Posted on 09/18/24
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 18, 2024 - STAR-K Certification has been bringing the beauty of a monthly communal Shabbos to India for over a decade, but last Shabbos was a first for the kashrus organization. It held a special Shabbos dinner at the Magen Abraham Synagogue, the only shul in the state of Gujarat, located in Ahmedabad (pronounced Amdavad), one of the largest cities of India and former state capital. Situated on the banks of Sabarmati River, it is known among other things for its world-famous cotton textiles and diamond cutting.
Since the city is not known for its kosher amenities, the coordination and planning of the Shabbaton were taken care of by STAR-K’s Sri Lanka office. The delicious food was prepared and cooked in STAR-K’s Kosher Kitchen approximately 1200 miles away in Sri-Lanka with the help of the STAR-K team in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After Kabbalas Shabbos and Maariv led by members of the community, a Torah class on the deeper meaning of the Shofar was delivered followed by Kiddush and a Seudah.
“Despite the heavy rain, about 25 members of the community stayed for the meal with zmeirot and benching,” recounts STAR-K mashgiach Rabbi Jonathan Goldschmidt. “We also discussed some laws of the upcoming festival and heard from community members about the rich history, customs and practices of the Jews of Gujarat and the northern Indian Jews known as Bene Israel.
“They shared fond stories of when the community was more active before most of the local families relocated to Israel in the 1970s. Before this, despite having a large community, the city always had one major synagogue as well as a smaller prayer hall and two cemeteries – ongoing links between the Gujarat community and Mumbai as well as other Indian Jewish communities abroad remain strong and supportive.”
It was in the mid-19th century that Bene Israel Jews arrived in Ahmedabad from the Maharashtra coast. There were Jews living in other cities around Gujarat at the time, such as Baroda, Surat, and Rajkot, Surendranagar, Palampur in the Saurashtra region. Ahmedabad ranks second after Mumbai (aka Bombay) in Jewish population in India. Magen Abraham Synagogue was built in 1934 from donations by the Bene Israel Jewish community members in Gujarat. In the past few decades, the Jewish community in Ahmedabad has shrunk considerably, with many families emigrating to Israel, the U.S., and Europe. Presently, there is a small yet active Jewish community; in 2020, there were 120 community members.
In addition to Shabbatonim, the STAR-K office has also helped India’s smaller Jewish communities over the years by providing for their Yamim Tovim needs -- arba minim for Sukkos, matza for Pesach, etc. This year, STAR-K prepared a Rosh Hashanah activity bag for the children of the Ahmedabad community complete with stickers, a holiday themed coloring book and some Kosher sweets to wish them a happy and sweet New Year. These were distributed to families by the board of the shul after the Shabbaton.
Special kudos go to Rabbi Joel Weinberger, director of STAR-K operations in India and Mr. Aviv Divekar for creating and hosting the event, and STAR-K’s Sri Lanka and Cochin offices for helping with the many Shabbaton logistics.
“I very much enjoy doing what I can do to help out a community that is in decline, and they very much appreciate what we do,” shares Rabbi Weinberger. “Together, we have created a real community, not only for the townspeople, but for me and the other expats that are part of these Jewish communities. It is a genuinely nice, mutual relationship… It is a way to give back and it generates true goodwill. We enjoy supporting Jews around the world in their performance of mitzvahs, community building, and keeping kosher.”