Jewish Calcutta Through Music and Memory, with Rahel Musleah

Click here to register for this free virtual program co-presented by New Lehrhaus.

Although very few Jews remain there today, Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, was the site of a thriving Jewish community. Jewish merchants and traders from present-day Iraq and Syria came to the city during the period of the British Raj, beginning in 1798. Approximately 5,000 Jews called the city home in the mid-twentieth century, but the number quickly dwindled in the aftermath of Indian independence and the establishment of the State of Israel. Rahel Musleah, who was born in Calcutta and returns regularly, will offer a person view of the history and culture of the community, embellished by examples of the rich musical traditions passed down through her family.

Rahel Musleah introduces audiences to the distinctive heritage of the Jews of India and Iraq through the vivid prism of her family’s story. The seventh generation of a Calcutta family, she traces her roots to seventeenth century Baghdad. Her multifaceted visual, song and story presentations offer a rare and intimate view of a rich culture little-known to most. Musleah is an award-winning New York-based journalist, author, singer, storyteller, and educator. Her articles have appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to Hadassah Magazine. Her books include Apples and Pomegranates: A Family Seder for Rosh Hashanah and Why On This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration. She is a pioneer as a female prayer leader in the Sephardi/Mizrahi community and has recorded a CD of Shabbat and holiday melodies. Musleah leads Jewish heritage tours to India every November and February, which she infuses with her personal, spiritual, and musical insights, as well as her knowledge of India’s Jewish history. Learn more at explorejewishindia.com.