India's Bene Israel wins fight to preserve Jabalpur Ranital Jewish Cemetery

Although the Jewish community of India is one of the country’s smallest and is not listed among the six officially recognized minorities, it has won a long battle for the preservation of the Ranital Jewish Cemetery in Jabalpur.

The news was conveyed to The Jerusalem Post by popular Indian restaurateur Rena Pushkarna, who for more than 30 years has been an unofficial liaison between Israel and India.

Her Tandoori restaurant has been a venue for secret peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives.

She was a member of a delegation that accompanied former prime minister Ariel Sharon to India. She was further invited by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the King David Hotel in Jerusalem to cook for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Israel; and she has been a friend and consultant to every Indian ambassador to Israel.

Pushkarna maintains close contact with relatives and friends who are still in India, and she recently received a notice informing her that the High Court of Madhya Pradesh has upheld a previous court decision affirming that the Ranital Jewish Cemetery is a national heritage monument.

Several prominent members of the Bene Israel community are buried there, which is another reason why Indian Jewish community leaders consider the court’s ruling to be a major victory for them and for lawyer Manish Verma.

India's Jewish community made up of around 4,000 to 5,000 members

There are no exact demographic figures for the Jewish communities of India, but the published estimate is somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 members.

Over the years, the cemetery has been vandalized, but the Jewish community is now in a position to restore tombstones and fix gates.

There are three Bene Israel left in Jabalpur, and they have received support from the municipality, conservationists, and various organizations and individuals.

Other Jewish heritage sites across India are also under threat, but the case of the Ranital Jewish cemetery will make it easier to preserve these historic sites.

Yaniv Revach, the consul-general of Israel to midwest India, based in Mumbai, has offered to help with the restoration project.

Because many Jewish businesspeople and tourists visit India, Chabad maintains several outreach centers across the country, and some of its directors will also help in preserving the history of India’s Jews.