Pakistanis in Israel
Encyclopedia
Pakistanis in Israel are a small minority, numbering between 1,000 and 2,000. The majority of these Pakistanis are originally Jews who migrated from Karachi
to Israel
, and formed a small community in the city of Ramla
. The Pakistanis were, by ethnicity, Baghdadi
and Marathi
-speaking although a sizeable number of Bene Israel
and Bukharan Jews
from Peshawar
are also found in the population. Bukharan Jews
from Peshawar fled from USSR after Socialist Revolution in 1917 and granted refuge by Sethi Family of Peshawar, mainly famous for their international trade from Russia and China into India and the rest of the world. They had very old relations with Bukharn Jews, and helped poor of them who can not afford migration to US or France at that time.
After proclamation of indepence of Israel
they preferred to migrate.
Records cite that major Pakistani Jewish migration to Israel occurred between the 1960s and 1970s. Magain Shalome
, built by Shalome Solomon Umerdekar and his son Gershone Solomon, Karachi’s last synagogue, was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a shopping plaza. Most of the Karachi Jews now live in Ramle, Israel, and built a synagogue they named Magen Shalome.
Jewish immigrants from Pakistan have helped revive the game of cricket
in Israel.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and formed a small community in the city of Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
. The Pakistanis were, by ethnicity, Baghdadi
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
and Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
-speaking although a sizeable number of Bene Israel
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's...
and Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
from Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
are also found in the population. Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
from Peshawar fled from USSR after Socialist Revolution in 1917 and granted refuge by Sethi Family of Peshawar, mainly famous for their international trade from Russia and China into India and the rest of the world. They had very old relations with Bukharn Jews, and helped poor of them who can not afford migration to US or France at that time.
After proclamation of indepence of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
they preferred to migrate.
Records cite that major Pakistani Jewish migration to Israel occurred between the 1960s and 1970s. Magain Shalome
Magain Shalome Synagogue
The Magain Shalome Synagogue was the cornerstone of a former Jewish community in Karachi, Pakistan. The Synagogue was built by Soloman David Umerdekar in 1893. The synagogue was extended in 1912 by Umerdekar’s two sons, Gershon Solomon Umerdekar and Rahamim Solomon Umerdekar...
, built by Shalome Solomon Umerdekar and his son Gershone Solomon, Karachi’s last synagogue, was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a shopping plaza. Most of the Karachi Jews now live in Ramle, Israel, and built a synagogue they named Magen Shalome.
Jewish immigrants from Pakistan have helped revive the game of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in Israel.