About this talk

My ancestor, Shalome Obadiah Ha Cohen, from Alleppo, Syria, was the first Jewish settler who came to Calcutta as a trader. Realising the economic potential of this city, then under colonial rule, he decided to stay and bring his family to join him. Soon other Jews from the Middle East followed. By the early twentieth century there were 4000 Baghdadi Jews, called Baghdadi because they followed the liturgy of Baghdad, lived and prospered in Calcutta. By the 1950s, as India gained its independence, the community dwindled rapidly, for a host of reasons. Today there are about 20 Jewish people left in Kolkata (the city name has been changed.)

In this talk I will use slides and a couple of short reels to discuss my community with attention to its culture and orientation. I will use my family story, as well as the Jewish institutions that exist today, to narrate this tale. I will discuss the uniqueness of this diaspora community and comment on the current situation and the challenges and opportunities that we currently face in protecting our heritage and 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.