Food, Identity and Purity in the Indian Jewish Community before and after Migration: An Analysis based on Jewish Life Narratives: Ruby of Cochin (2002) and The Book of Esther (2002)

Shiji Mariam Varghese

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Chapter 4 Food, Identity and Purity in the Indian Jewish Community before and after Migration: An Analysis based on Jewish Life Narratives

Ruby of Cochin (2002) and The Book of Esther (2002)

In: Memory Studies in India

Author:

Shiji Mariam Varghese

Shiji Mariam Varghese
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 70–81

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004722514_006

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Abstract

Memory and nostalgia form a core component in Jewish history, identity-production, and preservation. The Holocaust refers to a complex set of events, actions, and experiences faced by the Jewish community which had a global impact historically. The Jews who settled in India 2000 years ago were unaware of the torture their ancestry faced in Europe. They lived an active religious, social and cultural life. The formation of Israel led to Aliyah from 1948. The Indian Jews who migrated found it difficult to fathom the intensity of separation and harshness of the Promised Land.

There is a dual engagement with memory for the Indian Jews: the aspirational memory for Israel by keeping the traditions; and the memory of the Indian homeland from Israel. The prospect of migration evoked the image of Israel through scriptures in the community. This notion shattered on reaching Israel as the landscape was despotic in quality. It led to a liminal existence and an overflow of memories through gatherings, food and folk songs. The paper aims to examine the cultural identity markers of the Indian Jewish community in relation to their embedded and experiential memory through food. The analysis aims to study the narratives of memory after migration to Israel. It also draws on the memoir Ruby of Cochin (2002) by Ruby Daniel and Barbara C. Johnson; and The Book of Esther (2002) by Esther David, to analyse the affective quality of food, songs and communal gatherings that operate as markers of memory before and after migration.

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Memory Studies in India

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Series: Mobilizing Memories, Volume: 5

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004722514

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 21 Apr 2025

Subjects
- Asian Studies
  - South Asia
- Literature and Cultural Studies

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Chapter 4 Food, Identity and Purity in the Indian Jewish Community before and after Migration: An Analysis based on Jewish Life Narratives

Ruby of Cochin (2002) and The Book of Esther (2002)

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Memory Studies in India

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