Experiencing A Multicultural Hanukkah in India

Every culture has its own way of approaching the same religion. Although the pandemic caused most of us to celebrate Hanukkah unlike ever before, this year was particularly unique because it was the first time I celebrated Hanukkah in New Delhi. It was a beautiful fusion of Indian culture and traditional Hanukkah — latkes with Indian spices such as turmeric and chat masala were just the tip of the iceberg.

My family isn’t very religious, rather spiritual. I, on the other hand, have lately become religious out of my own instinct especially after visiting Israel. I was born in Kenya and spent my early years in  India before moving to Los Angeles. I had a multicultural upbringing, as we celebrated all the religious festivals in India, such as Diwali, Purim, Christmas and Eid. That’s one beauty of India —you can practice any religion and yet be welcome. I have never seen any anti-Semitism here. After all, India is the second most popular spot (after Bali, of course) for Israeli Defense Force soldiers to vacation after they finish serving.

Despite the popularity of India as a destination, few people around the world — including Indians — know that there are, in fact, Jewish Indians. According to the book “Jews of India” by Benjamin J Israel, “when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the Jews residing in Judea and Galilee were dispersed from 1000 B.C.E to 70 C.E. During the diaspora, some came to India and settled around several parts in small communities.”

The most common group of Jewish Indians are the Bene Israelis, who speak Marathi (an Indian language in the state of Maharashtra) and live for the most part in Maharashtra and New Delhi. The Cochini Jews, who reside in Cochin (south of India) speak English and South Indian languages and carry traditions far different from the Bene Israelis. The third group consists of Jews from West Asia — Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Basra. They are collectively known as Baghdadis. They spoke Persian and Arabic and transitioned over time to Hindi and English. These groups became Indianized in varying degrees, the Bene Israelis being the most Indian in their mannerisms, dress and food.

By the time I celebrated Hanukkah in New Delhi, however, there were very few Jewish Indians left in the city. Most Bene Israelis live in Mumbai, and the three groups have slowly been making Aliyah. Although there are many synagogues in Mumbai and Calcutta, there is only one synagogue in New Delhi called Judah Hyam Synagogue. That is where I went on the first and last day of Hanukkah. Judah Hyam is taken care of by Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, who loves to learn about every other religion in order to find similarities with Judaism. This was the first synagogue I attended where men and women were allowed to sit together. Rabbi Ezekiel told me that “Since the mother determines if a child is Jewish or not, I have a matriarchal approach to practices. I believe in equality between men and women.” His decision is appropriate for the Indian culture, where the woman is the queen of the house.

When we added the shamash to the menorah, I felt the true essence of sharing your light with others.

Rabbi Ezekiel’s approach to pluralism extended to Hanukah, too. On the first night at Judah Hyam, the congregation added the first candle to the menorah and recited the “Rock of Ages.” On the last night of Hanukah, I noticed that two Christian and one Muslim family had joined us. It was heartwarming to experience such unity. When we added the shamash, the ninth candle, to the menorah, I felt the true essence of sharing your light with others.

This blend of cultures also, thankfully, extended to the fried food. India is home to delicious fried desserts, such as Golab Jamun (fried dough balls with rose water) and pakoras (fried vegetables). And Jewish Indian communities have created unique dishes of their own, such as malida, a dish of flattened rice that’s unique to the Bene Israel community. This Hanukkah was my first time eating the malida. Rabbi Ezekiel’s wife fluffed the rice until it was light and airy and then added sugar, spices, dry fruits and raisins. As she made the malida, we said a prayer in honor of Prophet Elijah and then ate coconuts and dates to remind ourselves of how our people came from the desert. The matzo ball soup and latkes had their own spin with lots of Indian spices, and were followed by tea to help you believe you have quickly digested all that food.

As someone who has been all around the world during Hanukkah, I was happy that I got to experience Hanukkah in India this year and could witness India’s multiculturalism in the synagogue firsthand. The shamash on top was learning from Rabbi Ezekiel that Calcutta has a synagogue called Magen David Synagogue, which a Muslim family has been taking care for the past 61 years. This Hanukkah has only confirmed for me that even though 2020 has seen a lot of conflicts around the world, pluralism is on its way.

Aneesha Madhok graduated in Theatre from the University of Southern California and will be appearing as the main lead in the upcoming Hollywood feature “Bully High.” She is also the writer of the play “Aliza-Free” and hosts a weekly comedy show, “The Mad Hawk Show.”