The Bene Israel (Hebrew: בני ישראל‎, "Sons of Israel",Marathi: बेने इस्र claim to be descended from Jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century B.C.E. The Bene Israel resemble the non-Jewish Maratha people in appearance and customs, which indicates intermarriage between Jews and Indians. The Bene Israel, however, maintained the practices of Jewish dietary laws, circumcision and observation of Sabbath as a day of rest.

Oral tradition states that they were shipwrecked off the Konkan coast and settled in the Kolabah district of Maharashtra. They claim to be descended from Jews who escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century BC. Although they lost their religious books, forgot Hebrew and gradually assimilated into the local culture to become a caste of oil pressers (teli), they retained their dietary restrictions and the practises of circumcision and the observation of the Sabbath. They were distinguished from other caste telis and called Shanivari telis, because of their observation of Sabbath on Saturdays (Shanivar). This village identity was eventually transformed when they came into contact with the Cochin Jews. Once they emigrated to Bombay, contact with the Baghdadi Jews and the worldwide Zionist movement transformed their cultural identity. In spite of a large emigration to Israel, there is a remaining population of Bene-Israelis in Bombay. The native language of the Bene Israel is Marathi.

The Bene Israel claim a lineage to the Cohanim, the Israelite priestly class, which claims descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. In 2002, a DNA test confirmed that the Bene Israel share the same heredity as the Cohanim

They settled to nearby Indian cities, primarily Bombay, but also to Pune, Ahmedabad, and Karachi (Karachi later became a part of Pakistan). Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent’s Jewish population, and constitute the bulk of those sometimes referred to as Pakistani Jews. The native language of the Bene Israel is Judæo-Marathi, a form of Marathi. Most Bene Israel have now emigrated to Israel.

Now to the letter of recognition:

The Equal Halakhic Status of the Bene Yisrael of India

Jerusalem 10 Shevat 5758 [February 6, 1998]

To the Honor of: Rabbi David Talkar and Rabbis of the Bene Yisrael Community from India “The Lord[’s Providence] is over them, may they live” [Isaiah 38:17]

To your request, I hereby clarify by this authoritative statement of Torah Wisdom [da’at Torah] that the Bene Yisrael community from India, are kosher Jews for all purposes, and are permitted to enter the community and marry with all Israel, without any question and without any need for checks and clarifications.

 And it is a great deed [mitzvah] to attach oneself to them and to bring them close with ‘cords of love’ to the observance of Torah and mitzvot, and to accept them to Torah educational institutions, the talmudei Torah and yeshivot, for all of them are graced with good character traits and a good heart, and they love to be brought close to Torah, and turn their attentive ear to the voice of the Torah sages and those who carry their banner.

And G-d will [surely] be their Aid and Shield and save them in their every undertaking, for length of days and years of life in goodness and pleasantness, Amen.

[signed:]  Ovadiah Yosef

Blessed be G-d, I read the legal decision of the Gaon Maran Rav Ovadiah Yosef shlit”a and I can only add that also the opinion of my teacher and rabbi the Gaon Rav Shmuel Rozovsky * was thus.

[signed:]  Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg [Rosh Yeshivah of Sadigura Yeshivah and the Jerusalem College of Technology, Machon Lev]

 * The late Gaon HaRav Shmuel Rozovski of blessed memory was the former Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh Yeshivah .