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The October 7 attack by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza have redrawn global debates on Jews, Israel and antisemitism. India, long seen as a society without deep-rooted antisemitism, is now confronting imported ideological currents that complicate its political and intellectual landscape. The result is a growing divide between those who view Israel as a natural ally against radical Islamism and those who frame the Gaza conflict as part of a global anti-colonial struggle. Caught in this crossfire is a broader question: Is India beginning to absorb forms of antisemitism previously foreign to its social fabric?
Historically, India’s relationship with Jewish communities has been exceptional. Jewish groups in Cochin, Mumbai and Kolkata lived for centuries without facing the systematic persecution that marked Jewish life in Europe or the Middle East. They preserved their religious identity while integrating into local society, and India’s cultural and political structures never produced the antisemitic laws or social hostility seen elsewhere. This history became part of India’s civilizational ethos – an example of pluralism that sheltered minorities ranging from Jews to Parsis and Armenians.
Yet antisemitic ideas were not entirely absent. With colonial modernity and the spread of global ideologies, some conspiracy theories and anti-Jewish rhetoric entered India from abroad. Islamist networks tied anti-Jewish sentiment to the Palestinian struggle, while segments of the left adopted anti-Zionist frameworks that blurred the distinction between Israel, Zionism and Jews. These ideas circulated on the margins but never shaped........