The Bene Israel of Maharashtra in western India was the largest of the three Jewish communities of India, numbering about twenty thousand at its peak in the early 1950s, though the majority have since emigrated to Israel. It was the Bene Israel women who were the producers and preservers of the group's unique culture, and it was the women, with their strong religious beliefs, who were deemed to have the power to hold the family together. After moving to Israel, educator Flora Samuel organized the Indian Women’s Organization, which aids Indian women in preserving and demonstrating the culture and customs of their community.

Institution: Mei Boli vol. 16, January 1999 (Israel).