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A Passover seder in the JDC-supported Bayiti Home for the Aged.
Mumbai, India. 1997.
When you picture India, you might imagine the Taj Mahal, the flowing Ganges, the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, and the palm-strewn beaches of Kerala.
India is also home to approximately 4,000 Jews, an ancient and proud community that JDC has served for over 60 years. JDC first entered India during World War II, assisting Polish Jewish refugees. Today — from Mumbai’s Bene Israel community to the Jews of Cochin, Ahmedabad, and beyond — we proudly work to revitalize Jewish life.
JDC does this by providing crucial support to India’s poorest Jews, developing tomorrow’s Jewish leaders, and offering Jewish enrichment programs, like Hebrew lessons and holiday celebrations.
India is diverse and bustling, and also Jewish — and JDC is proud to work with this dynamic, resilient community.
When a catastrophic COVID-19 surge struck India in Spring 2021 – leading to more than 4,000 deaths per day, the world’s highest death toll – JDC responded immediately. In partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), JDC delivered more than 20 Israeli-made ventilators to hospitals in Mumbai and Ahmedabad; distributed medical supplies – like health kits and filtered masks – to hard-hit communities, reaching more than 20,000 people; trained more than 20 local women leaders, each responsible for 1,000 people, in COVID-19 prevention; and set up telemedicine ICU stations so that doctors can monitor and care for vulnerable patients in rural communities located far from medical care.
This emergency response builds on JDC’s COVID-19 assistance to the local Jewish community before the surge. When the pandemic first struck in March 2020, JDC immediately provided financial assistance to hard-hit community members, distributed COVID-19 kits (including masks, gloves, and sanitizers), and facilitated online medical consultations to over 40 families, logistical support for vaccinations, and ambulance transportation to hospitals.
Many Jews in India struggle to survive with few resources. Through programs like the JDC-supported Bayiti Jewish Home for the Aged, a meals-on-wheels program for the hungry, and a medical assistance program which provide routine medical testing for long-term health problems, JDC helps India’s poorest Jews live a dignified life. JDC also offers monthly stipends to cover basic living costs (such as housing and utilities), cash subsidies to ensure participation in Jewish communal life, healthcare (including funds for emergency hospitalization), and medical insurance for at-risk families.
JDC strengthens Indian Jewish life by offering access to Jewish camping, Sunday school, and holiday celebrations. In Mumbai, the JDC-supported Evelyn Peters Jewish Community Center (EPJCC) organizes social, cultural, and religious events for community members of all ages. Each Chanukah, hundreds participate in Khai Fest, a countrywide Jewish festival and fundraiser organized by Jewish Youth Pioneers (JYP). Funds are then donated to support JDC’s welfare fund and community programming for children and young adults. JDC also supports Kol India, a quarterly Jewish newsletter that reaches over 700 households throughout India and overseas.
JDC supports a multitude of youth leadership and enrichment programs for India’s youngest Jews. Many Jewish youth find their home at Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary. JDC also supports the Jewish Youth Pioneers (JYP), which connects youth and young adults in Mumbai.
When a catastrophic COVID-19 surge struck India in Spring 2021 – leading to more than 4,000 deaths per day, the world’s highest death toll – JDC responded immediately. In partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), JDC delivered more than 20 Israeli-made ventilators to hospitals in Mumbai and Ahmedabad; distributed medical supplies – like health kits and filtered masks – to hard-hit communities, reaching more than 20,000 people; trained more than 20 local women leaders, each responsible for 1,000 people, in COVID-19 prevention; and set up telemedicine ICU stations so that doctors can monitor and care for vulnerable patients in rural communities located far from medical care.
This emergency response builds on JDC’s COVID-19 assistance to the local Jewish community before the surge. When the pandemic first struck in March 2020, JDC immediately provided financial assistance to hard-hit community members, distributed COVID-19 kits (including masks, gloves, and sanitizers), and facilitated online medical consultations to over 40 families, logistical support for vaccinations, and ambulance transportation to hospitals.
Many Jews in India struggle to survive with few resources. Through programs like the JDC-supported Bayiti Jewish Home for the Aged, a meals-on-wheels program for the hungry, and a medical assistance program which provide routine medical testing for long-term health problems, JDC helps India’s poorest Jews live a dignified life. JDC also offers monthly stipends to cover basic living costs (such as housing and utilities), cash subsidies to ensure participation in Jewish communal life, healthcare (including funds for emergency hospitalization), and medical insurance for at-risk families.
JDC strengthens Indian Jewish life by offering access to Jewish camping, Sunday school, and holiday celebrations. In Mumbai, the JDC-supported Evelyn Peters Jewish Community Center (EPJCC) organizes social, cultural, and religious events for community members of all ages. Each Chanukah, hundreds participate in Khai Fest, a countrywide Jewish festival and fundraiser organized by Jewish Youth Pioneers (JYP). Funds are then donated to support JDC’s welfare fund and community programming for children and young adults. JDC also supports Kol India, a quarterly Jewish newsletter that reaches over 700 households throughout India and overseas.
JDC supports a multitude of youth leadership and enrichment programs for India’s youngest Jews. Many Jewish youth find their home at Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary. JDC also supports the Jewish Youth Pioneers (JYP), which connects youth and young adults in Mumbai.
When a catastrophic COVID-19 surge struck India in Spring 2021 – leading to more than 4,000 deaths per day, the world’s highest death toll – JDC responded immediately. In partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), JDC delivered more than 20 Israeli-made ventilators to hospitals in Mumbai and Ahmedabad; distributed medical supplies – like health kits and filtered masks – to hard-hit communities, reaching more than 20,000 people; trained more than 20 local women leaders, each responsible for 1,000 people, in COVID-19 prevention; and set up telemedicine ICU stations so that doctors can monitor and care for vulnerable patients in rural communities located far from medical care.
This emergency response builds on JDC’s COVID-19 assistance to the local Jewish community before the surge. When the pandemic first struck in March 2020, JDC immediately provided financial assistance to hard-hit community members, distributed COVID-19 kits (including masks, gloves, and sanitizers), and facilitated online medical consultations to over 40 families, logistical support for vaccinations, and ambulance transportation to hospitals.
A Passover seder in the JDC-supported Bayiti Home for the Aged.
Mumbai, India. 1997.
Children learning how to tie a Tefillin at a JDC-supported youth camp.
India. 1990s.
Photo: Ira Goldberg.
A teacher leads a class at a JDC-supported school.
Mumbai, India. 1965.
Photo: Jean Mohr.
Students enjoy lunch at a JDC-supported school.
Mumbai, India. 1964.
Photo: Studio R.R. Prabhu, Bombay
Tsunami victims receive support from a JDC-supported clinic.
2005.
Photo: Daniel Root-Lucita
A JDC volunteer cares for an elderly client at the Bayiti Old Age Home in Mumbai, India.
An elderly client receives a medical checkup from a JDC volunteer at the Bayiti Old Age Home in Mumbai, India.
Distributing health kits, filtered masks, and other medical supplies to vulnerable communities during India’s COVID-19 surge in Spring 2021.
Families gather together at the JCC Mumbai.
Children enjoy an arts and crafts activity at JCC Mumbai.
India
|Appetizer
India
|Entrée
1lb of sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons of mashed dates
1/4; cup of almonds, pistachios, and cashews.
FOR THE MARINADE
4 filets of pomfret or any other white fish, like cod
¼ tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ginger-garlic paste
(if you can’t find paste, use 1 garlic clove, minced, and a ½ inch of ginger)
½ lemon
FOR THE GREEN MASALA
1 bunch cilantro
2 green chilies or jalapeños
4 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1 small tomato
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. turmeric
Several fresh mint leaves
FOR THE CURRY
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium bay leaf
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
7–8 fresh curry leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium potato, sliced
½ cup coconut milk
A few pieces of raw mango
or tamarind soaked in water (optional)
Salt
JDC
P.O. Box 4124
New York, NY 10163 USA
+1 (212) 687-6200
[email protected]