OP: Jews of the Raj

Hyman Publishers, London, 1995. Paperback. Very Good Plus. First printing.

In the 18th century, Middle Eastern Jewish merchants traveled and settled along trade routes from Baghdad and Aleppo to South- and South-East Asia. For over two hundred years, Jewish communities thrived in Asia, retaining many customs but also assimilating new ones. That time period roughly corresponds with the British Empire’s rule in India.

Calcutta born Mavis Hyman, of Baghdadi Jewish descent herself, made a career of documenting the vanishing history of this once robust population. Though by no means entirely about food—Hyman’s first book, Indian-Jewish Cooking (1992), is more focused there—Jews of the Raj (1995) thoroughly documents the rich history and culture of Baghdadi Jews from the earliest settlers to the nearly complete dispersal in the 20th century.

Equally tinted with both nostalgia and grief for what was and is no longer, Hyman’s writing records the daily life, the faith, and the eventual exodus, due to global political shifts, of Jewish people in Calcutta before there is no one left to tell the stories. 

Our copy is a Near Fine first printing, issued only in paperback. Wonderful and engaging reading.