Jews and Judaism in Pakistan - Additional Information

Additional Information

Historic records show that the Jewish community in British India were 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 Israel and thus assist in redemption of our people. (p. 150)

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. (p. 194)

(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, highlighted the absence of the rule of law as the reason for the Jewish Community of Karachi's exodus to Bombay, India as refugees in his book My world as a Jew (p. 20–21) in following words,

A dozen years of independence had failed to instill more than lip service to the ideals of democracy. Corruption was still rife.... Grim poverty was widespread and visible in the shantytowns and hovels occupied by the indigenous population and by hordes of Muslim refugees from India. Pakistan's refugee problem was then certainly the largest in the world, as a result of the 1947 partition, which had taken place against a welter of indiscriminate butchery.... American support for Israel also aroused indignation in this overwhelmingly Muslim country.

From Burma, we flew on to Karachi (in 1959).... We received a warm welcome from the 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 were 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 regarding the concerns for the future of Jews in Pakistan,

Their cantor led 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—despite the unfriendly Muslim environment." However, as cited by Mr. Goldstein: "the leaders of the Bene Israel community had no confidence in the future. They could not forget how, following the proclamation of Israel's establishment in 1948, local agitators had led a riotious mob into the synagogue, where the Holy Ark and Torah scrolls were desecrated and acts of vandalism took place."

Many Jewish refugees promptly left for India, whence they proceeded to Israel and other countries. Numerous news accounts also cite violent acts of antisemitism committed by Muslims against Jews in Karachi and other cities in Pakistan during the partition period.

The Jewish community of Karachi were definitely forced to leave Karachi as refugees because of increasing antisemitism especially by Muslim religious leaders across Pakistan and muhajirs arriving from India. To help and care for the Olim (Migrant to Israel), the Jewish agency maintained offices in Bombay, India where such Jewish refugees first arrived from Karachi.

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 U.S. In 2004 she donated synagogue registers covering the period 1961–1976 to the Ben-Zvi Institute Library in Jerusalem. Two silver Kiddush cups from Magain Shalome were donated to the Museum of the International Synagogue at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York in honour of the memory of the late president.