The Bene Israel Community in India and in Israel Today:
Celebrations, customs, often-asked questions and their answers.
"If the members of the Bene Israel community were birds, animals or reptiles they would have been placed under the category of endangered species; but since they are neither birds nor animals, they are vanishing as a community and being amalgamated into main stream Judaism.
I am myself a member of the Bene Israel community, so before our rituals and customs which we have followed for centuries, vanish completely, I took it upon myself to collect our rituals and record them in writing.
As I am myself eighty-seven years old, I could not find many older than myself who would enlighten me further on the subject.
I am often called upon to give a talk on our community. I started collecting the questions which follow my talks and I am presenting them herewith.
Every research paper should have a bibliography at the end of the theses, but since I am writing what was told to me by my elders as well as my own recollections I have no bibliography to present."
Shimeon Kollet
