HANUKKAH (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Art and Culture)

Context: Recently, Prime Minister of India extended his greetings to the Jewish community in India and around the world on the occasion of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah

• About: Hanukkah, a festival of lights, commemorates events in Jerusalem in 165 BC.
• Calendar Observance: Begins on the 25th of Kislev, ending on the sacred Zos Chanukah in the Jewish calendar.
• Timing: Occurs between late November and December in the Gregorian calendar.
• Temple Rededication: Marks the rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean Revolt.
• Contemporary Celebration: Celebrated from December 18 to 26 this year.

Judainism in Indian 

• Bene Israel: meaning Children of Israel. Marathi speaking. Arrived in Maharashtra 2,100 years ago.
• Cochin Jews: arrived in India 2,500 years ago and settled down in Kerala as traders.
• Baghdadi Jews: Jews who came to India as traders from West Asia, mainly from Baghdad. They are settled mainly in Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata.
• Bene Menashe: The Manipur Jews constitute a community which sees itself as descendants of the Manasseh (Menashe) Tribe (which is one of the 10 lost tribes of Jews).
• Bene Ephraim: Also called “Telugu Jews”. They are a small group who speak Telugu. Their observance of Judaism dates to 1981.