The Baghdadi Jewish community in India may only be around 50 strong today, as documented by the Jewish Women’s Archive, but the larger diaspora is holding on to their history. “My community [also called Mizrahi Jews, as they are from the Middle East and North Africa] embodies many diverse identities and has made significant contributions within India, despite often being overlooked in discussions,” says Ciara Shalome, 25, a London-based content creator. She and a few others in the U.K. are doing their bit to chronicle their culture, especially through food.
Shalome has been documenting the lived history of the community — most of whom called Bombay and Calcutta home — through her TikTok channel Chaidentity (and more recently, on Instagram). When she first started sharing content in 2022, she had noticed a recurring theme: an abundance of material related to Jewish culture, but with a focus on Ashkenazi Jews (diaspora Jews who established communities along the Rhine in western Germany and northern France). “I couldn’t help but see the glaring absence of representation for Mizrahi Jews. This realisation struck me particularly when I came across a video by an Ashkenazi content creator, where various individuals were sharing their favourite dishes. As I awaited the inclusion of voices from the Mizrahi, I was met with absence.” So, she took up the challenge to bridge the divide.
