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Burma Jews

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Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

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Synonyms

Myanmar Jews

Definition

A Jewish community has existed within the boundaries of the country which is popularly known in English as “Burma” or “Myanmar” since the first settler arrived during the region of King Alaungpaya (1752-60). The community then fell under the rule of the British, who made Burma part of India until 1853 and a colony in its own right in 1937. In 1948 Britain granted Burma total independence. In 1989 the country changed its name to “the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.”

The Origins of Burma’s Jewish Community

The original Jewish settler in Burma (today’s Union of Myanmar) may have been Solomon Gabirol, a Marathi-speaking Bene Israel from the Bombay region of western India. Gabirol served as a commissioner in the Burmese army of King Alaungpaya, who ruled from 1752 to 1760 and founded the Konbaung dynasty. Azariah Samuel, from Bushir in Mesopotamia, may have been the first Baghdadi Jewish settler in Burma. In 1841 he arrived in the port of Akyab, now...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. History Department, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, USA

    Jonathan Goldstein

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  1. Jonathan Goldstein
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Correspondence to Jonathan Goldstein .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pomona College Religious Studies, Claremont, CA, USA

    Zayn R. Kassam

  2. Rollins College Jewish Studies Program, Winter Park, FL, USA

    Yudit Kornberg Greenberg

  3. World Zoroastrian Organization, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jehan Bagli

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Goldstein, J. (2018). Burma Jews. In: Kassam, Z.R., Greenberg, Y.K., Bagli, J. (eds) Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_917

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