Yeudis of Indrala

= Jews of Indrala =

The Jewsof Indrala (יהודי אינדרלה) are among the oldest Jewish communities currently known of in Terra. The majority of the population claims descent from the Biblical tribes of Judah, Levi and Benjamin. More recently, the ancient Jews of Indrala were joined by thousands of Jewish refugees which had fled from Beiteynu during the Beytenu wars in the 24th Century.

=History=

Arrival and Settlement
The original Jews of Indrala are among the oldest residents of the country, and there is evidence to suggest that they played a key role in its early development. Some historians place their arrival as early as 1500BBCE. It is widely believed that they first arrived in Indrala while traveling Westward from Squibble across Seleya in what is today known as the Semitic Migrations. Over the thousands of years in which they have resided in Indrala, many of these Jews had retained their ethnic identities but had gradually adopted local religious practices, or abandoned Jewish worship, although there are historical sources confirming that there has always been a practiving minority since the original settlement. Many of these Jews, while not entirely assimilated, identify closely with Indrala's democratic values and principles. With the arrival of Jewish refugees from Beiteynu in the 24th Century, the Indralan Jewish community experienced a resurgence of Jewish religious practice and traditions.

Refugees from Beiteynu
The Jewish refugees who fled from the brutal violence of the Beiteynu war in the 24th Century had an immense impact on the Indralan Jewish community. The community, which had been essentially separated from all other Jewish communities for over 3,000 years, had remarkably different traditions and religious practices to those of the Beiteynu Jews. The two communities have now merged together, creating an unusual fusion of ancient Jewish traditions with more modern ones from Beiteynu. Among the most important things that these Jewish refugees brought with them was the Hebrew language, which had been almost entirely lost in Indrala. The arrival of a shared Jewish language has stirred close bonds between the two groups and re-established a religious and national Jewish identity which had not existed in Indrala for thousands of years.

=Present Condition=

The Indralan Jewish National Party
In 2459, in a response to the heightened sense of brotherhood and community among the Jews of Indrala, the Indralan Jewish National Party was formed. The Party's mission statement states:

"The Indralan Jewish National Party strives to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Indrala's sizeable Jewish minority by giving them a political voice. Historically, this minority's votes have been split among various parties, leading to a lack of real representation for the interests of the Indralan Jewish community. In addition to working to represent Indrala's Jewish community, the Indralan Jewish National Party remains committed to actively pursuing the interests of the greater community in Indrala regardless of race or religion.

''Although the Indralan Jewish National Party is driven by the moral values of Judaism, we closely identify with the strong democratic principles of Indralan culture, and do not consider these two positions to be contradictory. We support the protection of civil liberties and universal human rights such as the rights to land ownership, assembly and free expression. We also pride ourselves on defending the safety, wellbeing and rights of all minority groups, including the Jewish community."''

The Party is expected to have a revolutionary impact on the way of life of the Jews of Indrala, which up until now have been deprived of political representation.

Allegations of Discrimination
In late 2459, several weeks after the creation of the Indralan Jewish National Party, the Party presented the following report to the National Assembly which read:

"The IJNP has, only weeks after our creation, received several messages from members of the Jewish community claiming that they are discriminated against outside of their communities. Naturally, we do not throw around such charges lightly, and plan to investigate fully these complaints prior to taking action. However, should we find these claims to be true, the IJNP will act swiftly to crush inter-communal discrimination among all Indralans. We will inform you of our findings once our investigation is complete."

These allegations remain under investigation at present.