The
Bene Israel ("Sons of Israel") are a historic community of
Jews in
India. Some believe that it is made up of descendants of one of the disputed
Lost Tribes and ancestors who had settled there centuries ago. In the 19th century, after the people were taught about normative (Ashkenazi/Sephardi) Judaism, they tended to migrate from villages in the
Konkan area to the nearby cities, primarily
Mumbai, but also to
Pune,
Ahmedabad, and
Kolkata, India; and
Karachi, in today's
Pakistan. Many gained positions with the British colonial authority of the period.