Baghdadi Jews

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Baghdadi Jews
Total population
4,000 (est.)
Regions with significant populations
India 250 (chiefly Mumbai, Gujarat and Calcutta) Europe, Australia, Canada, Israel and the USA.
Languages
Traditionally, Arabic, Turkish and Persian, now mostly English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali.
Religions
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Bene Israel, Arabs, Cochin Jews

The Baghdadi Jews are one of the main Jewish communities of India.

The "Baghdadi" Jewish community of India is so-called because its members were chiefly descended from Iraqi Jewish immigrants to India who moved to that country during the British Raj, the name of the community derives from Baghdad, although they don't have origins exclusively in Baghdad, but from other areas of Iraq as well, in addition to other Middle-Eastern countries of the Ottoman Empire. The community's members also include Jews of Syrian, Yemenite , Persian and Turkish origin. The community developed as a result of Jews fleeing religious persecution in Muslim lands to the northwest of India during the British imperial era. Unlike other Jewish communities in India whose oral tradition attest to a presence in India going back as long as 2000 years, the Baghdadi communities were established relatively recently (in the past few centuries). While the Baghdadi Jews are known primarily from their presence in India, they also established themselves in trading ports further east, notably in Yangon (Rangoon), Singapore, Penang, and Shanghai, as well as the west. The Baghdadis have completely assimilated into Indian society. A contributing factor for their assimilation was their physical features and resemblance to the East Indians. The Baghdadis originally came to India from Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan, so they had dark olive skin and black, dark brown hair, that gave them that distinct Middle Eastern appearance and an Indian resemblance. Baghdadi cuisine is an Indian hybrid cuisine, with many Arab, Turkish, Persian and Indian influences. Famous Baghdadi dishes include Beef curry, Baghdadi Biryani and Baghdadi Jewish parathas. A Baghdadi version of Tandoori chicken is also popular (using lemon juice to cook the chicken instead of cream used in the usual Indian recipe). Clothing in the Baghdadi community is usually Western clothing for men and the Indian sari for Baghdadi women.