JAIPUR: While walking down the lanes of Pushkar , not many people would know about the small but joyful celebration of the Jewish festival ‘Hanukkah’ in the town.Thousands of Israelis visit Pushkar every year who have now established a Chabad house (a centre for disseminating traditional Judaism ) in the town. This year Hanukkah is being celebrated for eight days which started from Sunday, in the Chabad house of Pushkar. “It is a happy holiday. We pray, eat, dance, and sing hymns and Hebrew songs. These eight days are considered to be pious and blessed for us,” said Michelle, an Israeli tourist on her eighth visit to India.In the second century BCE, Holy Land (present day Israel) came under the control of the Greeks who tried to enforce Greek culture and religion on the Jewish people living there. Against all odds, a small group of Jewish people, led by Judah the Maccabee defeated the Greeks and reclaimed the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it in the service of god.After the victory when the Jews tried to light the temple’s menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found olive oil that escaped the contamination of Greeks. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight full days giving Jews some time till the new oil could be prepared.“In Pushkar, we celebrate inside the Chabad premises but people of all religion are always welcome. We have Israeli dishes prepared along with Indian dishes as we Israelis are fond of Indian cuisine,” said Michelle.She added, “Menorah has nine flames, one of which is shamash (attendant), which is used to kindle the other eight lights. Every day one flame is lit and on the eighth day when the festival is concluded, all the flames are kindled.” These eight days are celebrated as Hanukkah. In Pushkar, around 150 Israelis are taking part in the celebration this year along with few Indian Jews.Not many people know but there is a micro minority of Indian Jews settled in Mumbai and Cochin. Once a thriving community, there are now less than 5,000 Jews in the country as most of them have migrated to Israel after its formation in 1947.

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