Introduction

It is from those who have suffered the sentence of history-

subjugation, domination, diaspora, displacement- that we learn our

most enduring lessons.

Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture.

Writing as an art has helped man to speak about himself and his world.

Contemporary Indian English writing has indeed grown into a significant aspect of

World Literature. The writings that were nationalistic in one time have now

become a literature of immense aesthetic and socio-cultural significance. Indian

writing in English has earned admiration, both in India and abroad. It has carved

out its place with its new track and new vision that has under its belt a completely

new range of issues that cater to our land’s faith, hope, myths, traditions, customs

and rites. Amar Nath Prasad believes that, “If we dive deep into the works of the

great Indian stalwarts of English fiction, it is revealed that their works are not an

imitation of English literary pattern but highly original and intensely Indian in

both theme and spirit” (1).

B.R Agarwal in her article “Recent Indian English Novel and Changing

Tradition” has discussed precisely the themes used by Indian novelists. The Indian

English novelists have a whole range of themes- debate between old and new,

clash between male chauvinists and modern feminists, clash between orthodoxy

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and modernity, conflict and compromise of the East and West, search for one’s

identity.

Diasporic writing is one such area in which authors have spoken about the

minority communities. The term diaspora is a commonly used term nowadays in

literature. It is used to refer to people who have emigrated from their native lands,

out of their freewill or on compulsion and have scattered thereby settling in their

adopted lands across the globe. In literature it denotes writing of literary scholars

who have settled in a country not native to them. Indian Diaspora, Black Diaspora

are some of the labels that have been used to refer to people who relate to their

mother land inspite of being citizens in foreign lands. Sheobhushan Shukla in his

article “Migrant Voices in Literature in English” states that, “Diaspora, … was

originally used for the Jews, dispersed after the Babylonian captivity, and then

with the passage of time for the Jews living outside or dispersed among the

Genitles”(1).

Diaspora could mean immigration or exodus; repatriation or rehabilitation.

In literary context, it carries added meaning, it does not merely refer to

immigration of foreign nationals, but also relates, “ to group identity, cultural

assimilation, racial and sentimental similarity that pervade with it” (Boyarin 693).

It also includes aspects of “cultural retention or its loss” (Boyarin 705) and

“acculturization and the re-inventing of identity” (Boyarin 703).

The immigrants are exposed to several problems- social, cultural and

psychological. They are torn between two cultures- hereditary one and the one

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they are exposed to in the foreign land. W.E.B. Dubois refers to this as ‘duality’ or

double consciousness.Diaspora is a term that revoles around the problem of

political and personal identity. The two senses of Diaspora are clearly

differentiated by Paul Gilory as, the former, “a conceptual tool or referential term

denoting a specific group of people” and the later, “as a term to denote a certain

kind of identity formation, the feeling of belongingness to a community that

transcends national boundaries” (158-59).

The perennially engaging theme of diaspora has acquired an increasing

resonance in the contemporary world and Indian writers have not been hesitant in

contributing to this field. Indian writers like Bapsi Sidwa, Rohinton Mistry, Dina

Metha, Boman Desai, Keki Darwalla have written about the Parsi community in

India. The Jewish community is a miniscule minority in India, but it has not been

represented much in Indian writing in English. Jewish literature has, down the

ages, displayed a unique ability to flow in continuity like an underground river.

From the prophets, visionaries, storytellers and psalmists of the holy books, down

to the twentieth century and the works of writers and poets like hole Yaken

Abramovitch, Ber Horovitz, S.Z. Raoport, Der Nister, Moyesh Kulbak, T. Carmi,

Aba Kovna, Yosef Agnon, Issac Singer and Nelly Sachs, the Jewish literary

tradition has retained its distinctive spirit. The Commonwealth Jewish writers,like

Judah Waten, David Martin, Morris Lurie, have written on the problems of Jewish

life. They share the sense of loss, “the loss of childhood, the deaths of parents and

grandparents, the destruction of European Jewry by the Nazis and the decline of a

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once vital cultural, ethnic and religious heritage”(Gerson 104). The theme that

Jewish emigrants ended up in the wrong place and the sense of dislocation

reverberates through their fiction. The writers also feel that Israel is just a viable

option for their characters and so have made their characters come to terms with

their identity in the adopted land.

Shulamith written in the year 1975 by Meera Mahadevan, a Bene Israel Indian

Jewish writer, is the earliest piece of representation of this community in Indian

English literature. Esther David is a contemporary writer who has written

extensively about the Bene Israel Jews in India.

Esther David was born into a Bene Israel 1945 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Her

father Reuben David, a hunter turned veterinarian, founded the Kamala Nehru

Zoological Garden and Balvatika in Ahmedabad. Her mother Sarah was a

schoolteacher. She started writing about art and became the art critic Times of

India, a prominent national daily. Later she became a columnist for Femina, a

women’s magazine and other leading national dailies. Her first novel was written

in 1997 entitled The Walled City. Her next work was a short story collection By

the Sabarmati in 1999 , followed by the novels The Book of Esther (2002), The

Book of Rachel (2006). In 2007 she wrote a book for teenagers, which was a

tribute to her father , titled My Father’s Zoo. Shalom Indian Housing Society,

another short story collection was published in 2007. She is also an artist and

sculptor. The Walled City, has been translated into French by Sonia Terangle titled

La Ville en ses Murs and in Gujarati by Renuka Sheth. The French version was

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shortlisted for the Premier Liste de Prix Femina in France. The Book of Rachel

has also been translated into French by Sonja Terangle titled Le Livre de Rachel.

The Walled City is about a young Bene Israel Jewish girl (whose name is

never mentioned) living in Ahmedabad- the city of walls. The young girl narrates

the story of her struggle to reconcile her Jewishness. The novel also traces the

lives of three generations of women in an extended Jewish family. The narrator

recounts small incidents in the life of her family members and brings out lager

issues of concern. It is also rich in observation and insight and written in a highly

individualistic style. There is a detailed study of the forces that act upon the

community and that divide and unite generations.

The Book of Rachel is a tale about an old woman, Rachel, who is left

behind in India by her family that has immigrated to Israel. The novel records the

struggles of Rachel to preserve her Jewish heritage. In her loneliness, she takes

care of the village synagogue and prepares traditional Bene Israel Jewish food.

The synagogue was to be sold to developers with the consent of the synagogue

committee. Rachel was opposed to this idea and with the help of her daughter

Zephra and Judah the lawyer, who later proposes to marry Zephra, she fights for

the synagogue and in the end saves it.

The Book of Esther is loosely based on family history, covering five

generations and over two hundred years of a Jewish family living in India.

Mingling reality with imaginary world, the novel begins in the nineteenth century

with Bathsheba, as she waits for her husband to return from his long absence at

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their home in Danda, a village on the Konkan coast. The story manoeuvres its way

from the Konkan coast to Ahemadabad. Joseph and David inherit Bathsheba’s

empathy for things living, beside possessing a remarkable talent as a doctor in

Ahemadabad. In his exuberant son the ability to heal is directed towards animals.

He establishes a zoo and there are stories about these animals. The novel is a

search into the roots . It has a fresh perspective on the Jewish experience in India

as it chronicles the fortunes of a gifted family and the search for roots.

The novels highlight the experience of the patriarchal Bene Israel Jewish

diaspora in India and some characteristics of diaspora as suggested by William

Safran (as stated by Vijay Mishra in “New Lamps for Old”), which are – a

dispersal of people or ancestors, retention of collective memory, vision, myth

about the original homeland, a feeling of non-acceptance, alienation or insulation

in the host society, a strong feeling that the ancestral homeland is their true

homeland and a self-conscious definition of one’s ethnicity in terms of their

homeland. Esther David probes the various issues with unusual depth and

perspicacity. Nona Walia writes that her world has no boundaries, the Jewish

experience in India is what she knows best.

Esther David’s characters cover many generations of Bene Israel Jews who

have lived, from the time of British Raj to modern communal riots in Gujarat. The

main characters grow in each of the novels and bring out their Jewishness

effectively. It is through their lives that the cultural, religious beliefs and practices

of the community are brought out. “The triumph of Esther David’s novel doesn’t

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merely lie in the scale of the story but also in her ability to create unforgettable

characters and evoke the sights, smells and feelings that go to make a multicultural

society” ( Khare 30).

Every writer has a piece of himself written in his novels; Esther David’s

novel has a larger representation of her family and life in her novels. “The novel as

a literary form offers ample space and scope for writer’s ramblings and self

indulgence” (Khare 30).There is autobiographical element in all her novels. She is

part of the stories she writes. The crisis faced by the characters in her novel are an

extension of the crises she faced in her life as a Jew. The Book of Esther and The

Walled City is about her family and herself with a little fictional element.

There are approximately fourteen million Jews in the world and they are

considered the wealthiest people in the world. Jews have been the only people who

have faced hostility in every country they have settled. The holocaust is one of the

most dreaded and terrifying example of anti-Semitism faced by the Jews. The only

country they found ambience and were welcomed was India. “India has been the

model host country for several communities of Jews, who have never suffered

from anti-Semitism at the hands of their fellow country men” (Weil 18).There are

several legends related to the arrival of Jews in India. One of them is related to

king Solomon’s times, when there was trade relationship between India and Israel,

and Jews arrived as merchants. There is Biblical reference in the book of Esther,

were it can be cited that King Ahaseurus’s empire extended from Hodu (India in

Hebrew) to Kush. There are three major groups of Jews in India: Cochin Jews, the

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Bene Israel Jews and the Baghdadi Jews. The question still remains unanswered

on who among these three groups arrived first in India. The Cochin Jews are said

to have arrived from several places- Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Germany, and even

Spain. The Bagdadi Jews had arrived from Iraq and Syria.

The Bene Israel Jews are the largest of Indian Jewish communities. ‘Bene

Israel’ literally means the “Children of Israel” and they claim that they came from

the “north” as early as 175 BCE. According to them, their ancestors, seven men

and seven women, were shipwrecked off the Konkan coast and took refuge in the

village of Navagoan, were the local Hindus accepted them. They where drawn to

the practices of the Hindus and even followed them. They took up the occupation

of oil pressing and came to be known as Shanwar Telis or Saturday Oilmen,

because they refrained from working on Saturdays. They lost all their holy books,

only remembered their prayers and declare their faith is monotheism. “Today,

more than 5,000 Bene Israel live in India, the greater Bombay area. A further

50,000 reside today in the State of Israel” (Weil 18).

Esther David’s writings have been compared to Rohinton Mistry and

Bashevis Singer. In her review titled “At Home in India” Rivka Israel opines that

through her novels Esther David has done for the Bene Israel community what

Mistry had done for the Paris, in her own style. She finds her characters

entertaining and the elements of humor and tragedy are equally mixed without any

exaggerations. Namita Gokhale in her article “Smudged Boundaries” observes that

Esther David examines the multiracial, multiethnic society in a vivid manner. Her

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novels are cultural examination of the Bene Israel community. In his review of

Shalom India Housing Society, Sam Naidu praises her ability to create feisty

female characters who flourish in a traditionally patriarchal context.

The introduction focuses on Indian diasporic literature with specific

reference to Jewish literature and Esther David as a writer. The first chapter titled

“Crises Unleashed” discusses religious and cultural conflict existing in the

Jewish community. The second chapter titled “Reinventing Roots” dilates on the

search for roots. The third chapter titled “Assertion of Identity” examines the

identity crises encountered by the characters. The final chapter summarizes the

issues and ideas discussed in the respective chapters.

Esther David has effectively brought out the cultural and religious conflict,

identity crises and search for roots encountered by the Bene Israel diaspora which

would be discussed under the topic Jewish Experience in India in the Select

Novels of Esther David. Randhir Khare is of the opinion that,

It is indeed rare,…, to find a writer in Indian English who has been

able to respond both to her immediate environment as well as

to a cultural and spiritual heritage that goes beyond recorded

history (as Esther David)…(and) it is through such writing that

memory is kept alive and individuals and communities can

strengthen themselves, retain their special identities and

resist the pressures of cultural colonisation (29).

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Very little has been said and written in the area of research about the Jews

in Indian writing in English. Research has been done from the feministic and

gender point of view in the novels of Esther David, so, this would be an attempt to

unravel the Jewish diaspora and their experience in India.

The areas on which further research can be done are on feminism or gender

studies and relationship in the Bene Israel community.

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Chapter I

Crises Unleashed

Crisis is a process of transformation where the old system

can no longer be maintained.

S.J.Vinette in Risk Communication in a High

Reliability Organization.

Crisis has four defining characteristics. Seeger, Sellnow and Ulmer explain

that crises are “specific unexpected, and non-routine events that (create) high

levels of uncertainity and threat or perceived threat to an… high priority goals”

(21). Thus the first three characteristics explain the fact that crisis is unexpected,

creates uncertainties and is seen as a threat to existing norms. Esther David in her

novels has dealt with this theme of crisis. The characters face cultural and

religious crises in her novel.

Culture, “includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, custom and any

other capacities and habits acquired by man” (Taylor 1). Sociologists refer to

culture as a shared way of thinking and believing that grows out of a group

experience and passed on from one generation to another. The Jews were orthodox

about their beliefs and customs. During the exodus period, they were scattered all

over the world. They assimilated with the people of the foreign lands but held on

to their unique cultural and religious practices.

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Religion is a feeling that one inculcates from one’s childhood. Sulbha

Devpurkar says, “Religion gives a person a sense of belonging, often forming an

impenetrable circle around him. It also gives an identity” (26).

The Jewish society is patriarchal. Invisible walls of culture, tradition and

religion protects the community, but they are slowly cracking and giving way.

This experience is similar to the colonized people’s experience. Esther David has

probed this experience in her first novel The Walled City. The novel is set in

Ahmedabad, the city of walls. The walls do not just protect the city but also

surround the different communities and it’s people. The Jewish community is her

concern. “She has explor(ed) the life of the community…(and) reflect(ed)its

dynamic interface with neighbouring communities, within a wholly Indian

context” (Khare 29).

The first contact with religion in a person’s life takes place while

performing rituals. Max Muller has said that the history of religion itself is the

history of mankind. Esther David immerses religion with the daily pattern of life

of the characters. The ceremony of Kuddish is faithfully observed at the Dilhi

Darwaza house, the narrator’s paternal house, were the whole family gathered

around the table that was laid with rich traditional dishes. “A white silk tablecloth

embroidered with the word shalom is kept aside for Shabbat and the kaddish

prayers” (TWC 29).Uncle Menachem said prayers and everyone covered their

heads, after which the Sabbath candles were lit and everyone kissed the flame one

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by one. Simhath Torah, the occasion when the Books are brought out and people

danced around the teva, is observed.

The rituals of birth and death is strictly followed. Bar mitzvah is a religious

initiation ceremony for a Jewish boy into the community at the age of thirteen.

Benajmin, the protagonist’s cousin underwent it. Emmanuel circumcised his son

though he did not follow the Jewish religion. In accordance with the rituals at the

time of death, Danieldada is covered with earth from Jerusalem, “brown, dry earth

of the Promised Land, textured exactly like that of my surrogate motherland”

(TWC 104).

The Jews believed in inter-cousin marriage, as it enabled their tribe to

increase. Uncle Menachem forbids inter cousin marriage and spoke, “about the

genetic effects of inbreeding” (TWC 75). Nobody listens to Granny when she

justifies the tradition of cousin-marriages. This is the first act towards

modernization and also is a scientific notion of the West. The Bene Israel Jews

were breaking age-old practice.

The food habits of the people make the cultural distinction obvious. Food is

closely associated with religion. The Jewish dietary laws are strictly followed,

wherein the meat of certain animals are forbidden and milk products are not mixed

with meat. The Sabbath food is special:

flaked rice, washed well and mixed with rose petals, raisins and

sugar. There are dates to remind us of the desert, bananas and apples,

unsalted omelettes and sweet puris made of wheat flour and jaggery,

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deep fried in pure ghee. The jar is full of wine made from black

currants soaked the night before, then boiled, cooled and crushed

with Granny’s own hands. The bread, freshly baked in the clay oven,

is on the table and the salt in a small blue plate (TWC 30).

The narrator’s paternal grandmother prepared delicious modaks stuffed with

coconut gratings and gud.

The dressing style of the Bene Israel was more Indian:

Black hats, fez caps, turbans, long beards and tight black suits

dominate the family photograph… The girls are in long flowering

dresses with large bows in their hair and chains of beads around their

necks, and the women in nine-yard saris secured between the legs.

They wear nose-rings and heavy anklets, and under the frilled

sleeves of their blouses their armlets gleam (TWC 9-10).

The narrator’s paternal grandmother wore nine-yard sari, spoke flawless Marathi,

as “Marathi was the language of exile” (Devpurkar 28).They had adopted to the

native style that was a mixture of the Gujarathi and Marathi style.

The Council of elders of the family set the standards and made decisions.

They considered many things as taboos and un-Jewish like playing with colour on

Holi, painting nails, wearing jewellery, fashionable clothes, bindis, anklets. Naomi

considers these as vanities and forbids her daughter from following them. She

believes “there was something terribly un-Jewish about celebrating the festival of

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another religion because it meant being unfaithful…” (TWC 36), but Danieldada

and the narrator are enthusiastic in celebrating the festival of colours, Holi.

Danieldada, the protagonist’s maternal grandfather, is obsessed with “being

like the British” (TWC 27). He works for a British company and is very much

affected by the mannerisms of his bosses, he “insisted on eating with a knife and

fork” (TWC 37). He “lived without the discipline of Jewish family life” (TWC

37). He is also drawn to the customs of the Indian life. Danieldada in his younger

days looks like a:

…pucca British officer in a well-tailored suit, sitting regally on an

elaborately carved wooden chair. A short coat, tight at the waist, a

tie held with a diamond pin, a rose in his lapel. His tiny dagger-

shaped moustache turns up at the corners and his hair is lacquered

and combed in waves. He says he used to wear patent leather shoes

specially made by a Chinese shoemaker on Relief Road (TWC 37).

Danieldada is attracted to the Hindu culture. He likes celebrating the festivals of

the Hindus, but this was considered unJewish. He also follows the practices of the

Jews and felt more Jewish than ever, when he celebrates Jewish festivals.

The life of Jewish women is to an extend difficult. “Jewish women should

be self-effacing” (TWC 59), was a general rule, which the protagonist is

constantly reminded by her mother.. Jewish girls had to take quick baths, “should

wear no ornaments, except perhaps a chain, a brooch, a watch or bangles” (TWC

27). Granny lamented, “how difficult it is to be a woman. She feels women are

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imprisoned within rules, traditions and appearances. It is impossible to crush all

your desires and live. The only escape is in forgetfulness” (TWC 155). She drinks

whiskey in the evening as her medicine to forget her past.

The girls are preserved for looking after the family. The elders are relieved

when their daughter’s refuse a proposal, as they “will be free to look after them”

(TWC 156). Naomi, the protagonist’s mother was the protector of her daughter’s

virginity.Her mother said that if she questioned everything she would suffer.

Her mother had proposed her father. “In a Jewish community where the

unions are between families and not those actually concerned, that must have been

an act of rebellion” (TWC 97). She was “a bride who had a mind of her own”

(TWC 101) and her mother-in-law dislikes her for this attitude. The protagonist’s

“mother broke all conventions” (TWC 100) by working.

The protagonist tries hard to keep away from Subhadra, her best friend.

They grow up together.

But the meat of dead animals sticks to my teeth and the camphor on

her breath rejects me. Between us there is a wall of dead animals and

birds. On hot summer afternoons she comes to my house and then

runs back to her own to drink water. Her nose twitches at our kitchen

smells. I am ridden with guilt for the ways of my ancestors. I wish I

had been born to Subhadra’s mother, I would have then been

accepted (TWC 21).

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The animosity she faced from other people because she was a Jew made her feel

left out. Her classmate Elizabeth looked strangely and accused her of being the

‘you people’(TWC 29). The culture and religious conflict awakens in her when

she faces rejection.

The protagonist’s close friends were strict vegetarians and her association

with them makes her feel guilty and abhor meat eating. This kindles in her a spirit

of detest for her religious practices and the religious conflict erupts. The ways of

Judaism confuse her, as there is no image or shape for her God. There was a deep

religious conflict raging in her. She is fascinated by the idols of her Hindu friends.

She secretly makes an idol of Hanuman out of clay and satisfies her fantasy. She

connects Moses with Krishna and her dream boy plays flute like Krishna.

She feels uncomfortable that her God has no form .The protagonist does not

feel comfortable because “the synagogue has no idols, while a temple has human

figures with weapons and flowers” (TWC 29) and she found “colourful and noisy

Hindu temple an easier place to pray in” (TWC 29).

The silence of the synagogue did not appeal to her. Granny suggested a

solution “Say the Shema to drive away the bhoots in your mind. Kiss the mezuzah

when you enter the house. With the mark on the door, the bad spirits cannot

enter.’” (TWC 105) but the scrolls do not help her. She feels a void in their

religious practices. The prayers chanted by them were just empty words without

meaning. She memorizes Hebrew prayers but “the words mean nothing” (TWC

30), whereas her Hindu friends chanted slogas and knew their meaning.

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Leah is the protagonist’s maternal grandmother and her married life is at

stake because of her husband’s illicit love affair. She wanted to save her marriage

at any cost, so, she consultes a Hindu baba. When she decides to do this she, “was

crossing the thin line that had always separated her from things that were not

Jewish” (TWC 64). The Banyanbaba had gives her a coin, which she has to place

under her husband’s pillow, and she ties a black thread to her neck. These are

superstitious beliefs prevalent among the natives and Leah tries it. “[T]he

traditions were a raft … to hold on to” (TWC 58) between Leah and dada, but

once that broke she was unable to save her marriage and committed suicide.

Samuel, the protagonist’s cousin faces a spiritual crisis. He is, “not

interested in any of that Jewish stuff” (TWC 140). He tries to work out his

problem with the help of other religions. Mandakini is a Jain friend of the

protagonist and Samuel spent time with her, trying to gain help from her. He

becomes a vegetarian like her and tries to understand God and religion through

her. He is unable to find answers to the questions that were inside him.

The younger generation “love(s) the glamour of the Hindi cinemas” (TWC

79). The protagonist and her cousin imitats the dressing style, dancing and the

actions of Hindi heroines. The attraction to the opposite gender is natural for the

young Jews, Malkha is attracted to Joel and Samuel is attracted to the protagonist.

The elders are vigilant and prevent cousins from falling in love. The protagonist is

attracted to Raphael, a Bhagdadi Jew and, “amidst the Hebrew intonations of the

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congregation,… (she) murmur(s) a Krishna song under …(her) breath.” (TWC

89). She considers the relationship as a ‘Raas Lila’.

Boys are considered the guardian of their family but there is a change in the

Bene Israel community. The girls realise that if they did not marry:

…the daughters, must live with our ageing parents and become their

walking sticks. For this, we must educate ourselves. The family

seems to be losing faith in the boys. There are more rules for us than

for them, it is clear that boys will go away and the girls will stay on.

They do not want to lose the girls, because we would never dare to

go against them as the boys might. The girls must be preserved for

the house (TWC 77).

The sons are not forced to carry out their responsibilities and so automatically, the

daughters take their place.

The protagonist’s father was not very religious. He respected the belief of

the others. Hasmukh Mistry, her father’s assistance brought a “dharm sankat, a

religious crisis” (TWC 121),, by asking them to come for a thanks offering to the

temple. Her father obliges to him, while her mother did not want to bow to another

god. Her father did not revel in other religions but did not reject them. When she

questions her father about his religious beliefs he was open to answer her. The

narrator’s father never thought of God because he never felt the need to. “He felt

Jewish and that is enough for him”(TWC 96) and he felt the presence of God

when he met her mother and the day she was born.

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Uncle Menachem, the protagonist’s paternal uncle, had a spell of

eccentricity. He wanted Prophet Elijah to appear to him. His request was not

granted which “made him lose faith and feel cheated” (TWC 129).

Emmanuel, the name means God with us, but he seeks God. He returns to

India from London. He faces a religious crisis and wrote letters to Uncle

Menachem “about being a Jew in a strange land”(TWC 182). He becomes devoted

to other Gods, wears rings of semi-precious stones, becomes vegetarian, fasted,

practices yoga and goes around in a purple bathrobe with a shawl thrown over his

shoulder. He had two wives, a Jewish and a Hindu. His married life goes topsy

turvy due to his activities. In the end he is stabbed to death in the riots. The elders

are helpless and could not save him.

Aunt Jerusha is an example of the influence of the West. She is, “fair and

slender, in shoes with square heels, narrow black skirt, beige silk shirt, a string of

pearls, a bright pink scarf and a neat French roll, she looks just like a picture from

one of the English magazines”(TWC 107). Her English mannerism are mixed in

her blood and she was unable to let go of it. She refuses to wear sari. Despite her

fancy clothes she is spiritual. Unlike the other women of the household who are

given away in marriage to increase the community, “she was brought up to be the

breadwinner of the family because her father had no faith in the boys” (TWC 108).

Proposals are rejected without her consultation. She serves her family and

humanity.

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The protagonist’s aunts married outside the community. Julie alias Julekha

marries a Muslim, while Aunt Sinora marries a Christian. Emmanuel marries a

Hindu. The children of the community fall in love outside their religion and

community. The elders are unable to stop them and lament “One more of us has

gone astray” (TWC 187).

The council of elders feel the effect of cultural influence and have to differ

with their beliefs. They feel the “Weakening fortresses” (TWC 103), of Jewish

community. The council of elders are split between choosing careers or wedding

for girls. The number of children leaving their community was on the rise so they

decide that if the mother was a Jew then the child was automatically Jew. The

change in their attitude was forced by the apprehension that their community

would disappear if they are not flexible in their thinking.

In her foreword to the novel Esther David has written:

I created an imaginary but magical walled city and set it in

Ahmedabad, a city of walls, which became symbolic of walls of the

city, walls of Indian communities, walls of the Jewish community,

walls of the family, and the wall of just being a woman (TWC viii-

ix).

The city of Ahmedabad is not left behind in the religious crisis. The walled city is

under curfew and the questions asked to individuals are, “What is your religion?

Who are you? From where do you come? (TWC 117).The land of peace of

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Gandhiji is transformed into a river of blood and “the distances between houses

extended into the hearts” (TWC 118) of the people. The city was in chaos.

The cross-religious and the cultural crisis affect the city and the characters,

There is communal clashes in the city of Ahmedabad. The protagonist states that,

they are burning in the fires of hell. The older Jews are trying to hold on to the

integrity of the community while the younger Jews are working their own

solutions for their crisis. The influence of the English is very strong. The women

characters carry on the tradition and culture while the men were inconsistent.

“The burden of Jewish house” (TWC 155) fell on them and they were struggling

to retain it.

Esther David’s Book of Rachel throws light on the culture of the Bene

Israel Jews who settled along the Konkan coast. The novel “not only portrays the

community from within but also examines the pushes and pulls, economic and

cultural, which impinge upon it” (Achar 32). The author through the eyes of a

lonely widow Rachel schematizes the shrinking Jewish community and the dying

culture. Rachel is bound by her cultural, traditional and religious beliefs.

The synagogue is a vital part of her life. The synagogue is an epitome of the

Jewish culture. It is not just a monument but stands for the traditions and culture of

the Jews. The synagogue “belonged to the community” (BOR 35) and is managed

by a committee. Important religious ceremonies of the community take place at the

synagogue- marriages, child-naming ceremony, the Sabbath service, circumcision

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of male child and other festivals. The synagogue is vital to the Jews like the

temple is to the Hindus, the church to Christians and the mosque to Muslims.

The synagogue at Danda, where Rachel lived, is comparatively smaller than

the synagogues at Thane, Alibaug, Pen or Panvel and it was slowly going to the

debris. Rachel mentions the state of the synagogues:

Most synagogues on the Konkan coast were locked and abandoned.

Their respective communities held innumerable discussions about

their fate, yet most synagogues were slowly turning into ruins.

Rachel often heard about thefts of chandeliers, light bulbs or even

benches and was relieved that so far there had been no theft from her

synagogue (BOR 35-36).

The ruining state of the synagogue is an issue of great concern as it indirectly

pointed to the fact that the Jewish culture was in danger of extinction and thus the

cultural conflict triggered off.

The food habits of a community also throws ample light on their culture

and tradition. The ingredients for the different dishes were a combination of the

rich Jewish food and the spice of Indian food. “Coconut (is) the king of Jewish

cuisine” (BOR 11). The chief ingredients for each food is of connotative value,

like tamarind- a natural cleanser, egg- symbol of life, womb, fertility and creation

of life, rice- symbol of fertility, reiterate the imperative value of food in the lives

of the Jews. The menu for certain auspicious occasions is specific and there were

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certain guidelines to be followed while preparing them. Kavita Chinoy is

enchanted by the bombils made by Rachel.

Rules and regulations were indispensable in a woman’s life. Women stay in

a separate room called Rajodarshan during their menstrual cycle and childbirth.

Topics about the body are regarded as taboo. Women are forbidden from touching

the ‘teva’, in the synagogue, as they are considered impure because of their

menstrual cycle.

Marriage in the community is a time of jubilation. The elders of the family

are the authoritative figures in matters related to marriage in the Rachel’s

generation, whereas, in her children’s generation there is a shift. The children are

responsible for their choices and decisions which reiterates the influence of the

West. Among Rachel’s children Aviv agrees to marry Irene, the girl his mother

had chosen for him, Jacob fell in love with Ilana a famous singer and married her,

while Zephra went in and out of non-committal relationships and finally falls in

love and chooses to settle down with Judah.

The Jews are accommodative to some of the ways of the people of the land,

as there is close affinity with the Hindu rituals and traditions. The Bene Israel Jews

have adapted to the Marathi culture but have held on to their own religious

practices. Marathi is their language for communication. Rachel experiences the

ambience of her neighbours, “The villagers were caring and affectionate toward

her (Rachel) and they appreciated the fact that although she was a Bene Israel Teli

she spoke Marathi and knew all the Maharashtrian customs and introduced her as a

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Konkanasth Brahmin (BOR 5). The touch of the native religion is felt in the songs

sung by women at the news of the birth of her first grandchild. The song sung

about Prophet Moses is set in “the tune of a popular Marathi kirtan about the birth

of Krishna” (BOR 49). Women adapted to the Marathi way of dressing in nine-

yard saris. Influenced by Indian rituals, Jews also believed that coconut is

auspicious for new beginnings.

The impact of western culture is evident in the generation of children who

have migrated to Israel. Zephra’s clothing and habits are westernized. She wore,

“…her trademark blue jeans and white tee shirt” (BOR 96). It is considered “a

crime to be intimate with a man before marriage” (BOR 137), but Zephra “was not

a virgin”(BOR 137) and she had lived with Zvi for five years without exchanging

marital vows with him. She is hesitant to discuss this issue with her mother.

Young people are not hesitant to publicly display their love, Judah kissed Zephra

on the beach.

Zephra faces a cross-cultural conflict. She is unable to let go her inherited

culture and is drawn to the new culture of her immigrant land. Her mother “liked

her to (be), covered from neck to heel” (BOR 97) and so when in India she tries to

wear Indian dresses just to please her mother. On the other hand “it had taken

Rachel a couple of years to get adjusted to seeing Zephra in shorts” (BOR 97).

However, the real conflict surfaces when Zephra’s relationship with Judah is

questioned, where Rachel voiced out her anxiety.

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Rachel is open to other cultures and not bound by diminutive culture.

Zephra asks her mother if she really minded her wearing western clothes, to which

Rachel replied:

‘Does it matter any more?’ she snapped. ‘Yes, it does matter in the

Jewishcommunity. For them, you are a juicy topic of conversation,

wearing such clothes, showing your legs, walking hand in hand with

Judah, kissing him on the beach and what not. What are you up to?

This is India, not Israel.’ (BOR 138)

Rachel has adapted to the Konkani culture but has not given up her

Jewishness. Her attempt at making a new recipe every day is a way of keeping the

Jewishness alive.

The Jews are very religious and Rachel was no exception. She observes the

rites of the Sabbath day and other important religious days. The Jews have strong

faith in praying to Prophet Elijah, both Rachel and Zephra pray to the prophet, and

their prayers are answered. They offered a malida, “an offering to the Prophet

Elijah, Eliyahu Hannabi, for a secret wish fulfillment” (BOR 142).

The religious conflict erupts with the decision of the synagogue board to

sell it. The synagogue stands as a symbol for the Jewish religion. It the temple of

worship of the Jews and the very decision to sell it stands for the loss of religious

believes in the community. Religious rites are closely related to the synagogue

because many of the family ceremonies take place in the synagogue. The

synagogue was in disuse, as “the synagogue had no minyan, no cantor, no service”

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(BOR 6). Rachel faces the task of safeguarding the religious belief of a whole

community.

The shrinking population of Bene Israel Jews in India due to mass

migration to the Promised Land helped Mordecai to design his devious plan to sell

the synagogue and benefit from the money for his emigration. “Without a

community, what was the use of a house of prayer? It was just a monument, a relic

of the past” (BOR 13). The conflict arises when there is trade of religious beliefs.

The conflict is between Rachel’s Jewish religious faith and Mordecai’s idea to

trade religion for personal comfort.

All the characters recite Hebrew prayers but are unable to comprehend the

meaning of those prayers. Rachel preferred “Marathi bhajans to the complicated

Hebrew prayers” (BOR 13). Judah faces a crisis that is internal and he is not able

to comprehend his Jewishness in terms of his religion. He “was uncomfortable

with Jewish rituals” (BOR 66) and traditions of the community. He stays aloof to

the affairs of the community and only when his help was sought by Rachel he

starts to show some interest in the community. He revisits the memories of his

childhood days when his parents had been ardent practitioners of Jewish traditions

and festivals. The demise of his parents made him an outsider to the community

and he had lost all faith in his religion. Judah’s “grandfather had chosen to be

cremated, (so) the community had ostracized his family” (BOR 66).

The minyan of ten men that had been a distant dream for Rachel at the

beginning becomes a reality when Zephra decided to offer Eliyahu Hannaabi

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prayers at the synagogue to thank Prophet Elijah for saving her mother’s life. The

synagogue is given a face-lift for the ceremony with curtains changed, cobwebs

removed, the mezuzah was polished, electric fittings were checked to ensure safety

and it was decorated with rose. Judah was part of the minyan of ten men and he

“looked like a decent Jewish gentleman” (BOR 155).

The cultural and religious conflicts faced by the characters were minimized

by the synagogue being saved. Judah came up with the alternate plan to save the

synagogue:

The synagogue could be an ideal place to exhibit Jewish

artifacts…our synagogues in India have a lot of material stored

away…old shofars to curtains to candle stands to old mezuzahs,

Passover plates, kosher knives, circumcision knives and the hazzan

robe,…We could collect everything to make our museum (BOR

131).

The conversion of the synagogue into a museum is an act of preserving the Jewish

culture and beliefs. Judah and Zephra prove to be resourceful torch bearers of the

Jewish culture. Thus The Book of Rachel Amrinder Sandhu of The Tribune writes

that like an intricate tapestry, David weaves all the characters who spread over

places, cultures and generations and the book is a document of social and cultural

history and covers a wide range of themes and situations.

Esther David probes the history of an entire Bene Israel family in The Book

of Esther. She has chronicled the life of the characters in such a way she brings out

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the culture and religion of the Jews and the life of the characters. “Jewish literature

has down the ages, displayed a unique ability to flow in continuity like an

underground river. Esther David catches mystical and magical rhythms of life with

an individual voice, which enriches the novel” (Khare 23).

The Shabbat, Saturday, is the only day the Jews did not work. The Shabbat

“meant festivity extending into the night” (BOE 9), and actually begins from

sundown on Friday and continues until sundown on Saturday. On Friday, lamps or

candles are lit and prayers are said in Hebrew.

The laws of Kosher of how to cut the birds and animals is followed. They

also follow the law of buying land from gentiles. Joseph pay eleven rupees to buy

a land from Parbhatbhai to bury his grandfather Solomon and that later becomes a

burial ground for the Bene Israel community of Ahemadabad. The Rosh

Hashanah, the New Year of the Jews, Yom Kippur— the Day of Atonement were

also observed. Baraka, a thanksgiving ceremony, was observed after a good

harvest, birth of a child, lamb, calf, or bird, for a new job or for a recovery from

illness. When Solomon safely returned from the army a baraka, was organized

followed by a malida, ceremony of wish fulfillment prepared for the prophet

Elijah.

Marriages in the Bene Israel community are decided by elders and took

place in the synagogue. The first civil wedding takes place between Joshua and

Naomi marriage and the community opposes it. He stays away from the

community because of this and only after he received the Padmashree he is invited

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to a synagogue and was reconciles with the community. In India, after

independence inter caste marriages became common and the Bene Israel

community were a part of if. Esther was married to Shree a Hindu in accordance

with this practice.

The Bene Israel Jews had certain beliefs like the myth of misleading

snakes. Bathsebha had encountered a cobra that chases her like a flying ogre and

when she threw a red handkerchief it left her alone. She thinks that “Twilight

words sometimes become a reality” (BOE 26) and forbid Solomon from talking

about death. The Bene Israelites prayed at the grave of their ancestors. When

Solomon returned safely, seven coconuts were broken and the Shema Israel was

chanted at their graves at Navgoan.

The Dandekars began breaking many of the laid norms of the community.

Bathsheba, is the eldest daughter-in-law of Abraham Dandekar. When she

expresses her desire to make quilt on Saturday, the Shabbat day, her father-in-law

permitted her. “With this,” according to the narrator, “for the first time, a tradition

was broken in the Dandekar house. Many more were to be broken in the years to

come” (BOE 9). According to Jewish beliefs, the son’s were supposed to sprinkle

handful of earth on the father’s body. Esther was David’s only daughter and on his

death she wished to sprinkle earth on her father’s body. The Bene Israel men

agreed and another law was broken.

Menashe, Abraham’s second son, wanted to be a painter but “the Bene

Israel did not make idols and images— that was the law” (BOE 44). However, he

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painted the walls of his room with the scene of the prophet descending the rock

near Kandala. Another law tumbled in the Dandekar house and this was kept as a

secret from the community.

The religious crisis in the family was spured by a number of incidents. It

was unJewish to pray to other Gods than Parameswar. When a cobra almost

attacked Bathsheba she was struck with fear. The family thought that God was

punishing her for working in the fields. Sombhau, their help, consoles her,

“Nagdev is the guardian of our fields. He will never harm us as you have

dedicated your life to Gauri – the goddess of fertility. The one who gives us an

abundant harvest” (BOE 22). He drew her attention to the snake god, Shesh Nag,

telling that they could make a wish to the deity for her husband, Solomon’s safe

return from the army. She mysteriously was drawn to the deity and wished that

“she would offer five coconuts and light a lamp at the shrine” (24) if her husband

returned safely and later fulfills it.

The tale of the Shesh Nag did not stop with Bathsheba, her grandson Joseph

also has a story related with the snake. During his lonely visit to the forests he

befriended the Kolis, the tribal people of the Marathi forest. He is once drawn to a

beam of bright light and when he followed it he came face to face with a king

cobra. The Kolis believe that only once in hundred years the Shesh Nag could be

seen and the person who saw it was blessed. It is also said “A child born to such a

family would be nature’s miracle man” (BOE 99). Joseph was considered blessed.

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The women of the family believed this prophecy, especially Shebabeth, Joseph’s

daughter-in-law and Esther’s grandmother.

The Jews consider praying to idols and other God’s a sin. Bathsheba

committs it and brought a religious crisis for the family and the village. She is

superstitious and bought Shiva, a bullock, because she considered it “was her good

omen” (BOE 39). When there was a drought in the village a community yagna

was conducted to appease the God’s. It is found through the witch doctor that the

pregnant woman, in the Dandekar family was the reason for the lack of rain. The

Dandekars were troubled and as a solution “like the rest of the Bene Israel women

of the Konkan, they were not to step beyond the threshold alone,…they could

leave the house in the company of other women or men of the family” (BOE 60).

The religious crisis put a full stop to the freedom of the women.

Strict laws bind the life of women in the Jewish community. Tamara the

daughter of Bathsheba sufferes in her mother-in-law’s house by the strict laws

imposed on her. “The Dandekars were flexible where the law was concerned”

(BOE 70) and Tamara had grown up in such an environment. Abhigail her mother-

in-law insisted on her following the rules of menstruation, staying in the

Rajodarshan room, but she did not like it. “She was treated like an impure animal

for five days, eating from separate plates for the monthly periods” (BOE 74) and

on the final day she had to immerse herself head to toe in a tank of cold water to

purify her and then enter the household. She is forced to wear gold jewellery

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which she did not prefer wearing. She is an just an example of the rules that bound

the women of the community.

A number of factors also endangered the culture of the Jews. In the earlier

times, the men dressed formally like the Englishmen or the Muslims or the Parsis.

The girls wore frock and ribbon while the women wore nine-yard saris in the

Gujarat or Marathi Paris style. Later the women wore chiffon saris in the style of

modern women, with the pallav draped over the left shoulder. The wedding attire

has western influence, where women wore veil with their sari and gloves over

bangles with high-heeled shoes with anklets. Shebabeth, Esther’s Granny wore

six-yard saris and the other women followed her. Esther’s mother, Naomi wore

starched cotton and her Aunt Hannah preferred silk. Jerusha wore English clothes.

Esther faces the dress crisis. She wore sari, then shifted to jeans and shirt as her

life shifted to different parts of the world but she finally feels comfortable in a sari.

“The costume change with the generations – from nine-yard saris tied around the

waist in a kela where money, or documents can be hidden, to strawberry pink silk

saris, diamond pins, silver anklets, kurtas, jeans and sleeveless shirts” (Weil 26).

Joseph was the first to break the traditional form of dressing in dhotis,

angarkhas and turbans. He was taken up by the dresses worn by Muslims and

parsis “loose, flared pants, a long-sleeved shirt and a long, flowing coat” (BOE

86). He broke the laid codes of dressing, like if everyone wore a mono colour

turban he wore multicolored stripped turban. He led the generations to choose their

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style of dressing. David wore Western clothes even when he became a politician,

“he preferred to look like King George” (BOE 119).

The Dandekars spoke Marathi, Konkani or Gujarat but as the younger

generation began going to English medium schools, the Bene Israelites started

speaking English. Simha, Joseph’s wife learns the Hebrew prayers and their

meanings and passes it on to her children.

Esther David narrates an interesting incident about the co-existence of

religions in India. In Sagav, near Alibaugh, a hoof mark is found. The Hindus,

Muslims and the Bene Israel Jews find it a divine spot. The Hindus consider it a

relic of Ghodakdev, the hore-headed divinity, the tenth avatar of Vishnu in the

kalki era. The Muslims consider is as the hoof mark of burakh, the human-headed

winged horse. While the Bene Israel consider it as the hoof mark of the white

stallion that prophet Elijah flew on. People from all the three religions made

offerings at this spot, and “the hoof mark was special because it linked together the

people of various communities” (BOE 43).

The Bene Israel community was culturally assimilating with the natives.

The influence of education and the west is evident. The laws of their ancestor’s

were broken and their culture became hybrid. Women were liberated from the

clutches of patriarchy and created identities for themselves. The cultural and

religious crisis brought out the best in the community.

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Chapter II

Reinventing Roots

Man is a social animal. But there are many questions that haunt man like:

Who am I? Where am I from? What is my lineage? The novelists of today have

created characters in their novel who try to find answers to these persistent

questions. The factors that contribute to this search for roots are alienation,

memory of past and questions about present. Esther David in her novels has

discussed this issue.

Esther David in the novel The Walled City has analyzed the dilemma of a

young girl and with her help has spoken about the roots of the Jewish community

and the history of the city of Ahemadabad. The cross-cultural and cross-religious

conflict compels the protagonist to revamp about her history. The journey is an

interesting one and at times disturbing. David has, “gives an internalized feeling of

Jewishness which is often fascinating, confusing, irritating and compelling”

(Devpurkar 26).

The narrator feels alienated among her Indian friends so she embarkson a

journey to understand her roots. The “ritual of commiting to memory is a familiar

aspect of diasporic writing” (Gokhale 16). She feels she did not fit into the society.

She remarks, “I question my Jewishness” (TWC 22). She tries to find similarities

between her God and the pagan Gods. She compares and contrasts the story of

Moses and Krishna.

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When Subhadra questioned her about the name Dandekar she hesitates to

reply to her but the name reminds her of her roots.

It hangs somewhere in the inner world of my memory, with the tales

of ancestors shipwrecked on the Konkan coast, reciting

Hebrew prayers silently and becoming one with the people

there, wearing Indian clothes, speaking the local language and

taking a new name, the name of the surrogate village that had

adopted them (TWC 22).

She is ashamed of who she is but is constantly reminded who she was. Her mother

is her second conscience reminding her of Jewish values and never letting her

forget that she is a Bene Israel Jew. “I am just the seed of a buried tree. ‘Dig the

graves and we will know who we are.’” (TWC 105).

The protagonist with the help of Danieldada goes into the past. She hears

about her grandmother Leah, “the shadow of grandmother Leah’s face falls on

(her) life” (TWC 73). She finds solace in the fact that she is not the only one in her

family to have practiced the rituals of other religions secretly, but grandmother

Leah too had consulted a Hindu baba. The life of Leah helps her understand the

life of women in the previous generations. Leah’s, “Life, dry as the Sabarmati in

summer, must have frightened her” (TWC 72), as she is been alienated by her

husband’s betrayal. She understands that the women of the previous generation

were not as privileged as herself and she belonged to a community that had been

highly patriarchial.

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The past haunts Danieldada. Talking about the past is “like eating forbidden

fruit” (TWC 49). He reveals his bitter past only with his granddaughter. The

failure of his marriage, his illicit love affair with Durga and his wife Leah’s

suicide has made his present life a burden, “his secret is like a ghost which lives

with him” (TWC 49). He is alienated from his three daughters because of his past

actions. He does not receive pardon and only regrets for his actions. He feels that

if he had immigrated with his family to Israel they too could have been happy.

The protagonist and her parents shift from the Dilhi Darwaza house to

Shahibagh and this exodus causes a rift among the family members. They begin to

lead separate lives. The protagonist felt that her father and she were “both aliens in

… (her) mother’s house” (TWC 32), whereas “the house at Dilhi Darwaza was

like a mother’s lap, soft and comforting” (TWC 117). The Dilhi Darwaza house is

a reminder of her Jewishness. It reminds her of the Sabbath prayers and how the

family gathered together.The protagonist has a secret tiny red box kept under her

saris were she has the anklets given by Danieldada, Mani’s perfume and the Star

of David given by Aunt Jerusha that reminded her of Granny. She secretly holds

on to them as mementos as she has treasured those people the most in her life. It is

a reminder of her precious moments in life.

Although the protagonist is not satisfied with her Jewish life in her distress

she feels:

Only Granny heals me when I touch the crumpled silk of her skin,

and look into her eyes, I remember the Shabbat prayers at the

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Dilhi Darwaza house. This image has sparked in me a desire for the

Jewish life that Granny had managed to keep alive with a

candle, a star and the Shema Israel; the fragrance of freshly

baked bread, homemade grape wine, rice flour sandans in the

tandoor and chicken boiling in green coriander curry. It is now

something distant, an inaccessible something that is out my

reach and I ache for it (TWC 171).

However far one may try to run away from ones roots, during stressful times one

always yearns for the solace of ones roots.

Her paternal Granny recalls her past during the last days of her life. She

traces her roots with “old photographs hidden under her pillow” (TWC 154). She

regrettes that the older generation has led good Jewish lives but the present

generation lacks direction. She “drown(ed) herself in her memories” (TWC 154)

and unable to let go off her past drank whiskey. She is trying to fight the ghosts of

her past by getting drunk and forgetting.

Bitter past memories also torments Naomi. She is unable to forgive her

father for his betrayal. Nail polish is the symbol of the woman who killed her

mother, so she reprimands her daughter when she wears it. The protagonist

“hate(s) the yards of memories that knot in… (her) stomach, killing…

(her)dreams” (TWC 80). She considers the past to have a crippling effect on her

present and her future. Her mother is obsessed with the past and does not find a

way out of it.

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The members of her family also have association with the past. Aunt

Jerusha “had bitter memories of her father” (TWC 108). Aunt Julekha has a

conflict filled past. Samuel is unable to comprehend his Jewishness and left the

community and died alone. Benjamin, Samuel’s brother, did not know anything

about joint family life. He grew up all alone and though he had questions haunting

him about many issues he was not allowed to ask them. He has to accept life as it

was. Mani felt happy to be accepted by the Jews but felt “isolated from her kind

who live together in groups between Dilhi Darwaza and Kalupur Darwaza” (TWC

124). The yearning for one’s blood, one’s people, one’s root is predominant in

every individual.

Granny is the main person who reminds the protagonist of her roots. But

with her demise, memories became fading. Family get-together is rare, visits to the

synagogue less frequent and Hebrew prayers forgotten. She was the invisible link

to their roots. Granny is like Hebrew prayers forgotten but resurfacing in their

sensibilities.

The Bene Israel have adapted to their native land. Emotionally and

physically they are rooted to India, although the elders urge them to emigrate to

Israel they refuse. Malkha was one such example for whom ,“…the prospect of

cooking curries for him (Joel) in a land far away from home horrified her” (TWC

113). She was unable to let go of her family and the land of her birth. The

protagonists rightly describes their predicament:

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It appears there are gates of iron in our walled city and we shall

never be able to open them. The iron chain on the door locks

us inside the house of our destiny and we can’t open the door

and walk out we are welded to the chains (TWC 79).

Their Jewishness and their roots can never be forgotten and it would follow them

like a python were ever they went.

The Jews had bitter experience across the globe and they had

scattered like fallen grain across different lands. The protagonist raises the

question of belonging:

…where we come and where we go. We do not know from where.

But we know why. From sure death. Expulsion. Homes

broken, disrupted, burnt, from ruin to ruin with the hidden

Book. The Book lost in the shipwreck. Eyes watching King

Solomon’s golden temple. The exodus. Crossing the sea. The ten lost tribes

calling out to one another in lonely faraway lands”(TWC 104).

It is the cry of a dispersed community trying to become one. The protagonist is

also part of this lineage. Her roots migrate through history to a larger, stronger

community that has weakened and been tortured. The prospects in Israel were the

Jews were reassembling as a nation, is emphasized by cousins who visited from

Israel. They

tell them about the cheapness of things in Israel. The protagonist’s father is not

moved by the tempting prospect, he vowed to his mother, “We’ll live and die here.

40

In India.” (TWC 143). Though distant shores called out to them the Bene Israel

Jews are not ready to give up what they already have.

The protagonist culls the history of the city of Ahmedabad, when its visage

iwas under drastic danger. The city has been built by a sultan who once saw a

rabbit turn on an attacking dog near the Kankaria lake. He found the place ideal

“where even something as timid as a rabbit could fight a dog” (TWC 180) and

Ahemadabad was born. It has opened its gates to strangers, embracing them and

giving them shelter. Violence, was the silent killer destroying the peace of the city.

Violence in Ahmedabad triggers of the conflict among the Bene Israel

Jews, of whether to stay in India or emigrate to Israel. “The Sabarmati becomes

the focus of a strange exodus. There are families searching for a corner where they

can be safe” (TWC 182).Benjibaba leaves but Malkha and the protagonist stay

with their parents in India, holding on to their roots. Mani commented that, “the

riot is like a rakshasa” (TWC 117). The violence claimed the life of Sulemanbhai

and Hasmukh Mistry, two trusted men of the protagonist’s father and Emmanuel.

The fear of death lingers in the minds and heart of people. But, the protagonist and

her family “never leave Ahemadabad. We never can” (TWC 197). They are rooted

in India and do not abandon it on any account.

Esther David has in this novel through her characters dug through the roots

of the Dandekar family, through the eyes of a young protagonist. As Khare notes

the, “Bene Israel family lives with the ghosts of the past and the traumas of the

present” (30). The past seems to come in the way of their present life for all the

41

characters. There is doubt about roots and the characters live in conflict. They do

not possess a clear idea of their ancestry but are not ready to give it up and they

cling on to it.

Alienation is a recurrent theme in Indian novels. “As Meenakshi Mukherjee

points out, alienation or rootlessness is ‘a very common theme’ in the Indo-

English novel’” (Pathak 1). Melvin Seeman defines alienation (that has been

included in Benjamin Zablocki’s book Alienation and Charisma), in terms of six

dimensions based on a person’s expectancies or his values. He states, “to be

alienated means to be characterized by one or several of the following: a sense of

powerlessness, a sense of meaninglessness, a sense of formlessness, value

isolation, self-estrangement and social alienation” (BOR 29). In Esther David’s

Book of Rachel the protagonist is a lonely widow living in Danda. Rachel “felt

alone and lost” (BOR 91). She tells Kirtibai, a neighbour, “I feel lonely with the

family in Israel. Here, I have nobody of my own” (BOR 92). Man feels led down

by circumstances and begins to contemplate about his decisions and Rachel goes

through a similar period.

Rachel is all alone in an environment that she feels at home with, “she had

grown accustomed to Danda, its sounds and its silence” (BOR 18). She single-

handedly opposes the plans of Mordecai. Her loneliness gives her an opportunity

to dig through her past and gain inspiration and strength to stand up to the plans of

Mordecai. Rachel is surrounded by her goats, ducks, cat and adopted mongrel

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Brownie, and is lonely but spirited is the observation of Uma Mahadevan

Dasgupta.

When external and internal forces, beyond one’s power threaten one, they

tend to embark on a journey of their past, history and roots to reiterate their

position in the present. Homi Bhaba is of the opinion, “Memory is a bridge

between colonialism and cultural identity. Remembering is actually a re-

membering, “putting together of the dismembered past to make sense of the

trauma of the present” (201)

In Esther David’s Book of Rachel the characters face a threat to their

existence so they search for their roots by rummaging through history. Rachel

searches for her roots through the synagogue. Memory is a significant force that

bound Rachel to the synagogue. “Rachel had sentimental attachments with the

synagogue. She had been married here, her sons were circumcised here and they

had all celebrated the festivals here.”(BOR 6) She recalls and romanticizes her

past with the help of it.

The past usually is considered as a stranglehold on progress as it cripples

and suffocates the present life. In Rachel’s case it’s effect is reversed, it refills her

with newer strength to fight for the synagogue. Rachel tunnels back into her past

to find solace in her present state. She remembers all the family moments related

to the synagogue. The synagogue was not just a monument it stood for her family.

The past acts as a catalyst to spur her memories related to the synagogue and

thereby get closer to her roots. Dasgupta opines that Rachel’s memories also keep

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the past alive.The synagogue symbolized her community, her religion and her

people. The history of her family is related to the synagogue. She has “sentimental

attachments with the synagogue” (BOR 6).

Rachel searches for a stronghold to help her cling on to her native land. The

synagogue is the link to her past. She relives her past with the help of memories

associated with the synagogue. The ensuing battle helps her to trace out her history

and thereby helps her find her identity. The link with her past helps to reestablish

her affinity with her community. Rachel’s family has been closely affiliated with

the synagogue and the land housing the synagogue had belonged to the Dandekars.

Rachel had “dreaded the day they would prey upon the land of the Lord”

(BOR 16). The day she realizes that her fears where becoming a reality was the

day she decides to put in every ounce of her strength to protest the encroachment

of the synagogue by the predators as she is “a servant of the Lord, not of your

synagogue committee” (BOR 29). Rachel is “a self-willed, strong woman and …

the synagogue had become the mission of her life” (BOR 30).

She has an emotional attachment with the land of her birth as “she had

grown accustomed to Danda, its sounds and its silence (BOR 18).” She is firmly

rooted and a threat to her stability makes her react valiantly. Rachel is very

sensitive to the thought of immigration, as

She was a free spirit; she needed to be in the land she had known, a

land where her other half, Aaron, was buried, the familiar

land which belonged to her forefathers. Whenever her sons or

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daughter spoke about immigration to Israel, she shivered and

imagined they would imprison her forever in an unknown land

and tie her tongue with the language of their prayers. (BOR 3)

She is not comfortable with the idea of changing her dress or living a life that was

not familiar, so she cherishes in her past and wants to hold on to it.

The act of cooking traditional Bene Israel Jewish cuisine becomes

symbolic. She cooks each dish considering it as a way to keep the rich tradition of

her forefathers alive. It was a constant reminder of her roots. The chief ingredients

for each food is connotative, for instance, fish

The fish is the symbol of protection, because she does not have

eyelids and her eyes are always open and watchful, placed on

both sides of her head. She is the protector of the home, like the

woman of the house. A fish is portrayed on the

ornamental hand sign seen in Jewish homes, the hamsas, for

protection and good luck. A fish signifies fertility because of

the number of eggs she produces and is also linked to the zodiac

sign of Pisces. (BOR 2)

Through this, Rachel was reminded of her role as a woman and her responsibilities

towards her community.

Judah is a victim of rootlessness. His family had been segregated from the

Jewish community, after which he became disinterested in practicing the ways of

his father’s. He has a secure position as a lawyer in Bombay but feels insecure. He

45

is an introvert and he feels “alienated in both societies, Indian and Jewish” (BOR

66). Rachel helps him remember his heritage through her delicious dishes and by

slowly making him be a part of the religious practices. Judah is able to identify

and acknowledge his roots. He is even part of the minyan of ten men.

The older Jews are the guardians of their beliefs, traditions and even a

slight threat to their integrity made them voice out their opposition. Rubybhai was

one such custodian and she reminds Rachel, “…for years, we have been following

some traditions in Danda (136), when talks about the open relationship between

Zephra and Judah arouse. The beliefs of the community are kept alive by the older

generation.

Family history is a matter of pride for every individual. Rachel is also a

proud Dandekar. She lashes out at Mordecai who spokeeaks to her disrespectfully,

as if she was of lower birth. She takes pride in being a Dandekar, “… I am Rachel

Dandekar. I belong to an illustrious family. Do you remember names like

Abraham, Solomon, Menashe, Enoch, Josephand Joshua, my ancestor?” (BOR

89). She also recalls the story of how her ancestors had arrived in India.

Rachel’s children spoke to her in Marathi, which reassured the fact, that

they did not wish to let go off their roots. Zephra calls her mother from Israel to

get help in preparing Jewish dishes. Rachel’s sons and daughter-in- laws adapt to

the Indian way of dressing while in India. The emigrant generations though they

are far from home do not forget their roots and history. They extend monetary aid

in protecting the synagogue in India. The roots of a person decides his place and

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identity in the world and the future generation of Bene Israel Jews are in the right

direction.

Alienation creates a feeling of insecurity which triggers off one’s memory

track and helps them recall their past history and relate to their present life. Rachel

undergoes all these phases which helps her identify herself with her heritage and

roots, thereby allowing her to find a meaning for her existence. Judah is able put

the ghosts to rest and to embrace his roots. The characters are thus able to identify

with their roots.

The novel The Book of Esther is packed with stories from history. Esther is

the protagonist of the novel. She retraces the Dandekar family history and the

history of her community to have a vivid understanding of her roots. “The novel…

unfurls dark family secrets from the Konkan coast, to Gujarat, to Israel, and to

France” (Weil 26).

She speaks of her family and the arrival of the Bene Israel in the Konkan coast.

The history has come down from generation to generation by oral tradition. The

Jews had been running away from the Greek ruler Antioch who wanted to destroy

them. After months of being in sea, they encountered a shipwreck near the

Navgaon port and only seven couple survived. Esther finds a reference of this

incident in the Puranas. Parshuram when he circled the earth to kill the Kshatriyas,

to give more power to the Brahmins, he had found fourteen bodies of foreigners

on the Konkan coast. He then gave them life by chanting mantras. It is believed

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that the foreigners were the Bene Israelites. She also finds a similar story said by

the Chitpavan Brahmins.

Esther refers to the association of the Bene Israel Jews with Tipu Sultan.

Samuel Ezekiel Divekar is a relative to the Dandekars and served in the battalion

of the East India company. When the Sultan captures his battalion, they

miraculously escaped the gallows because of their history. The Bene Israel has

been mentioned as the Banu Israel, the children of Israel, in the Koran and the

Hijaz. When the sultan knew this he released them. The Egyptian philosopher

Moses Maimonides, during his visit to the Konkan in 1100 BC refers to the Bene

Israel as the children of Israel in his texts. Samuel Divekar went on to build the

Shaar’ha – Rahamin— the Gate of Mercy Synagogue, in Bombay in 1796. Esther

is establishing the rich history of her community in India.

The “malady of colour” (BOE 65) was evident among the Jews. The rift

between the black and white Jews has also been mentioned. In the fourteenth

century the differences crept between the fair-skinned Jews known as Blancos and

the dark-skinned Jews, the Malabarese. The Blancos called the dark skinned Jews

Meshuarim, treated them like slaves and gave them separate synagogues. Jerusha

refers to two bitter incidents that took place between the Jews. The Bagdadi Jews

wanted a diving wall in the cemetery for the Bene Israel Jews and they said that

the Bene Israel were not pure and should not touch the Sefer Torah. The bitterness

between these two sects prevented many marriages from taking place. Jerusha

could not marry Ezra because of this difference.

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Esther also speaks of the arrival of the Cochin Jews in India. Essaji Divekar

gives a detailed narration of their history. They built the first synagogue of India

and retained most of the rituals of the Jews. They also have the Sefer Torah, the

first five books of the Old Testament. Until date they are considered the original

Jews of India.

The Dandekars were originally oil pressers. Abraham’s son Solomon

served in the army and after resigning from the army he studies medicine. The

children of the family followed his footsteps and thereafter in every generation

there is a doctor in the family. The Dandekars originally settled in Danda but after

Abraham’s death they shifted to Ahmedabad. Joseph bought the Dilhi Darwaza

house at Ahmedabad, which was in the family for many generations.

In each generation of the Dandekar family at least one member did

something unique that was never done before in the family. The first person to

enlist in the army and the first doctor was Solomon. The first politician in the

family was David. The first lady doctor in the family was Jerusha. Joseph, the

grandson of Bathsheba was the first to study in an English missionary school.

The Dandekars have a natural love and care for the animal kingdom. Esther

narrates it in detail in this novel. Keya, a peacock is the first animal to be taken

care by the Dandekars. Simha, Joseph’s wife became friendly with this peacock

and its footprint is kept as a memento in the Poona house under the mezuzah.

The Dandekars also serve the community in which they lived. After his

work at the cantonment in the evening Joseph opened the back door of the Dilhi

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Darwaza house as a clinic. This practice is followed by the members of the

following generations.

Esther refers to historical incidents like the Great Plague, the Freedom

Movement, the cholera epidemic and the Holocaust. The Dandekars served the

British but even they contributed to the freedom movement. David, Joseph’s son,

was a doctor who also served the British.. He met Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1898 at

the Yerwada jail. He smuggled writing paper and paan into the jail for the leader.

Tilak gave him a ring “a thin gold band imbedded with a pearl. It was a family

heirloom” (BOE 107). He then befriends Sardar Vallabhai Patel . He became a

leader in the Congress and contributed to the freedom struggle. His reformist zeal

brought a conflict between him and the Jewish community. The Dandekar's were

alienated from the community.

The Dandekars practiced medicine for some generations. Joshua changes

that trend. He became the first body builder of the family, then a renowned hunter,

an established zookeeper and finally won the Padmashree in 1975. Esther is proud

of her father being the first to establish the Hill Garden Zoo and the Balvatika,

children’s garden, in Ahmedabad. The Dandekars are attached to the animal

kingdom. The birds and animals are like family members.

Esther tried “to uproot…from…her surrogate motherland, and replant…in

the home of (her)… ancestors”(BOE 371). She was unable to withstand the life in

the new land. She marries Golem to be a Jew. She follows the Jewish rituals. The

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sabbath became a rest day from her stressful life. However, she is unhappy with

her life and only on returning to India she feels at home.

Esther traces her history to understand herself. She lists the achievements of

her ancestors. The radical changes that swept her family are an example for the

entire Jewish community. She gives a historical treatise that helps understand the

life of Jews in India and about her lineage.

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Chapter III

Assertion of Identity

Identity…is a liminal reality- constantly moving between positions,

displacing others and being displaced in turn.

Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture.

A literary text is an important medium for exploring questions of identity

and belonging. S.P. Swain in his “Random Thoughts on Identity” suggests that

three factors determines one’s identity. The first factor is childhood impressions

and aspirations. The rebelliousness in each individual is the second factor and the

zeitgeist is the third factor. People correlate their identity with places, things,

values, beliefs and try to establish their identity. “Identity…(is) a ‘production’,

which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not

outside, representation” ( Hall 110).

Jews have been identified as negative characters in literary texts like

Shylock, the Jew of Shakespeare. Their identity has been tainted and stereotyped.

Esther David in her novels has contributed amply to this topic through the

different Jewish characters in her novels. In her novels she reveals the identity of

Bene Israel Jews of India in an appealing manner.

Esther David has portrayed the life of three generations of women in the novel The

Walled City. The women in this novel are noteworthy as they carve out a place of

their own in the Jewish community. They all go through the period of crisis, while

some remain firm, some others crumble under pressure.

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The protagonist has two identities in the novel, first as a daughter and

second as a Jew. The protagonist as a daughter is filled with the spirit of rebellion.

She wants to “escape from Mother” (TWC 92) and create her identity. She first

breaks the ritual of fast baths “For the first time I am alone with my body. I let the

water flow over me and I am a nymph under the waterfall. I am the rose of Sharon,

and the lily of the valley.” (TWC 85). She then wears nailpolish and anklet. She is

ill at ease with her mother’s overprotection and makes use of every opportunity to

break away from her clutches. She wants to have a life different from the one lead

by the women of her family and did not want it to be shadowed by others. Sanskrit

is the area of interest in her college life but due to internal pressure from her

family she takes psychology. She set the norms for her life.

Her search to comprehend who she is begins when she is a child and

continues until her youth. She fears to beget a daughter as she thought, “It is a

vishchakra, a never-ending, poisonous cycle. She, as a daughter, would want to

know all that I know” (TWC 198) and she will have to live through with

unanswered questions. So, she takes the identity of a spinster and being the only

child to her parents takes care of them.

The protagonist finds immense joy in identifying herself with the Hindu

mythological goddesses. She identifies herself with “the brass in the showcase”

(TWC 75), the idol of Parvati and tries imitating her features. When her father

does well in his business she is identified with “Lakshmi, the goddess of

prosperity whose presence brings abundance” (TWC 118). She gives up the

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practice of eating meat, wore white sari in Gujarati style just to be identified with

her native friends. She is trying to associate herself with her Hindu friends in this

manner, as she is troubled with the sense of not belonging.

. The protagonist’s identity as a Jew is hampered by the questions that rose in

her mind about her God and her roots. She is not an ardent follower of Judaism.

The dilemma makes her conclude that:

Everything is maya, andit is spun a web around us. What appears

around us is not that exists. Behind the curtain of the

synagogue, in the Hebrew inscriptions on the grave, in the

light of the candle, is that which we try to grasp but cannot,…

Everything is maya, the illusion of so many births, so many

shipwrecks, so many voyages, so many massacres (TWC

192-93).

She finally goes with the Hindu philosophy of maya and lives with her Jewishness

as “escape is impossible” (TWC 141).

Naomi, the protagonist’s mother, boldly leaves the portals of her home and

works as a secretary. She is economically independent and runs the family. She

creates her own identity in a man’s world and even withstands the scorn of her

husband’s family. She feels that everyone was unfair to her “after the closeted life

she had led as a girl, it has not been easy for her to go out and work among

strangers” (TWC 7). The tragedy that befalls on her family when she is a child

motivates her to take the road of independence, breaking the norms of her

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patriarchal society. She earns her identity as the breadwinner of the family,

although there is a power struggle in the family between Naomi and her father.

The protagonist brings out her mother’s dilemma:

Mother worries constantly about the fact that she is not her father’s

son. She tries hard to be the man of the family. She goes to

work and the two men stay at home. She always seems to carry more

domestic responsibilities than they do, but sometimes, she tires of her

role and feels relieved when Danieldada depends more on Father

(TWC 50).

She remains strong throughout like the Biblical Naomi.

Malkha has a flexible identity that keeps changing with time. As a young

girl she fancies Joel and was happy with the idea to settle down as his wife. But as

time progresses she is captivated by the silver screen, Bollywood, and identifies

herself with the cinema stars. She believed, “money is freedom” (TWC 79) for

girls. When she meets Aunt Jerusha, she is inspired by her and let’s go of all her

whimsical dreams. She dedicates herself to studying and creating an identity for

herself. She later goes on to run a secular English school in the suburbs. Once her

brothers, Samuel and Benjamin, desert her parents she becomes their guardian and

remains unmarried. She rejects Joel’s proposal and “refused to be their bonded

labourers for life” (TWC 113). She emphasizes that, “only our work will be of

any use to us”(TWC 164) to the protagonist. Malkha grows from a weak character

into a strong one in the novel. She firmly establishes her identity among the Jews.

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Aunt Jerusha is the first spinster in the family and the one to lead the way

for the other girls in the family to follow like Malka and the protagonist. She is a

well educated, London returned doctor, who is a model for the following

generations. She “burie(s) her body under the gravestone called ‘responsibility’,

she had been left with no emotional support” (TWC 163). She creates her

individual identity as an unwed daughter who takes care of her aged mother.

Although she has two brothers she becomes her mother’s walking stick. She is

also self contained in her work at the general hospital. She is influenced by the

materialism and the mannerism of the West but is “a very spiritual person” (TWC

109). It is through her that the protagonist understood that “God means service to

humanity”(TWC 109). Malkha is also influenced by her and begins working hard

for her future.

Granny and Aunt Hannah are dedicated homemakers. Both of them are

dedicated Jews. They are limited with their ordinary routine life, doing domestic

chores, and their roles as wife and mother. They lead simple lives, but firmly

believe in the Jewish values. Both women pass on the Jewish legacy to their

children. They are content with their identity. Aunt Hannah is very concerned

about her identity as a meateater and even buys a house in the co-operative

society. Granny has held on to her family although she regrets the life of a woman.

The protagonist’s maternal aunts marry outside their community and

religion adapt to their new identities. Her Aunt Julekha idea of identity is an echo

of the famous line “What’s in a name?”, she states, “I am called Julie or Julekha.

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What is important is that I am me. I am neither Jewish or Muslim, but just a

human being” (TWC 161). She is a person who was not bound by constricted

labels of identity and has a broader outlook to life.

Leah leads a monotonous life , “counting the clothes for the dhobi who

came with a little bullock, telling the cook to wash the coriander leaves, fixing the

mosquito nets around the beds and spraying the rooms with insecticide… listening

to the cicadas… A grinding routine, but then a comforting one” (TWC 59). Her

identity is limited to that of being a homemaker. Leah’s identity is her husband.

When there is a threat to that identity she tries to get help from religion but all is in

vain. The protagonist envisages her situation, “her world must have broken apart,

the calm routine of her life dissolving in a whirlpool of disturbances”(TWC 59).

She feels defeated and ends her life. She has a crippled unsatisfactory identity.

The crisis of being a Jew takes a toll on the young minds of the family.

They are unable to find answers to the many questions about their religion and

community. The answers given by the council of elders are not satisfactory. The

protagonist keeps seeking answers, but Samuel is unable to withstand the crisis.

He flares up once and declared that “he is not interested in any of … Jewish stuff”

(TWC 140). He is unable to create an identity for himself and dies young.

The men of the family are not very influential in their activities. Danieldada

has a multicultural identity. He is drawn to the British lifestyle, at the same time he

revels in the Hindu practices. However, he did not forget his Jewishness. His

identity as a husband and father is tainted by his illicit affair with Durga. He fails

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in his family life, but tries to make it up with his granddaughter. The protagonist’s

father has his own ideas about life and leads his separate life. He said, “I am a

Gujarati”(TWC 121) and is content with that identity. Uncle Menachem is a strict

Jew and tried to retain its beliefs in the family but failed.

The Mezuzah on the doorpost announces their Jewishness to the outside

world. The rituals at the time of birth, death and marriage help retain the distinct

identity of the community. But, as “the walls are breaking, and the small Jewish

community lives in a divided city and does not know where to place itself”

(Foreword). In the community, “rituals were forgotten, but sometimes Hebrew

words would stray into their memories for a fleeting moment” (TWC 58) which

asserts the fact that their Jewish identity can never be stripped from them.

The title of the novel The Walled City, is based on the city of Ahmedabad.

The novel begins in the 1940s and David describes it as a city of fourteen gates

with its dryness and the smell of dying fragrance of the mango blossoms. She goes

on to say:

They are cutting the mango trees and building a new Ahmedabad

across the river. In the walled city, the houses and the pols—

those narrow streets crowed with box-like tenements—grow tall

and dense like trees in a rain forest, and the blazing sun burns the white

mosaic on the terraces (TWC 2).

The city undergoes change with time just like the life of the characters does. Walls

and gates bind it but once this security system starts to crumble the entire

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landscape of the city changes. The city proves as a refuge to many communities

but the people are not as amiable as the city. Religious tolerance is lost and riots

began. In the chapters “The Crack in the Wall” and “Wailing Walls” Esther David

has verbalized the turmoil both of the city and its people. “Ahmedabad was

conceived in a vision of violence” (TWC 181). Three petrifying words dominate

the city and its inhabitants. They are, “Curfew, riots, bloodshed” (TWC 182). The

identity of the city goes through tumultuous change. The city that is being rebuilt

was transformed into a battleground. The city has become synonymous for

violence. It is sad to note that till date the city goes through this venomous period

from time to time. David describes how the novel was, “about Ahmedabad, how

the city of Mahatma Gandhi has been reduced to a city of violence.”(Foreword).

The violence in the city makes people to change their names, thereby

changing there identity. Mani works as a maid in the Dilhi Darwaza house. She

has two names Mani and Mumtaz. The protagonists said that, “Uncle Menachem

says that it used to be the custom to give children two names to camouflage their

identity during times of communal tension” (TWC 124). She is by birth a Muslim

and the name Mani is her only shield against religious violence. Her identity is

attached to her name otherwise “she would be killed, burnt alive, or raped” (TWC

124).

The three generation of women have their own crisis and are successful in

tackling their crises. David has not given importance to the male characters;

however, they have a comparatively easy life. Women shoulder the responsibility

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of the family and the community and contribute largely for retaining the identity of

the Jews. The crises faced by the characters are resolved to an extent but the crisis

faced by the city remains unsolved. The menace of violence is a lurking danger to

the city and its inhabitants. Therefore, the city has an apprehensive future.

In the novel The Book of Rachel she has described the identity crises

encountered by Rachel. Rachel has a twin identity- her cultural identity and self-

identity. When the synagogue faces the risk of being sold, it is a threat to Rachel’s

cultural identity as a Jew. Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta in her article entitlted

“Narrative of Faith” notes that Rachel’s Jewish identity is precious to her. She rose

to the occasion to save her identity and the identity of her community.

An identity crisis arises when one’s space is threatened. The sale of the

synagogue meant losing her security and space. The synagogue is her world and

the reason for her survival. The synagogue stands as a symbol for her existence.

Although the community owns the synagogue, Rachel fosters it as her own. Her

fight to maintain the synagogue became a battle for her own existence. She is

attached, body and soul, with the synagogue. The synagogue stands for her past as

well as for her identity. Her identity depends on the survival of the synagogue.

“Identity is the projection of self. Self-images moulds and transforms self-

identity” (Swain 12). Rachel faces a threat to her normal routine of keeping the

synagogue clean. It is also the link for her to stay in India and not migrate to Israel.

The meaningful existence of her life is associated with the synagogue and when

that is threatened, she emerges like an arrogant lioness safeguarding her belonging,

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“I look after the synagogue and belong to the Bene Israel community of this land”

(BOR 89). Rachel stakes everything to save the synagogue and thereby succeeds

in retaining the cultural identity of her community and herself.

The visit of an American rabbi strengthens her to fight for her identity.

Rabbi Nahson, declared that, “A woman like Rachel cannot possibly be impure”

(BOR 37). Although she is a woman, she is given permission to “climb the teva

and clean it” (BOR 36). She savored the moment as it was, “the moment of

freedom from the confines of age-old traditions and taboos” (BOR 37) and the first

victory for her years of dedicated service.

Rachel’s march towards modernization begins with her first rejection of

“the traditional nine-yard saris” (BOR 7) for “the modern five-yard saris” (BOR 7)

after her husband’s death. She acknowledgs “ I have always been modern” (BOR

88), though she is bound by the walls of tradition. She establishes her self-identity

as a woman.

She cooks a new recipe each day to remember the flavor of her community.

She tries to rejuvenate the taste buds of Judah and Zephra with her menus and

instill in them the feeling of Jewishness. She succeeds in passing on her identity of

Jewishness to her next generation.

Zephra is her mother’s version of strength but an antithesis in many

matters. She hates to cook and be confined to a particular way of life. She is

modern in her approach to life and open-minded. But, there is an inner crisis

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raging in her, whether to hold on to her homeland or to go back to her new found

land. An inner turmoil raged in her, threatening her identity.

She is perplexed when she falls in love with Judah. She is not very sure

about the institution of marriage. The talks of marriage turn her off and she grabs

every opportunity to avoid the topic. She has been in an unsuccessful live-in

relationship for five years and is hesitant to make a commitment. C. V. Aravind in

an article in The Hindu writes, “Often, when … live-ins come apart, they could

scar either the man or woman for life” (12), and Zephra faces the same crisis.

However, as time passes she became emotional strong and acceptes Judah as her

soul mate.

She comes to her mother’s aid when she is in dire need of a moral support.

It is only after her intervention, Rachel has some confidence that she would be

able to work out a solution in the matter regarding the synagogue. Her relationship

with her mother is friendly but it has its limitations. She tries to please her mother

by dressing to her liking and tries to learn cooking. She is an immigrant trying to

find her identity. She creates an identity in interstitial space. Zephra is drawn by

the Western culture but she did not totally give up on her Jewishness.

Zephra shares her mother’s vision of safeguarding the synagogue from the

hands of predators like Mordecai and so she evolves a scheme to impress upon the

synagogue committee the state of the synagogue. She recognizes her internal

potency to endorse her support for the synagogue. Zephra act of taking steps to

protect the synagogue firmly establishes her identity as a Jew.

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An individuals identity is also rooted in one’s culture and an alienation

from that culture leads to loss of one’s socio-cultural identity. Judah faces this

identity crisis. His identity as a Jew has been stripped from him and he leads a

silent uninteresting life in Bombay. He has a sense of not belonging in the Jewish

community. Judah’s decision to assist Rachel in her battle to safeguard the

synagogue is the first step towards him rejoining his community. The Jewish

identity that has been denied to him was once again given to him by the service he

had rendered for the welfare of the synagogue. He is the architect behind making

the synagogue a museum that was a storehouse for the artifacts of the Jewish

community.

He becomes a surrogate son to Rachel in the absence of her children,

proving to be a constant source of support and strength in her hard times when she

has lost all hope in winning a losing battle against Mordecai. Rachel fights with

her people to establish the identity of Judah, her “spiritual son” (BOR 92) in the

community”...he is as much a Jew as you and me are” (BOR 88).

The identity of the synagogue is threatened by the overvaulting greed of

Mordecai. The fate of the synagogue depends on them, Rachel, Judah and Zephra,

their efforts to safeguard it elevats its value from just being a building to a

monument of Jewish identity for generations to come. The cultural identity of the

Jews is protected and strengthened.

Phani Mohanty quotes from Raymond Williams’s article “Culture and

Society”, where he writes, “Human crisis is always a crisis of understanding” (48).

63

The characters of Esther David in this novel resolve their identity crisis by

understanding their situation and being resilient. The identities of the important

characters are shaped by their experience with the synagogue. Rachel establishes

her identity and she evolves as a strong-headed Jewish woman with an

indomitable spirit, a true custodian of Jewish faith. Zephra also establishes her

mark as an immigrant Jew who holds on to her old values and accepts her new

identity that was a collage of tradition and modernity. Judah regains his lost

identity of being a Jew and becomes the hope for the continuity of his community.

Thus, the characters are successful in creating an identity for themselves.

The novel The Book of Esther according to G.J.V. Prasad is “another of

the big Indian novels about family, community, and identity”(34).The Bene Israel

Jews had found refuge in the village of Danda after the shipwreck adopted the

name Dandekar. The Bene Israelites took the name of the village that gave them

shelter adding with it ‘kar’ and made it their surname. The name is more Indian.

However, the family slowly gives up the surname Dandekar in David’s generation.

They feel comfortable to be identified by their individual names and use their

grandfather’s name as surname.

Bathsheba belongs to the period before independence. Women during her

period are not allowed even to step out of their house. Bathsheba is different.

When the men of the family are not ready to take the responsibility of managing

the baadee, the family property, she raises the question, “Why can’t we take their

place in their absence?” (BOE 10). She came forward to take over the

64

responsibility from her father-n-law. In the patriarchal Bene Israel society it is not

common for women to step out of the portals of the house, but Bathsheba breaks

all laid norms. She learns about farming from Sombhau, their help. Bathsheba has

not been given formal education so she finds maintaining accounts a problem, but

she overcomes this hurdle by learning mathematics from Enoch, her second

brother in-law. She equips herself fully for the job.

When the women of the community criticize her she convens a meeting

with the women and convince them of her decision. She becomes the family’s

“pillar of strength” (BOE 22). Her husband Solomon notices the change in her

after he returns from the army. He sees “a new woman emerge from the girl he had

known” (BOE 27). Her newly found identity is short lived and she is forced by the

cunningness of the people of her time to give up her identity of a free woman. She

is the first woman to have made a mark in the Dandekar family.

Joseph is the grandson of Bathsheba. He is like his grandmother wanting to

do things differently. He goes to an English medium school, adopted his style of

dressing and works hard to win the heart of the woman he loves. He conducts the

Shabbat prayers in Hebrew and also gives the meaning. He teaches his community

the Hebrew prayers and their meaning. He loves going on expeditions to the forest

and he is considered as a man blessed by the Shesh Nag. He is a doctor by

profession and is called as Dr. Isabjidada. Joseph is influenced by the ideas of the

outside world but he is very much Jewish.

65

David is the son of Joseph. He too is a doctor. He establishes his identity as

a member of the freedom struggle movement. His associations with Tilak and

Vallabhai Patel influence him to join the freedom movement. He vows, “never

again work for the British empire” (BOE 110) and keeps his words. He opens the

doors of his house for political discussions for party worker’s at night. He stood

for Municipal elections in 1920 and won against a renowned mill owner. His

political ambitions make him borrow large sum of money and when he dies he was

immersed in debts.

He is “a dreamer, an armchair politician and social reformist” (BOE 118).

He wants to simplify the rituals of the Jewish community but this makes him an

alien to his community. However, he does not forgo his religious practices and

teaches his children all the practices. He is a very strict taskmaster as a father. He

advocated education and it is because of him being a strict father Jerusha becomes

the first Indian Jewish woman doctor. He also has his little animal kingdom, which

he controlled with strictness. David is a modern Bene Israel Jew.

Joshua is a body builder, ace shooter film role, zoo man. He is the last son

of David. He is weak as a child but to overcome his shortcoming he developesd

his body. His childhood role models are the Bible characters Samson and Daniel.

He imbibes both their traits. Samson is known for his strength and like him Joshua

becomes a body builder and wins the title of Mr. Gujarat and Body Beautiful. He

was a very good shikari, hunter like Samson. He is like Daniel a brave man who

has face-off with wild animals but his courage never deterred. He is offered a role

66

in the film industry but his father refuses to give him permission. Then he wins the

gold medal in target shooting competition held in Gujarat.

He develops the skill of shooting to kill wild animals and establishes a

worshop “Joshua’s Rifles”(BOE 167). The wealthy people hire him as their shikari

on expeditions. “He identified with all that was wild and savage” (BOE 167). He

gathers wealth of information from books, magazines and manuals on hunting.

Joshua has a luxurious life.

Joshua has some bitter experience on his hunting trips. His encounters with

a rabbit and a doe “were like signals to the path that was destined for him” (BOE

197). He gives up hunting and starts taking care of animals. When he is a boy, he

has takes care of his father’s pets and this comes as an aid to him. He is not good

at studies and is always scolded by his father as a useless person. His brother

persuades him to do a correspondence course in taxidermy and veterinary sciences

offered by the British Veterinary Association, which later helps him while

working with the animal kingdom. He has a kennel for dogs and reared different

breeds of dogs- cocker spaniels, sheep dogs, black poodles, lion dogs of China,

pomeranians and chihuahuas. He becomes an expert on animal care.

Joshua’s identity keeps changing and his character evolves as a strong one.

When the Ahemadabad municipality buys the Roopnagar, a traveling zoo, he helps

them establish a zoo in Ahemadabad. He says that although he is a Jew by religion

by caste he is a Vaghri. He focuses all his attention on the zoo and with his efforts

new animals are brought to the zoo and it expands. Prime Minister Jawaharlal

67

Nehru also visits the zoo. He becomes “a famous zoo man” (BOE 170). He also

wrote columns in the Gujarat Dainik on issues related to wildlife creating

awareness among the public. He became known “as the miracle man of

Ahmedabad” (BOE 219). Shebabeth thought that the Shesh Nag prophesy had

come true through her son. Joshua evolves as a perfect example for the saying that

“the hands that killed also had the power to heal” (BOE 196). He won the

Padmashree and the Pranimitra prize for natural stories. He finally establishes his

identity as a man of nature.

Esther is the narrator of the whole novel. She is named after Queen Esther

in the Bible as she is born on Purim— the festival of Queen Esther.

. She is an ordinary Jewish girl. She studies painting, although she is not good at it.

Her youth life is filled with unrequited love and rape. The rebellion spirit in her

gives her the courage to break her engagement with Benjamin. She has an

unhappy married life with Shree and two children are born to them. She becomes a

single mother to her children. After her divorce from him she embarks on a

journey to understand her identity. Her problem is “ the confusion of being Jewish.

It was an emotional problem” (BOE 383). Israel wais like the mysterious land that

has the solution to her crisis. She undertakes an expedition to the land of her

ancestors but can not identify much with it. Her life with Golem in France is an act

of her trying to be Jewish but it is unsuccessful. She finally returns to India and

finds that her identity is in India.

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The birds and animals give the Dandekars identity. Solomon-the-Second

was a cousin from Bombay. He grew a cockatoo in his house and treated it like a

family member. The bird was called Ellis. He was known as Daktar Solomondada

Kakakauwallah because of his romantic attachment with the bird.

The characters make their mark in their generation and create an identity

for themselves. In this nonel, Esther David has brought out the character of the

men of the Bene Israel community. They are largely represented in this novel.

They have

established their unique place in their community. The women emerge stronger

with each generation. They have strong personalities and carve a place for

themselves in the Bene Israel community.

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Summation

That was how we all felt, though: we saw our own lives as fluid,

wesaw the other man or person as soldier. But in the town, where all

was arbitrary and the law was what it was, all our lives were

fluid.We none of us had certainties of any kind.

V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River.

India is considered the melting pot of people with different religions, castes,

creeds and languages. It is known as a land of Gods and Godesses. Many

communities make up together the fabric of the Indian society. The people of the

land are known for their hospitality. The Jews have received and experienced this

hospitality and have been part of the Indian soil for a long time. Although the

world was poisoned with the feeling of anti-Semitism towards the Jews, India was

an exception. The Indian society accepted the Jews with an open heart. Esther

David in her novels has captured this communitie’s experience in India.

David’s The Walled City, The Book of Rachel and The Book of Esther are

treatises about the Bene Israel Jews. The Bene Israel Jews are the largest sect of

Jews in India. They have settled along the Konkan coast, in Maharastra and

Gujarat. They lost their religious books in a shipwreck and remembered very little

about the rituals, prayers and beliefs. The very little they remember was passed on

orally from generation to generation. A little knowledge is too dangerous is a

famous proverb and it fits well to describe the Jews. The little knowledge they had

about their Jewishness becomes a problem to the characters. David has portrayed

70

the language, cuisine, rituals, culture, religious practices, that is, the entire matrix

of the community. She has also showed how various factors prove as threats to

the integrity of an entire community.

The dilemma of their Jewish identity haunts the characters. They face

cultural and religious crises. They embark on a journey of understanding their

history and roots. They resolve their internal crisis and move on to create an

identity for themselves.

The Jews have internal conflicts among themselves. Differences between

the sects of Jews are revealed in the novels. The Baghdadi Jews considered the

Bene Israelites as “uncultured and very Indian in… habits, rather desi” ( BOR

108). There were no cordial relationship between them and marriage proposals

were declined due to this reason. The Bene Israel Jews are distanced from the

Cochin and the Bagdadi Jews and their very Jewishness is doubted. The

discrimination against kala Jews (black and hence impure) by gora Jews (white

and hence pure) existed and David has pointed this out in her novel. Bene Israel

Jews’ Jewishness was questioned by the other Jews.

There are also differences between the Asian and the European Jews. It is a

disturbing revelation brought out by David. When the whole world is fighting

against the Jews, it is alarming to know that they were fighting among themselves.

The difference between black and white, pure and impure is not specific to Africa

alone it is even found in the community of Jews, which is indeed an issue of great

concern.

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The Jews have many strict laws and practices. The shabath day is observed

with reverence, the shabath prayers are said and the dietary laws are practiced.

However, the law that no one should work on Saturday is broken as in today’s fast

moving world they find it difficulty to stop even for a minute to practice their

tradition. Time is money and the Bene Israelites are well aware of this universal

truth.

According to the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses the Jews

were not to make any images or idols, neither were they to bow down to other

Gods. Characters like Bathsheba and Esther are drawn to the other Gods and also

have idols of their favorite pagan gods. They commit these sins and are never

relieved of their guilty conscience. They break the laws but pay the price for it.

The laws emphasized that the Jews should not mingle with others, nor visit

others homes. The Bene Israel Jews tried to follow this but the younger Jews

wanted to mingle with others and be part of the society. They were forced to

socialize inorder to maintain a good relationship with other communities and also

to increase their tribe.

Children “are an heritage of the Lord” (The Holy Bible, Psalm127.3) and

they are “as arrows…in the hand of a mighty man” (The Holy Bible, Psalm127.4).

The Bene Israelites strongly believed in these words. The children were getting

married outside the community. The elders were unable to stop the rebellion of the

younger Jews. A reform in thinking took hold among the elders. Flexibility was

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the key to their survival and children were accepted in the community if their

mother was a Bene Israel Jew. They open new doors for their tribe to increase.

The sons of the Bene Israel Jews deserted their parents and the daughters

took the place of the sons. The parents who wanted their daughters to take care of

them in their old age imposed spinsterhood on them. They were educated to

become economically stable to afford the needs of their parents. Many families

had emigrated to Israel and those left in India are the old along with their

unmarried daughters.

Women were under the reigns of the patriarchal society. In earlier times the

laws were hurdles which the women found difficult to follow and to break.

Education gave them awareness about their rights and money earned them their

freedom. They have progressed by leaps and bounds. They did not only play the

role of mother and wife, but were also the breadwinner of the family.

David has captured this community from the colonial to the postcolonial

period, from the British Raj to the riots in Ahmedabad. Her novels are a mirror to

the dilemmas faced by a miniscule population referred to as God’s own people in a

foreign land. They are lured by the prospects of the fertile terrain of Israel but

those who are rooted in India find it as a threat to their existence and not as an

appealing vista. The Bene Israel community is a shrinking community in India, as

many have emigrated to Israel. The community has sustained its identity although

it has faced the threat of the native culture and religion. They have assimilated

themselves within the Indian society.

73

Violence threatens the stability of the world and there is a general rise of

violence everywhere across the globe. India has been no exception to this menace,

as external and internal forces have provoked it. The external violence is caused

by terrorism and the internal is due to communal clashes. In India, people of

different religions co-exist, but some parts of the country are prone to communal

clashes. The Babri Masjid demolition, the Godra riots are just examples of the

deadly enmity between the Muslims and the Hindu’s. David has written on the

disturbing issue of the religious intolerance prevalent in the state of Gujarat with

specific reference to the city of Ahemadabad. She describes the chaos unleashed

by violence and talks about the pain and agony endured by the people. The Jews

lost their friends and loved ones to the violence.

Even today it is like a demon without control and the Mumbai Taj attack is

a reminder of merciless killing of Jews by terrorists in the Nariman house. The

Jews are being forced to rethink their decision to stay in India. Violence disorients

the life of the people and they are battered by its harshness in their lives. Its

venomous instincts hook the lives of the characters and leave deep abrasion in

their lives that are never healed. The characters of David’s novel are caught in this

whirlwind of violence and suffer.

The strong walls of the Bene Israel Jewish community have disintegrated

and what remains is just artifact like the synagogue in Danda. The community has

lost its religious beliefs. Modern ideas and lifestyles have captured the hearts of

the younger generation. But, their Jewishness resurfaces in their sensibilities. They

74

try to evade their Jewish identity but at the same time find solace from this

identity. Esther in The Book of Esther exemplifies this dilemma in her life.

In India there has been a complex relationship between various social,

racial and religious cultures. The social culture of the Bene Israel Jews is largely

influenced by the native culture and the West. They dress and speak the Indian

way. They retain their religious culture but many factors affect it. Cross-cultural

and cross- religious conflicts surface in the community. Sub-cultures like living

together is practiced by the younger generation. The culture of the Bene Israel is

multicultural and hybridized.

Raymond Williams sees three important ways of thinking about culture.

Firstly, it is culture as an ideal, the embodiment of perfect and universal values.

Secondly, culture as ‘documentary’, in which human thoughts, language, form

convention and experience are recorded. Lastly, culture as social, as a way of life,

whereby it expresses the feeling of a social group. Esther David has dealt with the

culture of the Jews in these three ways in her novels and brought out the cultural

crises encountered by the characters.

The religious faith of the Jews is shaken by mainly two reasons. Firstly they

were unable to comprehend the Hebrew prayers nor the rituals and secondly the

influence of the religion of the land. The religious conflict mainly affects the

younger generation of the Bene Israelites. They try to find answers to the many

questions that disturb them. The main question that arises in their mind is about

their Jewishness.

75

Modern man runs helter–skelter and leads a chaotic life in this fast

changing world. Identity crisis is faced by almost everyone to establish their

greatness in today’s competitive world. Stress, depression, alienation, lack of

communication are encountered by everyone and tolerance is on the decline.

People are bewildered by their situation and are confused. Insularity towards

spirituality is a characteristic of modern man. The Bene Israel youth are affected

by this.

A sense of not belonging, alienation, rejection make the characters to

revamp their past history and understand their present. The journey undertaken by

the characters is to define the search for an identity for themselves and for their

community. In due course they firmly sketch themselves in sands of time that none

or nothing can erase them.

Salman Rushdie writes “The broken pots of antiquity, from which the past

can sometimes, but always provisionally, be reconstructed, are exciting to

discover, even if they are pieces of the most quotidian object” (12). David has

given the history of the Jews in India in detail. The novel The Book of Esther in

some places is like a history text book laden with information about the Jews

which is interesting. The Bene Israel Jews have established their unique place in

the Indian society. They have made their share of contribution to the society. The

Dandekars have served as doctors in the city of Ahmedabad and they were also

part of the freedom struggle. The first zoo in the city of Ahmedabad was made

76

possible by the vision and efforts of Joshua David Dandekar, a Bene Israel Jew.

The stories have been delicately woven between memory and fiction.

Esther David has captured with her camera eye the Bene Israel society and

its response to the changing times. She has dissected the components of the society

that are sensitive to give a clear image of reality about the Bene Israel people. She

has given an interesting account of the rich Jewish cuisine in the novel The Book

of Rachel. David has elaborated all the rituals at the time of birth, marriage and

death, the festivals of the Jews and their beliefs in her three novels. The characters

grow in her novel are round and grow as the story progresses.

In the novel The Walled City she has helped the protagonist to understand

her roots in relation with the city of Ahmedabad. The search for God helps her

understand her identity as a Jew. While in The Book of Rachel the protagonist

tries to preserve her heritage, her identity. The synagogue is the centre of the story

and it by saving it Rachel saves herself and her community. In The Book of Esther

the lives of many characters are dealt with. They come to terms with their

Jewishness and acceptance of India as their home.

The problem of identity crisis, cultural and religious crises is not specific to

Jews alone but is widespread and encountered by people irrespective of colour,

race and creed. The tiny Bene Israel community has lived peacefully along the

western coast of India for centuries. They look like their neighbours but cling on

77

to their Jewish rites and customs. They nurse a fond tie with the land of Israel

from where they believe their ancestors came. They have overcome their

shortcomings and accepted the fact that “India.(was) Home.”( BOE 394).

78

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