Jews of Cochin

Thank you Hollyrob for sending me the article from the Jerusalem Post about the old synagogue at Cochin in the South Indian state of Kerala. It revived memories of my visit to the synagogue almost two decades ago. Even if one is not a Jew you would find wonderful vibrations once you are inside.

Some sources say that the earliest Jews were those who settled in the Malabar coast (in Kerala) during the times of King Solomon of Israel, and after the Kingdom of Israel split into two (David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry 1977), says search.com. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘black Jews’. The Paradesi Jews, also called ‘White Jews’, settled later, coming to India from European and Middle Eastern nations such as Holland and Spain, and bringing with them the Ladino language.

“Jews came to Kerala and settled as early as 700 BC for trade… Spanish and Portuguese Jews (Sephardim) settled in Goa in the 15th century, but this settlement eventually disappeared. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Cochin had an influx of Jewish settlers from the Middle East, North Africa and Spain.”

The floor of the Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin is covered in blue-and-white tiles brought from China in 1762. Of the 1,100 hand-painted tiles, no two are alike.

Crystal chandeliers and delicate colored-glass lamps adorn the building, and illuminate the gilded ark. More than 500 Jewish tourists visit the synagogue every day during tourist season.

I was intrigued by the observation in the Jerusalem Post that non-Jews are not allowed inside the Paradesi synagogue. There was no such restriction two decades back when I visited the synagogue.

“After India gained its independence, the Jewish community of Cochin numbered approximately 3,000, and there were eight independent synagogues. Another reason why there was a reduction in Jewish population in old times was conversion to Christianity.With the founding of the State of Israel, the exodus of the Jews of Cochin began, and increased after 1954. Sadly, it is a Jewish community in the twilight of its days.”