The significance of Jews in the cultural landscape of India has been captured in archival photographs, installations and scriptures of the community at a new art show here.

The exhibition titled “Hodu and the Jews” chronicles different sects of the community — the Bene Israel Jews of Maharashtra, the Cochin Jews of Kerala and the Baghdadi Jews of Mumbai and Kolkata, along with their respective histories and rituals.

“India has produced distinguished businessmen, artists, political leaders, poets and authors from the Jewish community. And when I was researching about them I discovered several complex things including their contributions in different fields.

“For most Indian Jews, the paradigm has come up that India is their motherland and Israel is their father land. Diasporic Jews see this as a very positive experience because ever since they came to this country they were accepted with love and flourished without being persecuted or converted,” says Kenneth X Robbins, the co-curator of the show.

Through a site-specific installation titled “Genizah”, inspired by and modelled after the Genizah at the Jewish cemetery in Kolkata, city-based Israeli artist Achia Anzi has explored the notions of historiography of the community.

The installation represents two Genizahs — one showcasing the room used to store old books, and the other, sealed in the ground according to the Jewish customs.

The exhibition also includes a collection of photographs of luminaries from the community in fields of medicine, arts, cinema and architecture.

A section of the gallery is dedicated to “Refugees and the Bombay Arts Scene” that has on display pictures of and by artist Magda Nachman, who was once acknowledged as a great Indian painter.

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