About this talk

I will present the story of our Jewish community in Calcutta, beginning with Shalome Obadiah Ha Cohen, the first Jew to settle there during the height of the British Empire. A direct ancestor of mine, Shalome kept a diary from 1789 to 1834, which inspired my book Shalome Rides a Royal Elephant (for ages eight and up)—a colourful account of his life, the foundation of the community, and its journey across "Jewish Asia."

For two centuries, Arabic-speaking Jews from the Middle East made Calcutta their home. Though small in number—never more than 4,000—they left a lasting mark on this mercantile city and established trading networks that stretched from Basra to Shanghai.

The talk will focus on Calcutta, highlighting the community's achievements in business, scholarship, the arts, and even the Indian army. I will also discuss the global events of the 1940s and '50s that prompted their exodus. Today, only a handful of Jews remain, but three synagogues, two schools, and a sprawling cemetery continue to preserve our enduring legacy.

About Jael

Jael Silliman was a tenured Associate Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Iowa, USA. She was also a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, New York. She is the author of several books, scholarly papers and popular articles for newspapers and magazines on gender, development, race, social justice and women's rights issues. She writes about her community - the Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta. Her books relating to Kolkata cultural history include Jewish Portraits, Indian Frames: Women's Narratives from a Diaspora of Hope, two novels, The Man With Many Hats and The Teak Almirah and numerous scholarly as well as popular articles. Her most recent co-authored publication is Where Gods Reside: Kolkata's Sacred Places and Adda! The College Street Coffee House. She now lives mostly in Kolkata.