These are two pages from a Haggadah that was printed in Bombay (Mumbai), India in 1935.
The photograph on the right-hand page shows an Indian-Jewish family around the Seder table. Some members of the family are dressed in traditional clothes; others are dressed in modern, western clothing. The men and boys are sitting at the table holding books, presumably Haggadot. The women are standing behind the men. On the table, decorated with an Indian style tablecloth, is a Seder plate with the traditional symbols of the festival.
On the opposite page there is text from the Haggadah. Most of the words are written in Indian letters but some are in Hebrew, such as the blessing for Bedikat Chametz – the search for leavened bread.
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Bedikat Chametz - On the night of 14th Nissan, the night before the Seder, it is traditional to carry out Bedikat Chametz, a formal search around the home for any possible remaining leaven (chametz). The search is done at night by candlelight, and the chametz that is found is burnt the following morning to signify that all of the chametz in the house has been disposed of.
Jewish Community of Mumbai - Jews have lived in Bombay (Mumbai) since the eighteenth century. The Jewish community reached its peak in the late 1940s when it numbered almost 30,000 people. Today about 2,500 Jews live in Mumbai which is home to most of the small Jewish community of India.
