
led to the first high level meeting between Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers. The foreign ministers of both countries met publicly for the first time in Istanbul, a diplomatic breakthrough brokered by Turkey.
Rachel Joseph, the last Bene Israel Jew of Pakistan, left Karachi for Israel. There are no Bene Israel Jews remaining in Pakistan.
The term "Yehudi" and its variants remains a word of derision when directed at a Bene Israel.
“When my father got married in 1957 in Karachi, there were 600 Jewish families living in Karachi. There were 10 – 13 families left by 1972. Actually in 1970 the Jews of Pakistan were offered to leave to America and that’s the main reason that time many of the community left”.
Historic records are showing that Jewish community in Karachi has been enthusiastic supporters of Israel and Zionism that, in its broadest sense, calls for the self-determination of the Jewish people and a sovereign, Jewish national homeland.
One of the leaders of the Jewish community,
“Abraham Reuben, who was elected the first Jewish councillor on the city corporation in 1919, wrote to acting Belgian Consul in Bombay and Head of Zionists in Bombay (Mr. Israel Cohen, the secretary of the World Zionist Organization in 1921,described him as unofficial head of Zionists in Bombay). Mr. Abraham Reuben expressed, on behalf of Bene Israel community of 650 people living in Karachi, entire sympathy with Zionist movement. The community would decide on forming a branch association of Universal Zionist Organization when it had more information, and he therefore requested more details about the movement, suggesting that he might also meet Zionist representatives when he was in London the following May”.
Reuben wrote at his letter head, president of the All India Israelite League. Later, Karachi Community of Jews appointed Reuben to proceed to the Holy Land to report on the practical possibilities of Zionism.
“In August 1920, David I. Rogow of New York gave a lecture on Zionism to about one hundred Bene Israel in Bombay, exhorting his audience to form themselves into a Zionist Organization as a practical way to help the movement, which American Jews, he stated, were supporting. This call seemed to be the push they (Indian Jews) needed: less than a month later, Zionist sympathisers held another meeting, resolved unanimously a Bene Israel Zionist association, and appointed a committee to draft a constitution, with Dr. E Moses as president and Jacob Apteker as treasurer. D. M. Samuel, the secretary immediately wrote to the Zionist organization in London requesting a copy of its constitution, a statement of its aims and objectives, and advice on how the Bene Israel branch could affiliate to it. Pleased that the “present great moment in Jewish history was appreciated in Bombay,” the head office expressed the hope that the Indian Jews would “do their utmost in collecting a large fund towards the rebuilding of Palestine and thus assist in redemption of our people. (P150)
“In May 1936 Abraham Reuben, vice president of the Karachi Jewish community, has inquired whether Bene Israel were permitted to settle in Eretz Israel……. Joseph Sargon reassured him that there were no restrictions on Bene Israel immigration” (P194).
(The Jewish communities of India: identity in a colonial era By Dr. Joan G. Roland. She is a chair and professor of history at Pace University in New York City. She received her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern History from Columbia University. )
Israel Goldstein a rabbi, author, Zionist leader and one of the founders of Brandeis University, narrated the enthusiasm of Jewish Community of Karachi towards relocation to Israel in his book “My world as a Jew”(P 20-21) in following words,
“From Burma, we flew on to Karachi (in 1959)…… We received a warm welcome from tiny local Jewish community. On the evening after our arrival in Karachi, some 250 of the 400 souls whom it comprised, including young people and school children, assembled in Magain Shalome Synagogue, which had been erected in 1893. The meeting was followed by a reception in an adjoining hall, where the president of the congregation extended greetings. We were happy to learn that many of the young people of going to Israel, by way of India, in order to train in hakhsharot for agricultural settlement there. A remarkable high spirit was maintained by the community, which had a great asset in the Israeli shaliah, who taught Hebrew to adults and children alike”.
He continued his narration about the religious freedom of Jews,
“Their cantor lead the singing of Israeli songs, and the evening concluded with Hatikvah. I was impressed by the fact that Hatikvah, the Zionist and Israeli national anthem was sung with the windows the hall wide open”.
Above evidences are enough to understand the fact that Jewish community of Karachi was not forced to leave Karachi because of increasing anti-semitism but it was their own enthusiasm and interest to migrate to Israel. Mr. Israel Goldstein, described the fact that many Jews promptly left for India, whence they proceeded to Israel. For most Jews of Pakistan, this was the standard Aliyah (the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel) route. To help and care for the Olim (Migrant to Israel), the Jewish agency maintained offices in Bombay, India where such immigrants first arrived from Karachi.
As Pakistani society have its historic roots and influences of Hindu extremism towards rival ethnic, religious and linguistic groups everywhere. Islamic Religious groups, ethnic and social groups remain violent to each other and to other religions but rarely. There is no reported riots between Hindu – Muslim or Jews – Muslim or any Muslim group killing any Christian, Hindu or Jews. There are some incidents when Christian – Muslim conflicts emerged but there are mysteries around such incidents, mainly due to the involvement of “foreign Hands”.
After the Israel’s emergence in 1948 and Arab – Israel war lead the Islamic groups of Pakistan agitate resulting “
“local agitators led a riotous mob into the Synagogue (Magain Shalome), where the Holy Ark and the Torah scrolls were desecrated” [My World as a Jew (Page 21)]
But it is unfair calling this act the bases of Jewish community’s relocation to Israel. Also the Holy Ark and Torah Scrolls were not desecrated as reported by The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora, (Ed. Avrum Ehrlich), (ABC -CLIO, Santa Barbara, 2008),
1989, the original Ark and podium were stored by a non-Jew in Karachi; a Torah scroll case was taken by an American Jewess to the US. In 2004 she donated synagogue registers covering the period 1961-1976 to the Ben-Zvi Institute Library in Jerusalem |url=http://haroonhaider.com/2010/09/13/pakistani-jews-they-didnt-migrated-because-of-anti-semitism/
. It is looked after a man named Muhamamd Ibrahim who is 63 years old. He was born inside in a room in that graveyard.Mehrunissa is a lady that lives on the place of this graveyard. They both say that they are facing problems in looking after it and land mafia is trying to take it from them.
, Anti-Zionism
and Anti-Judaism
are common in Pakistan
. They have increased after the creation of State of Israel and Arab Israeli Wars. Anti-Semitism
and Anti-Judaism
are common among Pakistani Muslims but Anti-Zionism
has only been seen after the creation of the State of Israel. Jewish residents of Karachi
were attacked by Muhajir people
at the creation of the State of Israel. David Ben Gurion's statement in The Jewish Chronicle
about Pakistan
increased the hostility for the Pakistanis.
says they were prominent members of community at Karachi
. One Jew used to be pilot at Karachi Port Trust
. There was a also a synagogue in Manora
Arif Hassan says there were Jewish cabaret artists and film actresses in the city, along with bureaucrats. Most bureaucrats left in the 1940s, the cabaret artists in the 70s. The Roma Shabana nightclub that once stood on Frere road also boasted two Jewish cabaret dancers, who later faded into obscurity. Ardeshir Cowasjee
also agrees that some Jews
still remain in Karachi. The remaining Jews
hide their real identity and show Muslims as they are Christians or Parsis and wear shalwar kameez
.
politicians and Pakistani Jews in Israel
spoke for the Pakistani recognition of Israel and peaceful relations between two countries. Some Pakistani leaders like Pervez Musharraf
and human rights activists like Asma Jehangir also spoke on this issue.
, published in Pakistan
's newspaper The Daily Times. 1
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Various estimates suggest that there were about 1,000 Jews living in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
at the beginning of the twentieth century. A smaller community of Jews also lived in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. Many of these are Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
, Bukharian Jews, Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...
mainly from Central Asia, neighbouring Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The Bene Israel
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's...
Jews from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
were concentrated in Karachi.
1881-1947
According to the 1881 census, there were 153 Jews in SindhSindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
province. By 1919, this figure had risen to about 650. By 1947 there were about 1,500 Jews living in Sindh with the majority residing in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. Most of these Jews were Bene Israel and they lived as tradesman
Tradesman
This article is about the skilled manual worker meaning of the term; for other uses see Tradesperson .A tradesman is a skilled manual worker in a particular trade or craft. Economically and socially, a tradesman's status is considered between a laborer and a professional, with a high degree of both...
, artisans, poets, philosophers and civil servants. Some Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
, Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
, Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...
and Bukharan Jews could also be found.
Karachi
A variety of associations existed to serve the Jewish community in Pakistan such as:- Magain Shalome SynagogueMagain Shalome SynagogueThe Magain Shalome Synagogue was the cornerstone of a former Jewish community in Karachi, Pakistan. The Synagogue was built by Soloman David Umerdekar in 1893. The synagogue was extended in 1912 by Umerdekar’s two sons, Gershon Solomon Umerdekar and Rahamim Solomon Umerdekar...
Built in 1893, by Shalome Solomon Umerdekar and his son Gershone Solomon. Other accounts suggest that it was built by Solomon David, a surveyor for the Karachi Municipal Committee and his wife Sheeoolabai, although these may be different names for the same people. The synagogue soon became the center of a small but vibrant Jewish community. A member of this Synagogue, Abraham Reuben, became a councilor in the Karachi City Corporation in 1936.
- Young Man's Jewish Association
Founded in 1903 and whose aim was to encourage sports as well as religious and social activities of the Bene Israel in Karachi.
- Karachi Bene Israel Relief Fund
Established to support poor Jews in Karachi.
- Karachi Jewish Syndicate
Formed in 1918 and whose aim was to provide homes to poor Jews at reasonable rents.
Peshawar
Bukharan JewsBukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
(also found in neighboring Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
) formed a small community in the northern city of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
.
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
was served by two synagogues.A complete list of now Pakistani
Pakistani
Pakistani may refer to:Person associated with Pakistan* Demographics of Pakistan* List of PakistanisPakistani as a language:* Urdu, national language of Pakistan* Languages of PakistanOther:* Pakistani cuisine- See also :...
tribes in FATA
Fata
The FATA or FC-ATA is a type of computer hard disk drive. FATA is simply the low cost ATA or SATA disk drive equipped with a small external converter, that changes the interface to Fibre Channel...
AND Balochistan
Balochistan
Balochistan or Baluchistan is a region which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It can also refer to one of several modern and historical territories within that region:...
who are now Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
have biblical names of them and they can be viewed in the narration of Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
.
1947-1968
At the time of independence, some 1300 Jews remained in Karachi, most of them Bene Israel Jews observing SephardicSephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Jewish rites. The first real exodus of Jewish refugees from Pakistan to Bombay and other cities in India came just prior to the creation of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1948 when many Muslims, including mohajirs, committed violent and other anti-Semitic acts against the Bene Israel Jews of Karachi and other Jews in Pakistan. By 1953, less than 500 Jews were reported to be in all of Pakistan.
Anti-Jewish sentiment and violence often flared during ensuing conflicts in the Middle East, resulting in a further movement of Jewish refugees out of Pakistan.
1969-1999
Magen Shalome, the Bene Israel's only synagogue, was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a shopping plaza by order of General Zia-ul-Haq shortly after the Bene Israel community in Israel petitioned for its maintenance and use as a historical or other community center.2000 – present
Most of the Karachi Jews now live in RamlaRamla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and built a synagogue they named Magen Shalome after the Pakistani Synagogue in Ramla. Developments in the Middle East peace process such as the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza strip
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
led to the first high level meeting between Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers. The foreign ministers of both countries met publicly for the first time in Istanbul, a diplomatic breakthrough brokered by Turkey.
Rachel Joseph, the last Bene Israel Jew of Pakistan, left Karachi for Israel. There are no Bene Israel Jews remaining in Pakistan.
The term "Yehudi" and its variants remains a word of derision when directed at a Bene Israel.
Actual Reason for Jewish Migration
Today, it is being recorded that the Jews of Karachi, left to Israel due to anti-Semitism but the actual picture has much different shape. A member of Jewish Family who migrated to Israel in late 80s, Mr. Emanuel Matat said,“When my father got married in 1957 in Karachi, there were 600 Jewish families living in Karachi. There were 10 – 13 families left by 1972. Actually in 1970 the Jews of Pakistan were offered to leave to America and that’s the main reason that time many of the community left”.
Historic records are showing that Jewish community in Karachi has been enthusiastic supporters of Israel and Zionism that, in its broadest sense, calls for the self-determination of the Jewish people and a sovereign, Jewish national homeland.
One of the leaders of the Jewish community,
“Abraham Reuben, who was elected the first Jewish councillor on the city corporation in 1919, wrote to acting Belgian Consul in Bombay and Head of Zionists in Bombay (Mr. Israel Cohen, the secretary of the World Zionist Organization in 1921,described him as unofficial head of Zionists in Bombay). Mr. Abraham Reuben expressed, on behalf of Bene Israel community of 650 people living in Karachi, entire sympathy with Zionist movement. The community would decide on forming a branch association of Universal Zionist Organization when it had more information, and he therefore requested more details about the movement, suggesting that he might also meet Zionist representatives when he was in London the following May”.
Reuben wrote at his letter head, president of the All India Israelite League. Later, Karachi Community of Jews appointed Reuben to proceed to the Holy Land to report on the practical possibilities of Zionism.
“In August 1920, David I. Rogow of New York gave a lecture on Zionism to about one hundred Bene Israel in Bombay, exhorting his audience to form themselves into a Zionist Organization as a practical way to help the movement, which American Jews, he stated, were supporting. This call seemed to be the push they (Indian Jews) needed: less than a month later, Zionist sympathisers held another meeting, resolved unanimously a Bene Israel Zionist association, and appointed a committee to draft a constitution, with Dr. E Moses as president and Jacob Apteker as treasurer. D. M. Samuel, the secretary immediately wrote to the Zionist organization in London requesting a copy of its constitution, a statement of its aims and objectives, and advice on how the Bene Israel branch could affiliate to it. Pleased that the “present great moment in Jewish history was appreciated in Bombay,” the head office expressed the hope that the Indian Jews would “do their utmost in collecting a large fund towards the rebuilding of Palestine and thus assist in redemption of our people. (P150)
“In May 1936 Abraham Reuben, vice president of the Karachi Jewish community, has inquired whether Bene Israel were permitted to settle in Eretz Israel……. Joseph Sargon reassured him that there were no restrictions on Bene Israel immigration” (P194).
(The Jewish communities of India: identity in a colonial era By Dr. Joan G. Roland. She is a chair and professor of history at Pace University in New York City. She received her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern History from Columbia University. )
Israel Goldstein a rabbi, author, Zionist leader and one of the founders of Brandeis University, narrated the enthusiasm of Jewish Community of Karachi towards relocation to Israel in his book “My world as a Jew”(P 20-21) in following words,
“From Burma, we flew on to Karachi (in 1959)…… We received a warm welcome from tiny local Jewish community. On the evening after our arrival in Karachi, some 250 of the 400 souls whom it comprised, including young people and school children, assembled in Magain Shalome Synagogue, which had been erected in 1893. The meeting was followed by a reception in an adjoining hall, where the president of the congregation extended greetings. We were happy to learn that many of the young people of going to Israel, by way of India, in order to train in hakhsharot for agricultural settlement there. A remarkable high spirit was maintained by the community, which had a great asset in the Israeli shaliah, who taught Hebrew to adults and children alike”.
He continued his narration about the religious freedom of Jews,
“Their cantor lead the singing of Israeli songs, and the evening concluded with Hatikvah. I was impressed by the fact that Hatikvah, the Zionist and Israeli national anthem was sung with the windows the hall wide open”.
Above evidences are enough to understand the fact that Jewish community of Karachi was not forced to leave Karachi because of increasing anti-semitism but it was their own enthusiasm and interest to migrate to Israel. Mr. Israel Goldstein, described the fact that many Jews promptly left for India, whence they proceeded to Israel. For most Jews of Pakistan, this was the standard Aliyah (the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel) route. To help and care for the Olim (Migrant to Israel), the Jewish agency maintained offices in Bombay, India where such immigrants first arrived from Karachi.
As Pakistani society have its historic roots and influences of Hindu extremism towards rival ethnic, religious and linguistic groups everywhere. Islamic Religious groups, ethnic and social groups remain violent to each other and to other religions but rarely. There is no reported riots between Hindu – Muslim or Jews – Muslim or any Muslim group killing any Christian, Hindu or Jews. There are some incidents when Christian – Muslim conflicts emerged but there are mysteries around such incidents, mainly due to the involvement of “foreign Hands”.
After the Israel’s emergence in 1948 and Arab – Israel war lead the Islamic groups of Pakistan agitate resulting “
“local agitators led a riotous mob into the Synagogue (Magain Shalome), where the Holy Ark and the Torah scrolls were desecrated” [My World as a Jew (Page 21)]
But it is unfair calling this act the bases of Jewish community’s relocation to Israel. Also the Holy Ark and Torah Scrolls were not desecrated as reported by The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora, (Ed. Avrum Ehrlich), (ABC -CLIO, Santa Barbara, 2008),
1989, the original Ark and podium were stored by a non-Jew in Karachi; a Torah scroll case was taken by an American Jewess to the US. In 2004 she donated synagogue registers covering the period 1961-1976 to the Ben-Zvi Institute Library in Jerusalem |url=http://haroonhaider.com/2010/09/13/pakistani-jews-they-didnt-migrated-because-of-anti-semitism/
Jewish Graveyard in Karachi
A Jewish graveyard still remains in Karachi, Pakistan which is a reminder of them.It is located in Mewa Shah in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. It is looked after a man named Muhamamd Ibrahim who is 63 years old. He was born inside in a room in that graveyard.Mehrunissa is a lady that lives on the place of this graveyard. They both say that they are facing problems in looking after it and land mafia is trying to take it from them.
Issues of Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism and Anti-Judaism
Anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
and Anti-Judaism
Anti-Judaism
Religious antisemitism is a form of antisemitism, which is the prejudice against, or hostility toward, the Jewish people based on hostility to Judaism and to Jews as a religious group...
are common in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. They have increased after the creation of State of Israel and Arab Israeli Wars. Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
and Anti-Judaism
Anti-Judaism
Religious antisemitism is a form of antisemitism, which is the prejudice against, or hostility toward, the Jewish people based on hostility to Judaism and to Jews as a religious group...
are common among Pakistani Muslims but Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
has only been seen after the creation of the State of Israel. Jewish residents of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
were attacked by Muhajir people
Muhajir people
Muhajir [literally – migrants] is a term commonly used especially by Pakistanis to describe the Muslim immigrants who chose to settle in Pakistan and shifted their domicile after partition of British India into Pakistan and India. Some had participated in the movement for creation of Pakistan in...
at the creation of the State of Israel. David Ben Gurion's statement in The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle is a London-based Jewish newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world.-Publication data and readership figures:...
about Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
increased the hostility for the Pakistanis.
Jewish Lifestyle
Byram Dinshawji AvariByram Dinshawji Avari
Byram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani businessman and twice Asian Games gold medalist. He is based in Karachi, Sindh.-Family:Avari is married to Gosphi and has two sons including, Xerxes.-Business Concerns:...
says they were prominent members of community at Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. One Jew used to be pilot at Karachi Port Trust
Karachi Port Trust
Karachi Port Trust is a Pakistani federal government agency that oversees the operations of the Port of Karachi in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.-History:...
. There was a also a synagogue in Manora
Manora
Manora may refer to:* Manora, Karachi, a peninsula near Karachi, Pakistan* Manora Fort, Thanjavur, India* Manora, Washim, a taulka in Washim district of Maharashtra, India...
Arif Hassan says there were Jewish cabaret artists and film actresses in the city, along with bureaucrats. Most bureaucrats left in the 1940s, the cabaret artists in the 70s. The Roma Shabana nightclub that once stood on Frere road also boasted two Jewish cabaret dancers, who later faded into obscurity. Ardeshir Cowasjee
Ardeshir Cowasjee
Ardeshir Cowasjee is a renowned newspaper columnist from Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan. His columns regularly appear in the country's oldest English newspaper Dawn. Recently a new blog has been started with the view of accumulating the bulk of ardeshir's articles...
also agrees that some Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
still remain in Karachi. The remaining Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
hide their real identity and show Muslims as they are Christians or Parsis and wear shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez — or salwar kameez or shalwar qameez — is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic...
.
Recognition of Israel and Peace Process
IsraeliIsraeli
Israeli may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Israel* Israelis, people from Israel, or of Israeli descent. For more information about the Israeli people, see:**Demographics of Israel**Culture of Israel**Israelites...
politicians and Pakistani Jews in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
spoke for the Pakistani recognition of Israel and peaceful relations between two countries. Some Pakistani leaders like Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
and human rights activists like Asma Jehangir also spoke on this issue.
Notable Jews
Some of notable Pakistani Jews are:- David Solmon-member of Karachi Municipal Corporation who built synagogue in Karachi
- Abraham Reuben, Councillor of Karachi 1919
Sources
Above material is based on an article of Prof. Adil Najam of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, published in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's newspaper The Daily Times. 1
Related links
- Bene Israel graveyard: buried in time or conscience?
- http://tribune.com.pk/story/113103/in-search-of-the-jews-of-karachi/
See also
- Religion in PakistanReligion in PakistanThe state religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practised by about 95-98% of the 187,343,000 people of the nation. The remaining 2-5% practice Christianity, Hinduism and other religions. Muslims are divided into two major sects: the majority of them practice Sunni Islam, while the Shias are a...