They are mostly locals. I don't have figures, but I do know that a lot of them have migrated to Israel for economic reasons. Eminent local Jews include the film actor David (who migrated to Israel - you may remember him from the Raj Kapoor film 'Boot Polish') and the English-language poet Nissim Ezekiel (who didn't).
A quintessentially Mumbai poem by Nissim in proudly Indian English is reproduced below:
IRANI RESTAURANT INSTRUCTIONS*
Please Do not spit Do not sit more Pay promptly, time is valuable Do not write letter without order refreshment Do not comb, hair is spoiling floor Do not make mischiefs in cabin our waiter is reporting Come again All are welcome whatever cast If not satisfied tell us otherwise tell others GOD IS GREAT
------ Nissim Ezekiel, 1972
On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 5:11 PM, Chris Doss<lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> Sujeet, are the Jews in Mumbai mostly foreign expats, or is there any local community with any historical roots?
>
> (I bet any area of Mumbai with a 30-mile radius is more diverse than all of the United States, of course.)
>
>
> --- On Tue, 7/21/09, Sujeet Bhatt <sujeet.bhatt at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> But it did not appear to be the evidence that prompted Mr.
>> Kasab to
>> confess to his role in the attacks, where more than 160
>> people were
>> killed in November in luxury hotels, a train station, a
>> popular cafe
>> and a Jewish center.
>
>
>
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>
-- My humanity is in feeling we are all voices of the same poverty. - Jorge Louis Borges