The Jews and the Parsis

In a 14-page article titled "I am a seed of the tree” my friend and writer Esther David, an Indian Bene Israel Jew, provides details (part myth, part history) of the advent of the Jews in India on the shores of Alibaug in Maharashtra. This made me hark back to the advent of Parsis in Sanjan, Gujarat.
The similarities between these two refugee communities are amazing. Both are minuscule. The Jews, like the Parsis, have preserved their religious rites, rituals and traditions. Both communities do not believe in conversion and wish members to marry within the fold. The Parsis are greatly influenced by Gujarati customs, dress, food and have adopted the Gujarati language as their mother tongue. The Jews are influenced by Maharashtrian customs, dress and language, having adopted Marathi as their mother tongue. Both Jews and Parsis refer to India as their motherland. David writes there is a Marathi magazine in Israel called Mai-Boli (mother tongue).
Interestingly, though the Jews adapted to the Maharashtrian culture they still retained their own. They follow a dietary law which mandates "Thou shall not cook the lamb in its mother’s milk,” which is why Jews the world over do not cook meat dishes in milk and milk products.
Jews have interesting tales similar to those of the Parsis. During a thanksgiving ritual the Jews use a dish called malida (made with poha or beaten rice, fresh coconut and sugar) as an offering to the Prophet Elijah for fulfillment of wishes, along with dates and fruits. The Parsis similarly offer malido (a sweet dish) during jashan prayers first to Prophet Zarathushtra and then serve it along with fruits as chasni. The prayers of both communities are written in Hebrew and Avestan or Pahlavi, languages not understood by either. Both acknowledge India as the only place in the world where they did not face persecution. Both have retained first names from their region of origin, namely Biblical and Persian, but adopted surnames from place of residence. Common surnames among the Bene Israeli Jews are Navgaonkar, Dandekar, Mazgaonkar, etc while Parsis have Bilimoria, Belgaumvalla, and also names based on professions like Mistry, Kapadia or Hakim.
Like the Parsis, the Jews have contributed to the fields of education and industry, establishing schools, medical colleges, textile mills, occupying top positions in industry. They have also been honored by the Indian government with the Padma awards.
Again, many Jews migrated to Israel while large numbers of Parsis moved to the West, and this has made both the communities dwindle to the point of impending extinction!
The Hindu influence is very great amongst both Jews and Parsis. It is said in the Puranas (holy books of the Hindus) that while Parshuram was circling the earth he saw 14 corpses along the Konkan shore. He brought them back to life by chanting mantras when he realized they were people from an ancient race. These were the Bene Israel Jews. This is why the Jews consider him as their savior. The Parsis have a Sanskrit prayer recited during weddings, blessing the newlyweds.
What will the future of Indian Jews and Indian Parsis be? In David’s words: "I am just the seed of a buried tree. The story repeats itself. Farewell!” One sincerely hopes it’s never the final farewell. We can at least still hope!
RODA DARA HAKIM
Baroda
vadhakim@yahoo.com