I have a dumb question about the Mumbai attacks: Is there a big Jewish community there?

[HamdenRice]

The reason I ask, is that I used to live in Crown Heights, the world center for the group whose center was destroyed and whose rabbi was murdered.

One thing I remember and also read about them is that they do not proselytize to non-Jews. They do proselytize to other Jews to become more orthodox.

I am not aware of them doing development work like some of the fundamentalist Christians.

So the only reason I can imagine them having founded a center in Mumbai would be if there were a pre-existing big Jewish community there that they would try to convert to greater orthodoxy. So Mumbai must be very cosmopolitan in terms of religion?

Is that correct? Or at least, sound logical?

[Richard D]

1. Mumbai has a long history of Jewish population

at one time 30K or more. It's less now, but there is, I've been told, a fairly large number of Israelis who work in Mumbai.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. There's somewhere between 4500 and 5000 Jewish people in Mumbai.

The center in question is operated by the Hasidim. Wikipedia has an okay article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_Chabad_House

[HamdenRice]

6. That was fast

Interesting article. Seems its main focus was Israeli tourists and business people.

[rockymountaindem]

3. There's a second reason Chabad might have set up shop there

and that is to provide lodging and meals to orthodox Jews traveling there as tourists and on business. Without their own cooking facilities, anybody trying to follow kosher dietary laws in India might be out of luck. With a centralized place to gather, the center would have been able to import kosher foods and cook them according to kosher methods. Of course, with the increase in Israeli travel to the region there might be more regular restaurants that cater to them. But, considering the extremely strict standards put on restaurants by kosher regulations, I doubt it.

[cali]

4. from what I've read, they set up shop there

to minister to the many Israeli tourists who travel to Mumbai. I believe the Jewish community in India is miniscule.

[HamdenRice]

8. Per the strange Wiki article, it's to prevent tourists from having too much fun

The article said it was located on the way to party spots. The article quoted a staff member as saying something to the effect that there are lots of temptations in Mumbai and they're there among other things to help people resist.

[TomInTib]

5. Are these the same bunch as the ones that jump out of vans in NYC?

The ones that spot fellow Jews on the sidewalk, stop the van, jump out and try to up-grade them?

Some of the weirdest crap I have ever witnessed.

[HamdenRice]

7. Yes, that's them nt

[villager]

9. Yes, they'll have mobile "implements" (fronds and fruit) for doing traditional Sukkot prayers,

...for example (or "Lulavim" and "Etrogim," as it were...).

Sukkot is the fall festival, and the Lubavitchers will sometimes approach someone who they guess is Jewish, and asked if they want to do a quick prayer....

Not every observance lends itself to the same portability...!

[TomInTib]

10. I don't see how they can keep all that straight.

I can barely remember my sons' Birthdays.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Absent a beard, etc. how do they spot Jews on the street?

[TomInTib]

13. Beats the hell out of me.

The first time I saw it happen, I thought it was a kidnapping.

I was thirteen years old when I first met a person of the Jewish faith. That was in Texas. Before meeting him, I thought all the Jews lived in New York City.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Granola Jews visit there in pretty good numbers evidently. And they're after Granola Jews. nt