glimpses lost jewish communities india myanmar

The Jewish population was concentrated in Rangoon though smaller communities grew throughout the country.

Overall, in 1881, local census results list the number of Jews as 172 219 in the 1891 census and 508 by 1901.īaghdadi Trade Jews in Rangoon Yangon Burma / MyanmarĮstimates of the community in its heyday range from between 1,200 to a high estimate of 2,500.

Rules were enacted to bar participation by the Bene Moshe in various aspects of Jewish communal life. The Baghdadi Jews enjoyed a position on the top of the social strata within the Jewish community. The permanent community was established later and comprised of Baghdadi and Bene Moshe Jews, though these groups internally were in conflict with one another. Many of these families are counted amongst the most prominent early founders of other great communities in places throughout the Far East like Hong Kong and Singapore. They were encouraged by the British government to settle there. The start of the presence of a semi-permanent Jewish community dates back to the early nineteenth century when Baghdadi Jews stopped in Rangoon while en-route to other destinations seeking fortunes from trade. In 1755 he was a Commissar to the army of King Alaungpaya and it is believed that he may have been present when King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon. The first record of a Jew in Myanmar was Solomon Gabirol. Between Mumbai and Manila p66 - 69 edited Manfred Hutter.Myanmar Jewish Community Past & Present.History of the Jews in Myanmar Wikipedia.

Glimpses lost jewish communities india myanmar