Just about everywhere globetrotter Moshe Klein went in Kolkata, India, he heard echoes of the vibrant Jewish community that once existed, far-off echoes of Yiddishkeit that will likely never be revived
Yet instead of just using the city formerly known as Calcutta as a stopover point on his way to Mumbai, Klein hired a guide, intent on discovering whatever vestiges of Judaism he could track down during his brief visit.
“I had no prior knowledge of Kolkata, and I was open to everything,” notes Klein. “If I was there, I was going to find out whatever was Jewish there.”
The flight from Bhutan to Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (formerly known as Dum Dum Airport) took just 90 minutes, but the difference between the two countries was so pronounced that it was as if Klein and his wife Esther had traveled to an alternate universe. Making their way into Kolkata, Klein was immediately struck by the city’s inherent culture of contradictions, where clean, tree-lined streets with attractive homes are just a stone’s throw from slums that defy description.
“Once you start going into the city, you can see it immediately,” says Klein.
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