Jews in Kolkata: An interesting journey (Part-II)
(In my previous post on the Jews in India, I gave a brief outline about the Jews in India. [Part-I]Now, I am going to write a little bit on the Jews in Kolkata (earlier Calcutta).
Kolkata's Jews have a rich history. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Baghdadi Jews settled in the city of Calcutta (the then capital of British India) during the British period. The Jewish community with a population of several thousand once flourished in Calcutta and played an important role in the cultural and economic life of Calcutta. However, today Calcutta's Jewish population has dwindled to less than ten today; Many have moved to Israel, the United States or other countries.
One of the prominent figures in Calcutta's Jewish community was Lieutenant-General J.F.R. Jacob, who was an important army officer during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Major-General Jacob (later Lieutenant-General & Area Commander) is globally recognized for his important role in the independence of Bangladesh and he played a very significant role in the surrender of the Pakistani Army. He later retired as GOC-in-C of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. Lt-General Jacob passed away in 2016, but is well-known in Kolkata as a very significant figure.
The Jewish influence in Calcutta's history is also evident in the city's culinary landscape. Two iconic businesses founded by Jewish entrepreneurs during the British have been very popular.
The first is Nahoum & Sons, a well-known pastry shop in New Market; The shop was started in 1902 by Nahoum Israel Mordecai.
This shop provides an identity and flavor of Kolkata's colonial past. This pastry shop is still famous for its plum cakes, macaroons and brownies.
Kalman's was a very famous cold meat shop. The shop was started by a Hungarian Jew during the 1940s and became a landmark for the shop's variety of cold cuts, pork-lovers in the city. The store has recently been closed.
Despite the small number of Jews in Calcutta today, their contribution to the cultural and historical fabric of the city is worth-mentioning.
Landmarks like Ezra Street, Beth El Synagogue and Magen David Synagogue in central Kolkata bear testimonies to the city's once thriving Jewish community.
