ABSTRACT

This chapter attempts to examine the way the Jewish theme in general is referred to in the socio-political, media and academic discourses of independent India. It appears that the discussion of the Jews in contemporary India has demonstrated a variety of attitudes ranging from very friendly to highly aggressive. The first section of the chapter looks at the construction of the positive images of the Jewish tradition, which are found both in the Indian press and the mainstream political and academic discourses and in the communalist thinking of various religious groups. The second section examines the negative images of the Jews created by some socio-political groups, such as Hindu and Muslim communalists and the radical wing of the Dalit (Untouchable) movement.