Although many individual Bene Israel women have made important contributions to their community and country, the achievements of only a few can be singled out.

Dr. Jerusha Jhirad (1890–1984), the first female Indian Jewish physician, was a distinguished gynecologist in Bombay. She was the first woman to be awarded the Government of India scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, where she earned an MD in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the University of London. She expanded and improved the Cama and Albless Hospitals for Women and Children in Bombay during her tenure as their Superintendent from 1928 to l949 and served as president of the Bombay Obstetrics & Gynecological Society in 1948. She presided over the sixth All India Obstetrics and Gynecological Congress held at Madras in 1950, in which it was decided to form the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI), as well as to start the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India. Dr. Jhirad was elected the first President of the Federation and was, at the same time, requested to be the editor of the journal. She retired as editor in 1968. In appreciation of her services as editor, the Federation decided to honor her as the founder editor. For these achievements and her efforts to improve medical education in India and advance the cause of women doctors, she was awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) (Civil) by the British and, in l966, conferred the Padma Shri award by the government of India. Dr. Jhirad was also highly appreciated by her community for founding the Stree Mandal (Women’s Association) in l913, providing a place where women could meet and exchange ideas. It also offered classes in Marathi (the local language), cooking, needlework, and dressmaking to girls who had not completed their education and promoted the study of Bible and religion. In l925, Dr. Jhirad founded the Jewish Religious Union, which was linked with the World Union of Progressive Judaism and provided the only Liberal, English-speaking alternative to the traditional synagogues in Bombay. As such, it attracted the upper middle class of Bene Israel. In l975, Dr. Jhirad wrote a short autobiography.

Rebecca Reuben (1889–1957), a well-known educator, was a revered figure in the community whose activities in many spheres enriched the lives of the Bene Israel. Although Reuben’s Jewishness was very important to her, she was an outstanding example of the phenomenon that among the Bene Israel, it was secular, rather than religious leadership that conferred status. In 1905, Reuben, who came from a highly educated family, became the first woman to rank first in the matriculation examination from Bombay University, where she specialized in history and Hebrew. She went on to earn a teaching diploma from the University of London and continued studying Hebrew with Dr. Israel Abrahams at Cambridge University. Appointed the Lady Superintendent of the Government Teachers’ Training College at Baroda in l917, Reuben gave up a promising career in the broader educational arena in order to serve the Bene Israel community by becoming the principal of its school, the co-educational Sir Elly Kadoorie School in Bombay, a post she held from l922 to l950. She was the author of the Ashok Readers, a series of English readers widely used in non-English medium schools in Maharashtra, and other instructional materials, and she published a monthly magazine for Jewish children, Nofeh. Reuben also wrote articles about the Bene Israel and edited the Bene Israel Annual and Year Books from l917 to l920. She organized activities for the Bene Israel Stree Mandal (Women’s Association) and the progressive Jewish Religious Union. She also made significant contributions in the field of education in western India, serving on many government boards. In l947 she represented Indian Jewry at the First World Conference for Jewish Education, held in Jerusalem.

field_section_text_value

field_section_text_value