Members of the Jewish community celebrate the announcement at the synagogue in the city on Thursday

AHMEDABAD: The small Bene Israeli community in Gujarat broke into celebration when chief minister Vijay Rupani announced on Thursday that his government had decided to grant minority status to the small community in Gujarat. Rupani made this announcement while meeting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his 10-day visit to Israel, thus fulfilling a long-pending demand of the community in the state.

Now reduced to a handful, there are only168 members of the community in Gujarat of which 140-odd members, who are settled in Ahmedabad, gathered at the Magen Abraham synagogue in the Walled City.

The Jewish population in Gujarat is so minuscule that they didn't even figure separately in the Census 2011, and were just mentioned as part of 16,480 'other communities' in the state.

Aviv Divekar, secretary of the Magen Abraham Synagogue, said that it is truly a landmark moment for the community. "Apart from anything else, the status would ensure their property rights to the community. While the synagogue has been provided security, many of the properties related to the community need care," he said.

A formal representation for minority status had started in August 2017 where the community had submitted an application to the government of Gujarat. The wheels were set in motion just before Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's India visit in January 2018, when K G Vanzara, in-charge director of Developing Caste Welfare Board, invited them. The application was submitted by the board to the state government coinciding with Netanyahu's Ahmedabad visit on January 17.

Sahitya Akademi winner Esther David said, "It was a long-pending demand. The announcement recognizing the small Jewish community goes a long way in not only making us feel safer, but that our presence has been recognized as a minority in the country."

Divekar said that they had met Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani at his office during the last session of state assembly and had represented their case. "Ahmedabad at the moment has 140 members of Jewish community whereas Gujarat has 170," he said.

