The story of Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta begins with a diary entry “Last night I arrived in Calcutta” made 220 years back by Shalome Ben Cohen. The community that Cohen established, prospered in the capital city of British India. They spoke in Arabic, prayed in Hebrew and led a kosher life.

Jewish population in Calcutta rose to 4000 in the 1940s as Calcutta gave shelter to Jews persecuted in Europe and Asia. But the community started dwindling after WWII and after Israel was formed. Today, as many of the founding fathers of the Jewish community rest eternally at the Narkeldanga Cemetry, their descendants have found new homes all over the globe. Dwelling in travelling is a defining identity of the Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta.

Dwelling in Travelling dwells on memories and nostalgia and celebrates the traditions that once held the community together.

Director Biography - Subha Das Mollick

A media teacher and a documentary filmmaker, she switched her career from teaching Physics to teaching media more than 23 years ago. She has made more than 50 documentary and educational films for UGC, other Govt departments and also for NGOs. Her recent independent documentary film Calcutta Sonata has won some prestigious awards and is being critically acclaimed. She also received the Bronze Beaver Award for her film Promising Plastic Polymers at the 9th National Science Film Festival.

Director Statement

I met Jael Silliman at an event to celebrate the flourishing of minority cultures in the metropolis called Calcutta. Jael had been invited to present her website “Recalling Jewish Calcutta”. Indeed, this cosmopolitan city nurtures many Calcuttas within its geographical boundaries. Jael introduced me to the Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta. She told me that Ezra Street, one of the busiest and most congested streets of Calcutta, is named after Sir David Ezra, an industrialist and a member of the Jewish community, that had a population of 4000 in this city not so long ago. Today the population has dwindled to 20. This was reason enough to document their memories on film, to capture the dying glow of the lamp before it got snuffed out completely. I started my research as a Calcuttan trying to understand this unique strand in the cultural tapestry of my city. I felt ashamed that I was unfamiliar with the sights and sounds, the aromas and songs of this community with whom I share the same space in this city.

The story of Jewish Calcutta is expansive, knitting the various port cities across Jewish Asia into a strong economic and cultural force. Calcutta had a special place in this string of cities from Basra to Shangahi. It was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. In British India, the Calcutta Jews rose to great heights and contributed to all aspects of life and were a powerful economic force in the City’s mercantile development.

The story of Jewish Calcutta takes a trajectory very different from the stories of Jews in Europe. It is a story of 'diaspora of hope'.