Bene Israel Jews began to move to Bombay in the late 1700s. They joined the government service or the Indian army. In 1948 there were approximately 20,000 Bene Israel Jews living in the Bombay area. Encountering, initially, some difficulty in being identified as Jews, the community did not migrate to Israel en mass.
Today Bene-Israel Jews in the city number about 2600 and many have settled in Thane, a far flung suburb of Bombay. This family from Thane has made an hour long trip into the city to say their prayers at the Magen Hassidim synagogue.