Shalom India Housing Society

"Hilarious and heart-warming..."--Asian Age

"[Esther David's] writing is a formidable work of literary art."--Nissim Ezekiel, poet

"A poignant tale of a group never quite at home in its homeland."--Nextbook

"Esther David perfectly portrays the individuals of the Bene Israel Jewish community in Ahmedabad, many of them torn between Israel's siren song and their own unique Indo-Jewish heritage. Hers is a window into an all too human world, presided over by a comic though attentive Prophet Elijah." --Janet M. Powers, author of Kites Over the Mango Tree: Restoring Harmony Between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat

"A nice piece of social anthropology, with a good deal of heart thrown in."--Sunday Business Standard, India

Over two thousand years ago, remnants of one of the lost tribes of Israel appeared on the shores of India. They became known in India as the Bene Israel and nothing has been the same since.

After religious riots break out in modern Ahmedabad, a handful of the tribe's descendants band together to live in a communal housing complex: the Shalom India Housing Society. Nestled amidst their Hindu and Muslim neighbors, the residents of these charming apartments find ways to laugh (the laughing club meets every morning on the lawn) and love, whether it is a crush next door or an Internet date with a distant Israeli.

Writing with wit and an artist's eye for detail, Esther David vividly portrays a resilient group who share a fondness for the liquor-loving Prophet Elijah and costume parties. Thesetrue-to-life stories depict the joys and conflicts of a people continually choosing between the Indian traditions of their homeland and their Jewish heritage.

Esther David was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad, India, and she grew up in a zoo created by her father. She is the author of six novels and is also a sculptor, art critic, and columnist for The Times of India.

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In a prelude to her problematic novel, David describes how important the prophet Elijah was for the Bene Israel Jews of India, and introduces Elijah as the novel's fun-loving protagonist. Unfortunately, both Elijah and the merriment disappear after the first chapter. After rioting in Ahmedabad in 2002, a small community of Jews whose ancestors had lived peacefully in India move into an apartment building to avoid the crossfire. Despite the intriguing setting and character sketches rich with possibility, the result is unpolished and unsatisfying. Vignettes are shaped around weighty themes of religion, love, infertility, death and prophesy, but the actors never become more than puppets manipulated with an obvious hand, undermining the sometimes powerful imagery and infrequently addressed topics-such as living as a secret Jew in Pakistan. David, who grew up in Ahmedabad and has written previously about the Bene Israeli, knows her subject well, but has not done it justice. (Apr.)

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• Published by

  The Feminist Press

• Publish Date

  March 31, 2009 

• Print ISBN

  1558615962

• eBook ISBN

  9781558616455

• Imprint

  The Feminist Press

• Filesize

  1.46 MB

• Number of Print Pages*

  256

* Number of eBook pages may differ. Click here for more information.