The Malabari Jews of Kerala: a Study in Cochin

THE MALABARI JEWS OF KERALA: A STUDY IN COCHIN

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of degree of

MASTERS IN SOCIOLOGY

2017-2019

Submitted By

Jahnavi Nair

Exam code: SO245

Candidate Code: 56016115005

Subject Code: 560

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Dr. SAJI P. JACOB

LOYOLA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, TRIVANDRUM- 695017, KERALA

UNIVERSITY OF KERALA

DECLARATION

I, JAHNAVI NAIR , do hereby declare that the dissertation titled“The Malabari Jews of Kerala: A study in Cochin” is based on the original work carried out by me and submitted to the University of Kerala during the year 2017-2019 towards partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree Examination in Sociology. It has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, fellowship or other similar title of recognition before any university or anywhere else.

Thiruvananthapuram Ms. Jahnavi Nair

23/09/2019

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

This is to certify that the work embodied in this dissertation entitled “The Malabari Jews of Kerala: A study in Cochin” has been carried out by Ms. Jahnavi Nair of fourth semester, Master of Sociology under my supervision and guidance that is hereby approved for submission.

Dr. Saji P Jacob

Staff Guide

Department of Sociology

Loyola College of Social Sciences

Thiruvananthapuram

Recommended for forwarding to the University of Kerala

Dr. Nisha Jolly Nelson

Head of the department of Sociology

Loyola College of Social Sciences

Thiruvananthapuram

Recommended for forwarding to the University of Kerala

Dr. Saji P. Jacob

Principal

Loyola College of Social Sciences

Thiruvananthapuram

23/09/2019

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This dissertation is a result of the right blend of guidance and help received from many individuals which has increased my knowledge dimensions. Therefore, I would like to thank all those who helped me to accomplish this study. I thank the Almighty, for giving me enough strength, patience, perseverance and the right attitude to pursue this study satisfactorily. I thank my family, who supported me through thick and thin, motivating me and enabling me to complete this endeavour.

This study would not have happened without the guidance and support of my research guide, Dr.Saji P. Jacob, Sociology Department, Loyola College of Social Sciences, Trivandrum. I admire his optimism and the faith he had in me for undertaking this dissertation. I express my sincere gratitude towards him for his timely guidance, useful comments and constant encouragement.

I extend my wholehearted gratitude to Dr. Nisha Jolly Nelson, Head of the department of Sociology, who have helped me immensely, and for their support, assistance and guidance whenever required during several junctures of my research.

I am indebted to all the participants who have participated in this research, and my friends who spared their precious time and energy to help take this project to fruition.

I am privileged to be a student of Loyola College for having provided me such a great learning experience which sparked my interest in research field.

Jahnavi Nair

MA Sociology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sl.No Content Page Number

1 Abstract 1

2 Introduction 2-7

Introduction Significance of the study

3 Review of literature 8-15

Review of Literature 4 Methodology 16-19 Case Study Design Data Collection Methods Title Central Research Question Specific Research Questions Limitations of the Study

5 Data Presentation and Analysis 20-33

6 Findings and Conclusion 34-39

7 References 42-44

ABSTRACT

Religion is an important factor in the cultural scenario of India. Religion plays a vital role in marking its Unity in Diversity, a unique possession of India. We have religions which took birth here as well religions which came to India from other lands. One such religion is of the Jews who migrated to India a way back. They are a culture who was constantly on the run, leaving behind their motherland. The promise of a distant “Promised Land” is what unites them.

This research is an attempt to examine the situation of one of the religious, migrated population of India, the Jews of Cochin. The research has attempted to highlight this group of people from their historical-religious perspective. This also looks how they live in close harmony with the Non-Jewish, local community of Cochin and the present relationship statuesque between the black and white. The study makes use of both primary and secondary data. The primary data has been collected from the existing and available Jew Community settled and scattered in different part of Cochin which actually comprises of a total of 22.

The data have been collected through un-structured personal interviews. It provides historical information, demographic and socio-economic profiles, and their levels of integration with the local people, Jewish cultural-religious practises and an analysis of the framework of the Indian Jewish population living in Cochin.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

We live in this world,a place that is unique in its own sense, a combination of multiple institutions, cultures, cultural patterns, religions, languages, customs, races etc. It is an amalgamation of all these institutions,along with the Humans that altogether represents the world. The world categorizes its people based on many factors. It differentiates and understand its people through social institutions and their functioning.

Among the identified social institutions that stands out as markers, which clearly makes humans different from other living organism in the world is definitely unique for them and practiced by them - Religion.

“A religion is a set of spiritual beliefs about two key aspects of life: concern with the ultimate meaning of human existence; and an identification with a supernatural power beyond the limits of the human and natural worlds” (UNESCO 1991)

Religion in a way is a social institution where people is said to be or expected in worship of a personal, God or Gods. It has a particular system of faith and worship where people follow rituals, customs and practices, that are rigidly associated with them. It is the one force that has the power to unite and divide millions.

RELIGION IN INDIA India is a land of numerous religions, castes, linguistic and ethnic minorities which are associated to distinct sub-cultures, belief systems and regions.The Indian religions are characterized by its diversity of religious beliefs and associated practices. Of the identified eight religions, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, the first four belongs to the Indian sub-continent and India can be called as their birth place.The religions in India are also called Dharmic Religions.According to the census report of 2011, 80.5 percentage of the population are Hindus, 13.4 percentage are Muslims, 2.3 percentage are Christians, 1.9 percentage are Sikhs, 0.8 percentage belong to the Buddhist community and 0.4 percentage are the Jains. The rest 0.6 percentage is of other religious communities.

This makes India unique from all the other countries of the world. The assimilation of all these diverse cultures and its communities is the crux of Unity in Diversity which stands out as India’s most appreciable and attracting factor.

Of the myriad cultures that has been seen and located in different parts of the world, the traditional religious community that makes itself stand apart different from othersis the Jews. The Jews are a cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism. Their origin can be traced through the Hebrew – the ancient people of Israel. The Jewish community is an old one with reference not only to India, but also other parts of the world.Jews are scattered into different regions of this world. It is their religion and the promise of the distant “Promised Land” that has held the community together in all the hardships they had to face.

JEWS IN INDIA

The Jews are one of the most ancient community of the world.India has the fourth largest Asian Jewish community after Israel, Asian Russia, and Iran. Today, oneof the smallest of all Jewish communities in the diaspora is the Cochin Jews in Kerala.

India is the most unique among other countries in regard to its attitude towards the Jews. The Jewsare not looked down upon in any way and are considered as significant as any other Indian minorityreligions. Nature of the Indian culture and its acceptance of diversity, has given the Jews a homewhich is not like any that they have known before. Due to the whole hearted inclusion of the Jewcommunity into the rest of the Indian population, the Jews have now developed several characteristicsof the Indian population in general.

According to statistical records and migration studies, India has the fourth largest Asian-Jewish community after Israel, Asian-Russia and Iran. The “Black Jews” also known as Malabari Jews, were the first Jews to land on the Indian shores about a thousand years ago. They sailed from Israel during the reign of King Solomon on a trade mission to purchase spices, apes, peacocks and precious metals. The “White Jews” or Paradesi (foreign) Jews were Sephardi immigrants. Theyalong with a few other Jews from Europe, Yemen and Iraq, arrived after the Roman capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Templearound 16th century.Analyzing in depth, the Jews cannot be called a minority community as they are spread across numerous parts of the world and especially in India. Filtering deep down to their early traits of coming and settling down and adopting to different styles of life, culture and geography, Kochi stands out as their first choice for their habitation.

In India the attitude towards the Jews has been one of tolerance and respect. They are not looked down upon and are considered as a minority community even though they are not officially given minority status by the government. The Jew community could actually find a home here owing to the fact that India has always welcomed the diverse cultural currents of the world.

JEWS OF KERALA

Kochi / Cochin is different in many ways- Beautiful, colourful, historic, ancient and much more. There is this thing that’s so special about Kochi that they have adopted and integrated to them many cultures that is spread all over India and the world around. They have a diverse, secular and multicultural community consisting of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Konkanis, Jews and Buddhists. Among the identified cultures and religions of Kochi, a cultural-religious hub of Kerala, the most prominent one is that of the Jews. The large Jewish community which survived and still surviving thereplayed a prominent role in Cochin's economic and business strata. But they have now almost migrated to Israel and the United States.

Of the many cultures that have settled down in Kerala, the Jews who inhabited and started a living in Cochin, the port city of southwest India later became to be called as the Cochin Jews or Malabari Jews or Kochinim is the oldest Jew community that has been located in India.

It is said that the first Jew arrived in Kerala during the 11thCentury. They have settled down, found spaces for inhabiting and built synagogues in Kerala beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries.They are known to have developed Judeo-Malayalam, a dialect of Malayalam language. Their inhabitance has directly influenced the cultural shaping of Cochin. They retained their cultural distinctions.

Their history is deep. Their culture is unique. The rituals they perform are new to the local settlers. There is a salt and pepper game between the Jews themselves. It is said, seen and identified that the Jews of Cochin has been classified into two, based on their racial features and their skin tone – The White Jews and The Black Jews. There is this massive distinction that has been traced between the Jews of Cochin as White and Black in another words called as the Paradesi Jews or Cochin/ Malabari Jews.

“Their death might bring about a cultural vacuum and erase out the memories that an ancient community had survived in that place”(Katz and Goldberg, 1992)

Speaking about their cultural preservation, they have built synagogues and continues to follow and practice their own cultural traits. They strictly follow their patterns in dressing, food habits and life style. The distinction and discrimination of Jews within themselves is what this research focuses. This research majorly studies the Black Jews of Cochin who is in a way considered as the natives of Cochin as they got evolved here and made living by marrying from the local people of Cochin. The process of acculturation actually made them natives and thus they could

There were 1,998 Malabari Jews in Cochin as per the census of 1948, out of which only about 22 remain there today with five in the Jew Town of Mattancherry, and the rest spread around Ernakulam, Parur and Chendamangalam. This decrease in the community’s population is not only due declining birth-rates and the restrictionsin marriage but alsodue to Aliyah or the immigration of the diaspora to the land of Israel.

THE MALABARI JEW

The Black Jewsalso known as Malabari Jewswho claim that they were the first Jews to land on the Indian shores about a thousand years ago. They sailed from Israel during the reign of King Solomon on a trade mission to purchase spices, apes, peacocks and precious metals. The Black Jews generally have darker skin and they intermarry with local people unlike the White Jews. Intermarriage between White Jews and Black Jews is a rare casebecauseof discrimination in regard to skin colour.

THE JEWISH RIVALRY

The White Jews are people belonging to the original Jew Community that has been migrated and settled down in Cochin, Kerala who follows the same custom, ritual, practice and life style of their own without collaborating with the culture and heritage of cochin, whereas the Black Jews are people who are more similar to the original inhabitants of cochin and the Jew town they have settled in. The Black Jews follow their own communal rituals, customs and practices but still manages to keep their roots here by engaging in the acculturation processes such as marrying from the natives of Cochin. Today they are the tiniest and most ancient of all Jewish communities all over the world.

White Jews, due to their lighter skin colour, good trade links with their countries of origin, useful languages to conduct international trade and their closeness to the British officials which helped their position both financially and politically, always discriminated the Black Jews.

They would not consider the Black Jews for their minyan, nor would they allow them synagogal honours. Intermarriage between the two was a matter of great disapproval and was subjected to punishment.This rivalry between the communities resulted in a unique pattern of social organization within the Jewish system which is now the infamous controversy between the White Jews and Black Jews. We can very clearly trace this patterned organization of the Jews of Cochin to the Hindu social context i.e., the caste system.

Significance of the study

The Malabari Jews of Cochin are part of the age old traditional religions that migrated to Kerala. They settled down here and made a living and thus is of great cultural importance. They Jews of Kerala has distinctions as Paradesi as well as Malabari and majority studies focused on the Paradesi Jews and Jews of Cochin in common. Therefore the life as well as the problems faced by the Malabari Jews needs to be addressed to preserve the cultural value and their traces here, a foreign land according to them.

Present research would help to identify the community, their life, andproblems faced by the Malabari Jews in order to find new ways to keep the glory of the traditional culture intact and also to preserve and protect this age-old community which survived here for the generations to come.

The significance of the project is that it is an attempt to find the last remnants of the Malabari Jewish culture and Jewish identity that are still present in Cochin.. A fascinating fact about the community apart from their demographic exhaustion is the conflict between the White and Black. I have tried to look into the major aspects of their lifestyle and cultural beliefs and practices, their relationship with the surrounding communities in Cochin, and also the relationship with their counterparts in Israel.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Sinceunderstanding the importance of Religions in Indian society, various aspects of religion such as sociological, economic, political,cultural, aesthetic, philosophical etc. have been studied by a number of scholars. Significant studies have come out studying the major religions in detail. The studies also included the religions that has become part of India on the grounds of migration and diaspora. Malabari Jews in Kerala are one such religious community that has been studied under the shades of Jew community as a whole but not separate or individually. All the studies that have been conducted by different scholars tended to address and study the community in its wholeness or giving more importance to the Paradesi Jews and their associated aspects. In the present context studying the remaining Malabari Jews is important as their population which comprises of 22 is on the verge of decline.

The story of Jews has been recorded and cited in many books, articles and Journals.Sethu (2017) in his work, Aliyah speaks about the village, Chendamangalam in Ernakulum district, which was one of the earliest Jewish settlements on the western coast. He shareand recalls his memories and says that there were at least 200 Jews in the area around the synagogue. The Malabari Jews had a challenging presence in the village. But as described in certain set pieces, the Malabari Jews has played a significant role in the introduction of certain things in the village that consistsof the first newspaper in the village, installation of electricity, telegram, typewriting institute etc. Sethu portrays women characters as the substances of change in the village. Rebecca Salamon’s mother and Esther, Salamon’s older uncle’s wife and Elsie, Salamon’s sometime love interest are examples.

The books seeks answers for certain questions such as regarding the race to pull up their Kerala roots and make for the Holy Land regarding Who are they and Where do they belong?. The novel hints at divining. It is about the Black Jews, or Malabari Jews as they are called, who belonged to the first wave of refugees from the Middle East. They difference between the White Jews, or Pardesi Jews who dominated the society of Cochin in their time is mentioned in this.

But which sea was this temperamental boy rambling about in his sleep? Evron wondered, perplexed.

“It is that one: the sea of Sinai, the river of Jordan.” Eshimuthimma had no doubt about it. And to think that he could not even grasp the import of these words was dismissing his own son as good for nothing! It is about crossing over…” (pg.

The book speaks about how immigrant Jews was welcomed to India with open arms and was given all kinds of privileges. The book also seeks answers for questions regarding their return and where they were headed to. The book discusses about the older generations’ excitement of returning to their promised land, hardly knowing anything about it and its mere thought gives them an elevation and the younger generations’ dilemma.

A detailed examination of these literatures reveals that Malabari Jews has become a part of Cochin population right through the centuries, enriching India’s and Kerala’s cultural heritage. Identifying the significance of the community, various studies were conducted to understand ‘the Jewish Diaspora’ in general, but none of the studies addressed or gave prominence to the distinctions that exists within the community. The other Jewish communities in Parur, Chennamangalam, Mala and the market towns in Cochin and Ernakulam can be traced back to the pre-modern period, but their members were hardly ever consulted for their origin myths.

Keeping in mind the economic, social, political and cultural role this community plays, the importance of Jews especially the Malabari Jews was felt in the post-independence era. Religions in India have always a prominent social institution and they are admired all over the world for their incomparable, colourful and vibrant customary practises.

Kochi has a long history associated with immigration to the city colouring them with contemporary life of the new-age population and various eco-systems. Boney Thomas through his 13 years of research identified and found about more than thirty communities co-existing for centuries in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. In his book, Kochiites- A look into the Intangible Heritage of Kochi speaks about the cultural rarity, social wonder and ethnic uniqueness by the transcontinental standards.

Certain elements of the everyday lives and times of the Jews of Kerala are still not completely known to the world. They have spice-scented stories that yet have not been explored or recorded which sift through handwritten song diaries, reminiscent memoirs, Kosher recipes.

In the book One Heart. Two Worlds. – The History of the Jews of Kochi written by K. S. Mathew (2019) analyse in detail about the extraordinary diasporic community and their ethnic roots to King Solomon of Isreal. The book desires to bring back the beautiful community together and it talks about connecting the last few Jews together. Today, the last few remaining Jews can be seen in different parts of Ernakulam. The socio-religious divisions disappeared all over the years but sadly, most of the once –thriving Kerala Jewish community too. The

Malabari Jews are just 22 in number.The book gives an extraordinary and immaculately detailed overview about the enchanting dream of living in the Promised Land.

It also provides insights on the beautiful city of Kochi that spread across islands and between the Arabian Sea and the Backwaters. Cochin has the oldest Jewish settlement on Asian soil. They have eight Synagogues in total and seven of them belongs to the Malabari Jews.

There in Cochin, lives a colony of Jews… the happiest community I have ever known… they burst into song at the smallest provocation… (Herbert Eisner, Menorah Journal Spring 1947)

Back from Shingly: Revisiting the Pre-modern History of Jews in Kerala (2018) by Ophira Gamlielstated thatthe Jewish history in Kerala is based on sources mainly from the colonial period onward and mostly in European languages, failing to account for the pre-modern history of Jews in Kerala. These early modern sources are based on oral traditions of Paradeśi Jews in Cochin, who view the majority of Kerala Jews as inferior. Consequently, the pre-modern history of Kerala Jews remains untold, despite the existence of pre-modern sources that undermine unsupported notions about the pre-modern history of Kerala Jews: a Jewish ‘ur- settlement’ called Shingly in Kodungallur and a centuries-old isolation from world Jewry. This paper reconstructs Jewish history in pre-modern Kerala solely based on pre-modern travelogues and literature on the one hand and on historical documents in Old Malayalam, Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic on the other hand. Sources of the early modern period are then examined for tracing the origins of the Shingly myth arguing that the incorporation of the Shingly legend into the historiography of Kerala Jews was affected by contacts with European Jews in the Age of Discoveries rather than being a reflection of historical events.

Black, then, can refer to several things. It can be race, it can be colour, and it can be a mere- metaphor. Even though in our sources these senses are not always easy to distinguish, they must be sorted out at least theoretically. Merging all the senses together and providing evidence that supports any of them, even when it contradicts others, may end up in cherry-picking. What are the implications of “Jewish blackness” in the racial sense? First, one should be alert to anachronism: the concept of race is a modern construct that emerged just a couple of centuries ago. Talking of Jews as blacks cannot predate the concept of a black race. Second, if Jews are considered one race—a black race—this should be true for virtually all Jews, not just for a specific community, since the traits of a race are supposed to be shared, at least to some extent, by all its members.

Jewish blackness qua colour has its own issues. Again, in order to justify the notion, the colourmust characterise most of the Jews, not just a specific Jewish group. If, for example, the Jews ofEthiopia are considered black, it has little do to with “Jewish blackness”. Moreover, black as colourhas many senses: it can mean dark skin colour, whereby dark is always a relative observation. Butblack can also be the colour of dirt, of illness, even of tanning (as in Song of Solomon 1:5–6), means that do not fall neatly under Jewish blackness.

Black can also be used metaphorically. Politically incorrect as it may sound, this colour has always suffered from bad reputation. Humans are diurnal animals that depend predominantly on their sense of sight in order to survive and thrive. Therefore, the symbolism that assigns positive values to white colour (and light) and negative ones to black colour (and darkness) is not a racist Western bias, but universal. Even in the lower Congo, white signifies “right, good order, reason, truth, health, generosity, good luck”, whereas black signifies “wrong, guilt, envy, intention to kill, grief”, and so on according Needham (1979, p. 262). The fact that white garments (or skin) turn dark with dirt, while the opposite is not true, has also contributed to black’s bad image. Racism has viciously strained this colour symbolism in order to impose a hierarchy on humans by means of their skin colours. Scholars, however, should be careful not to read actual (skin) colour into their sources when mere colour symbolism is meant.

Changing Architectural Identity: A Case of the Jewish Settlements in Cochin (2013) by Ranjini Bhattathiripad speaks about Kerala’s colourful social and cultural history and its society’s constant assimilation of indigenous and foreign cultures. The Jews made their way to the Kerala coast in 70 AD and settled near the ancient port town Muziris (Kodungallur) lying the foundations of a strong community life based on religious and commercial activities. In 15th century, they were forced to flee to Cochin due to various political reasons. This was the beginning of the Jew Town settlement in Cochin in the beginning of the 16th century. It also speaks about the paradigm shifts in the original physical and cultural factors that contributed to the evolution of the settlements that are studied. The Kerala Jews are believed to have settled initially near modern Kodungallur, the most famous port in ancient India known all over the then world as Muziris. The Jews gradually put down roots and built a number of synagogues and settlements, laying the foundations for a strong community life. The Jewish communities of Kerala differ physically, culturally, linguistically and socially from other Jewish communities settled elsewhere in India and they occupied an important position in trade between India and the west and later, between India and China, since their arrival on Malabar's hospitable shores.

The Cochin Jews were historically divided into two distinct sects. The Black Jews or Malabaris, who are believed to be the descendants of the original settlers, formed almost eighty five percentage of the population while the White Jews or Paradesis, were descendants of later immigrants from Middle East and European Communities. These sects of Jews in Kerala had individualistic cultural traits and did not inter-marry. The Pardesi Jews thought of themselves purer in origin and blood, while the Black Jews refuted this claim, insisting that they were original settlers. The Cochin Jews had a distinctive dual cultural identity—Hebrew culture in the Hindu world. The religious and social beliefs and customs in Judaism enabled them to live in harmony with the Indian communities without however compromising their principles and values according to Chemama (2002)

Jews of Cochin (2016) by Mark Aranha speaks about how the Jews were slotted in near the very top of the caste pyramid that existed in Kerala. They occupied the position of merchants and also they also proved their worth on the battlefield. The Jews were good warriors and fought alongside the king’s army in exchange for his protection and favour. They also served as advisors, interpreters, ambassadors, and managed economic and diplomatic affairs. The Jews are credited with substantial contributions in the field of trade and commence in Kerala, including forward trading, money-lending and banking.

In the article Back from Shingly: Revisiting the Pre-Modern History of Jews in Kerala, the writer O. Gamliel (2018) speaks about the pre-modern Jewish world that saw the Jews in Malabar as an extension of the trade networks rather than an isolated community of mythical origins as evident also in the twelfth-century Hebrew travelogue attributed to Benjamin of Tudela, who was famous during his times. Benjamin takes notice of the number of Jews in all the places he mentions, so as to inform Jewish readers of potential hosts and business partners in distant lands. According to some accounts, the first Jews arrived in Kerala as merchants in the 11th century B.C.E. and sent ivory, monkeys and parrots from here back to King Solomon’s temple in the Kingdom of Israel. Other narratives suggest they showed up later, after the destruction of the second temple, settling in Cranganore, the ancient capital of Cochin. When the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela visited India around 1170, he reported that there were about 1000 Jews in the south, “all of them black.” He was referring to the Malabari Jews, so named after the Malabar coastline. Starting in the late 16th century, the Malabaris were joined by other, lighter skinned Jews arriving from Portugal, Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

The communities, by most accounts, never mixed well or at all, either because of racism, as the older community claims, or personal and cultural differences, as the others explain. Welcomed by the local rulers and populations, the communities thrived until the late 1940s, when both Israel and India gained independence within months of each other, spurring a mass exodus in both communities from here to the Holy Land. Many Jews mentioned in the travelogue are specifically identified as cloth-dyers, an occupation that demanded the regular provision of Indigo and other varnishing plants imported from India by Jewish traders. He has written about how he identifyied the Jews of Malabar as Rabbinic Jews, differentiated from Karaite Jews, considered foreign and outcaste. Benjamin’s reference to Malabar Jews further weakens the notion of an isolated community and renders the Jewish origin in an ‘ur-settlement’ in Kodungallur less likely. According to Katz and Goldberg (1993), a pattern of social organization began with an entirely and typically Indian context and it replicated the obligations imposed upon the former slaves by the Malabaris. But later it was worsened by the arrival of the Sephardi Jews during the sixteenth century. To get accepted by the then existing and ruling Maharajas of the Indian continent the elite Sephardi, the later called Paradesi Jews identified a recognizable native caste with the Malabari Jews and discriminated them on the basis of the caste hierarchy that the natives followed. According to Sumi Mary Thomas (2004), Jewish connection with Kerala was started in the tenth Century B C. The Jews are an ethnic group who settled first in Muziris, the earliest seaport in Kerala which was known as ‘Little Jerusalem’. They came to Kerala during the period of King Solomon. It is believed that King Solomon had visited Kerala for trade purposes. From the very early days the country Kerala was known to the ancient Jews. In the 6th century BC the Jews came to Kodungaloor in order to escape from the Babylonian captivity of Nebuchednezzar. In 580 B C the Babylonian Empire conquered Yehudah (Judah), the Southern region of ancient Israel. After 50 years later, the Persian Empire (ancient Iran) conquered the Babylonian Empire and allowed the Jews to return home to the land of Israel. But most of the Jews remained in Babylonia, some remained in today’s Iraq and Iran, and some migrated to neighbouring lands of Central and East Asia including India, China, Afghanistan, Egypt, Yemen etc. Cochin Jews reflected the caste behavior by diving into sub- castes. Community members claimed it to a racist act as they were divided based on the white and black skin tones. Jews who were not of the white sub-caste were denied religious equality Paradesi Synagogue and were not allowed to marry members of the white group. This shows their high levels of

assimilation into the Indian culture and adapting of Hindu Laws. Even though Judaism was a common bond between the Paradesi and Malabari Jews, respective and regional cultural and religious aspects played an important role and influence. Regional cultural aspects also played an important role and strong identification factor. It was too much that sometimes the interaction between the groups was made impossible.

The controversy between Paradesi and Malabari Jews at Cochin started generation ago still exists. Today less than thirty Jews remain in Kerala and are scattered between Cochin itself to Mattancherry, Ernakulam and Parur. The rest of this historic and influential community have emigrated from India, most of them to Israel. The hereditary distinctions between the Paradesi and Malabari Jews, the two sections of a single Jewish community have been rigidly maintained for centuries, including taboos on intermarriage and on free association on religious and social occasions.

Even though much data have been collected on Jewish Community of Kerala in general, only few attempts have been made by scholars to study the Malabari Jew and other several factors associated with it. Therefore, people simply rely on the available information regarding the Jews and their information gets limited. This present qualitative study looks into the life of Malabari Jews and their associated aspects. The present study therefore focuses on “The Malabari Jews of Kerala”, with particular emphasis onthe Malabari Jews who belong and got scattered to different parts of Cochin. So the present study has a scope to fill the gaps between the existing knowledge.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology

Qualitative Research Method

The research is done with particular focus on the life of Malabari Jewsbased on their history, life, cultural- religious practices, socio-economic profile and their levels of integration with the local people.This study is about a specific community and they are small in number. Hence the study has adopted Qualitative approach as the research method. The objectives are gathered mainly with the help of primary data collected exclusively through un-structured interviews and conversations with the available people from the scattered people who are of actual Jewish origin.

Design- Case Study

This research is aimed at an in depth analysis of the adaptation process and life thereafter that the Malabari Jews of Cochin has been following. This is done by analysing and studying their lifestyles, food habits, dressing patterns, festivals and celebrations. Also this study did a close look at the type and forms of social interactions and relationships that the Jews go through with the local community. This subjectively observed the society from the point of view of the subject of study. Therefore case study was used to study the cultural aspects of the Malabari Jew community.

Data Collection Methods

(a) Unstructured Interview Method-The researcher interviewed the selected cases to explore the topic that has been selected for the research. The research was primarily conducted during the month of May. The available Malabari Jews scattered in different parts of Cochin during that time was interviewed using the unstructured interview method. The researcher also interviewed a Non-Jew native of Cochin and a writer who knows the life and history of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry to get a clear cut picture about the community from outside.

Title:The Malabari Jews of Kerala: A study in Cochin

Central Research Question

How the Malabari Jews have adapted and made a settlement in Cochin?

Specific Research Questions

a) How do the Jewish community perceive Kerala society? b) Have they faced any social exclusion or discrimination from the local people around? c) Have they faced any exclusion within their community? d) What kind of acculturation has taken place? e) How do they preserve their own culture in a foreign land which is not theirs?

The following chapter deals with the data derived through the unstructured interview done as part of the fieldwork and the data is presented reflecting the research questions given above.

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION

Diaspora: It is about the scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographical area. It is the dispersion of Jews beyond Israel

Migration: The movement of humans from one place to another on the basis of work and settlement which can be permanent or temporary

Hebrew: The spoken language in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

Aliyah: Going back to Israel

Kashrut: The body of Jewish religious laws concerning the suitability of food, the use of ritual objects, etc.

Malabari Jews: Also known as Cochin Jews or Kochinim in Hebrew. Jews who is historically referred so during the colonial years. They are basically people of Israel migrated to Cochin, Kerala. Also known as Black Jews due to their brown skin tones.

Paradesi Jews: They are also known as White Jews or Sephardi Jews who prevailed as an elite class among the Cochin Jews

Sephardi Immigrants: A Jew of Spanish or Portuguese descent. They retain theirown distinctive dialect of Spanish (Ladino), customs, and rituals, preserving Babylonian Jewish traditions rather than the Palestinian ones of the Ashkenazim.

Yom Kippur: The most solemn religious fast of the Jewish year, the last of the ten days of penitence that begin with Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year). Also called Day of Atonement.

Rabbi: A Jewish scholar or teacher, especially one who studies or teaches Jewish law

Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year festival, held on the first (and sometimes the second) day of Tishri (in September). It is marked by the blowing of the shofar, and begins the ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur.

Miniyan: In Judaism, a minyan is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations.

Synagogue: Jewish house of worship and a separate room for Torah study, called the bethmidrash "house of study"

Dharmic Religion: Religions that originated in the subcontinent of India

Koshar: Certain kitchen rules for forbidden and permitted foods

Torah: Blueprint of creation and can also be referred as the totality of Jewish teaching, culture and practice

Promised Land: It is also known as the land of milk and honey as per the Hebrew bible. It is about the land that is subsequently given by God to Abraham and his descents

Judeo-Malayalam: Traditional language of the Cochin Jews

Zionism: a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Hanukkah: Festival of Lights/ Candles

Limitations of the study

The greatest limitation of the study was the inaccessibility of the members of this particular community. As the members are scattered in different part of Cochin, their availability has made the researcher to limit the selection of number of cases to five from the total of twenty two Jews. The practical difficulty in collecting primary data due to the scattered location of the members was a limitation.

CHAPTER 4

DATA PRESENTATION

AND ANALYSIS

Data Presentation and Analysis

This chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of the data collected in regard to the present study. The researcher was able to identify different themes which are related to the research focus. They have addressed the specific research questions and provides the researcher a base for theoretical understanding of his or her data that can make a theoretical contribution to the literature relating to the research focus. The themes are the product of a thorough reading and rereading of the transcripts or field notes that make up the data.

Kochi also known as Cochin is a hub of different cultures. It keeps up its multi-ethnic diaspora. The City’s culture is rapidly evolving. It has a diverse culture and consists of secular communities such as Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Konkanis, Buddhists and Jews. The Jews were spread out in different areas in and around Cochin and the places were Jew Town (Mattancherry), Jew Street (Ernakulam), North Paravoor and Chendamangalam.

North Paravoor/Parur is forty five minutes’ drive away from Ernakulam city and the place has a Synagogueof its own.This is now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India for its maintenance.But few Malabari Jews living close by, visit the synagogue during their religious festivals. Chendamangalam is an hour away from Ernakulam. This place has the oldest synagoguewhich is also maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

This study focused on one of the division of the Jew community, The Malabari Jews of Cochin. From the 22 in total, five cases has been selected. Among them three are men and two are women.The Jew community is scattered around Ernakulam and most of the people were not available to talk and interact during the time of the field work and that is why only available cases were selected from the total population comprising of 22 Malabari Jews.

Case 1 - A Care Taker Jew

Case 2 - An Elderly Jew

Case 3 - A Jew who married a native

Case 4 - An Unmarried Jew

Case 5 - A married Jew

The data collected for the present study is primarily based on interview technique. Unstructured interview and informal conversations and interaction with members of the community was

done. Cases have been interacted, interviewed and analyzed for the purpose of the research and data collection.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The origins of Jewish community in the world and in India are not very clear. It is believed that they came here during the rule of King Solomon. The Jews andprobably even Syrian Christians had a substantial share in the East West sea trade of Roman Empirein Arabian Sea in 78 A.D.In A.D 68, when the second temple of Jerusalem was destroyed, another migration of athousand Jews took place. There were succeeding waves of migration in A.D.369 and A.D.490. Onesource states that a large group of Jewish refuges came from Mesopotamia in A.D.486. Most historiansagree that the local Hindu rulers did everything to settle the new settlers.

The Jews were already here when St. Thomas reached in A.D.52. For another thousandyears, after the bestowing of the copper plates the Jewish community of Kerala thrived with newarrivals from countries like Spain.The first Jewish temple was built inCochin in 1344 A.D. In 1524 with the help of the Samutiri the Arabs fought with the Jews and templesin Kodungallur and Cochin were demolished.

Soon after India became independent in 1947, Israel also came into existence. The first Jewish community that drifted was from Mala. After handing over their cemetery and church to the local Panchayath the entire Jewish community of Mala set sail to Israel on December 12, 1954.

Josphai Abraham along with his wife Adinah stays at their residence at Chembumukku, Vazhakkala, Ernakulam. He is 71 years old and his wife is 59 years old.

He spoke about the history behind the migration of the Jewish Community to Kerala and why they chose Kochi to settle down.

“We as a community migrated to this land a long time ago. My forefathers were able to find a footing here and they could engage in trade and expand their relations. Later there where frictions with the Paradesi Jews and we got scattered to different parts of Kerala.”

Josephai spoke about how the local community were welcoming and why they still opt to stay back here in Cochin. He said that he has never faced any sort of discrimination from the native people. They live each other in close harmony and celebrated their festivals together.

KERALA SOCIETY IN JEWISH CULTURE

The Jews started living here for about and more than thousand years and they have adapted many traits and lifestyles of Kerala culture. The long association with the people here has made them associate with the native culture and this has influenced their rituals and practices. The legacy of Cochin Jews mirrors a unique blend of Jewish tradition and Indian culture. Their variation of the local society has helped the Malabari Jews to maintain their uniqueness for thousands of years but this change in old-style ways is also the ancient memory of the community's origins that has led to their emigration to Israel. Cochin Jews adopted many Hindu practices, yet carefully confirmed that their religious patterns do not disrupt any Jewish legal or ethical principles. They did what Jews around the world have done—adapted to their cultural environment of Kerala while upholding a distinct Jewish self.

Ruby Namia and Abraham fell in love with each other at a very young age. Abraham belonged to the native Christian community. They used to go to school together and Abraham was Ruby’s neighbor.

“I met him every day to school. We were schoolmates as well as neighbors. The friendship we shared soon turned into love and his proposal was rejected by mine as well as his family. But later my family agreed and made all the arrangements for our wedding. We got married attended by everyone from our community and natives except his family.”

But Ruby says that only his family stopped talking to them. Ruby’s family as well as the natives and neighbors talk to them and are still in touch with them. Their marriage was completely organized and performed according to the Jewish Rituals. Ruby’s family took the entire initiative and conducted their wedding. Ruby was 21 and Abraham was 22 then and now 52 and 53.

“I came to know more about the native Kerala society through Abraham. Even though his family is still distant from us, we have close ties with other Christians and other people. It is their love and cooperation that has made us survive through the years in a different land”

She is still doubtful why the White Jews discriminated them. Ruby also spoke about how she was discriminated by the White Jew children in school. She happily shared how welcoming were the local children and how she still keeps contact with them.

She also added that after all these years also their attitude have not changed.

“I got more involved with the culture here through my marriage because I married a local Christian. I got accustomed to the culture here but at the same time I could preserve and perform my culture and associated rituals and practices’’

Ruby preserves Jewish cultural elements like Shofar – traditional musical horn used for Jewish religious purposes, Star of David Shield is placed on her loving room wall.

Dan Basil, another respondent said that, he has no intentions to go back to Israel as he thinks Kochi is his place and it is where he belongs to. He said that he has lots of friends from the native community. They always saw his as a part of them.

“I love going to my native friends places because I get to eat all Kerala sweetmeats. They cook spicy food exceptionally well. Avial, their traditional trademark is my favorite.”

Kerala Society actually welcomed the Jews. They did not have to face much discrimination from the Kerala society in fact they were welcomed here. From the very first day ancient Jewish community set foot here and that continues still this day and all the cases studied have mentioned this.

Miriyam Aliyas, is a widow women of 74 years old. She stays at Kaloor with her servant. She said that she had never faced any discrimination from the native Keralities and was happy that Kochi was her place.

“Our forefathers are Jews but the long years of acquaintance with the local people of Cochin has made us primarily Kochiities. We started to resemble our neighbors by adopting their traits and Jews in a way was influenced by the Hindu caste system and applied that to our own social conduct. The application of this caste system has made the White Jews to discriminate us”

She is happy being part of Cochin and said she never felt like she is actually part of a foreign land. After her husband’s death and her daughter’s marriage, her family members asked her to migrate back to Israel. But as this place was so welcoming and adapting and thus she didn’t felt like going back.

“I thought I might feel lonely and left alone. But everyone around me was helping. The native friends I have here made me come back to normal life. They supported me to come out of the emotional dilemma I was going through”

THE SALT AND PEPPER BATTLE

There is this controversy between the Paradesi and Malabari Jews. The Cochin Jews were divided into subclasses suggestive of castes. The“White” (Paradesi) Jews were the posterities of European and other Jews, who had reached on the Malabar Coast from the 16th century on. The “Black” (Malabari) Jews lived in seven places, including Ernakulam, Mala, Parur/Paravoor, Chendamangalam and Cochin.Earlier Social and religious contact between the White Paradesi and the darkerskinnedMalabari Jews was limited. Elias Josephai known as Elias Babu also called as Babu Ettan by the neighbors is 61 years old. He lives in Banerji Road, Kacherippadi, Ernakulum with his wife Ofera. They have two daughters Avithal, married to a soldier and settled down in Israel and Leya, his second daughter working in Mumbai with a Jewish concern. He is the warden of the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue on the Market Road, Ernakulam and also runs a plant and aquarium business named Cochin Blossoms near the synagogue. He is also the care taker of the Malabari Jews of Cochin. He often organizes meetings before their own traditional festivals and celebrations.

Babu added,

“We are called Black by the Paradesi Jews because of our brown skin tones. They discriminated us in schools, colleges and even in public spaces. But the natives are so loving and understanding. They never treated us with any distinction. They always invites us for their festivals and ceremonies. They see us as one among them.

Josephai Abraham spoke about how the Paradesi Jews discriminated them. The Paradesi Jews after making a settlement here started humiliating the Malabari Jews. He said the discrimination in a way still prevails. He remembers how the cemetery of the Malabari Jews was destructed by the White Jews.

MAKING THEIR OWN PLACE HERE

In Cochin presently, the Jews are living at four areas: Mattancherry, Ernakulam, North Paravoor, and Chendamangalam.When we asked the Malabari Jews who were living in Cochin about their association with people from other Societies, they said they were like a family and since they have a longstanding association, their relationship have matured over the years. They also attend the festivals of the non-Jews and take part in the celebrations. TheIsraeli-Indians who have migrated back also maintain their relationship with people of Kochi.

Almost all of Elias Josephais’s family members migrated back to Israel in the 1970’s but he stayed back with his family as he was given the responsibility of the synagogue when he was 21 years old. Babu spoke about his mission of reviving the synagogue in 2003. The synagogue was not well preserved and was destructed by the Paradesi Jews. It took long 46 years to restore it.

“The Synagogue was of 818 Years old. After so much of struggles, dedication and help from native people, resource persons, researchers, students and family members we could restore it. A magnificent Torah welcoming ceremony attended by friends, family and well-wishers from other states of India, Hungary and Israel was conducted on 6th December 2018.”

Babu was very much happy to speak about how welcoming the native people were and how closely they are bonded now. He and his family shares a beautiful relationship with all the native neighbors, goes to their houses, eat from there. They celebrate the traditional Kerala festivals together. The local Kochities also takes part in the Jewish celebrations.

Babu shared his memories regarding Jewish celebrations which included significant milestone ceremonies, ritualistic prayers. He spoke about celebrating Hanukah by bursting crackers and playing Iraqi board games using available resources. He added that even though they have migrated and became part of a different place they still follow their rituals and customary practices. He shared his experience of performing Shabbat, family meals that turns out to be occasions for singing, studying and celebrating. He added along the food habits of the Jew community and their special method called Kosher. They also perform Shabbat and still conduct their marriage in the traditional way.

Dan Basil is a young unmarried man of 38 year’s old living with his mother Batya who is 78 years old. He works as an engineer. His father passed away when he was 12 years old. They live together in an apartment at Lissie Hospital Junction, Ernakulam. He shared his experience of going to school and college where he studied like any other native of Cochin. The only disappointing thing was that he and his mother moved from the Jew town because of the discrimination that they had to face because of the Paradesi Jews.

He shared his memories with his Father. His father has told him stories about their migration and about his Jewish ancestry. His mother taught him how to read Hebrew. Even though he has all these cultural ties, he can actually be called a native of Kerala. He can be addressed as a new jew – who has actually no connections with the Jewish world – personally and physically.

He was of the opinion that even though Jews of Kerala, especially the Malabari Jews has a very long history, they are not being recorded or represented in literature or ant popular culture or entertainment industry.

Miriyam sang songs that are part Hebrew and part Malayalam by lineage and laced with a sparkling of Tamil. They had songs for functions for childbirth, weddings, and festivals. Most of them are created once they became part of Cochin. They are in the Judeo – Malayalam dialect with shades of Tamil and Hebrew.Miriyam happily shares and cooks some of the Jewish recipes for the natives and her neighbors during their Jewish celebrations and festivals. In her opinion this exchange has made the local community more familiar with the Jewish Community.

The Jew Streets in Mala and Chendamangalam do not preserve their old names, though in Chendamangalam,a plaque mentioning Judakambolam (Jewish market in Malayalam) can be found. Looking at the current situation of the Jew Street, the ancient home of Malabari Jews of Ernakulam, it is hard to imagine that they lived there once. Jewish hands after their owners moved in masse to Israel.Both the Paradesi and Malabari Jews light the Shabbat every Friday night without fail and also celebrate the Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah and Simhath Torah.

One interesting fact which came up was that the kosher mealis a very important part of their culture. For them keeping up with their Jewish self is the preparation of authentic Jewish food with strict nutritional laws during Shabbat,Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur mainly.A few Black Jews were part of Association of Jews of Kerala.

Jews have used some Malayalam as their spoken language and the Jewish variant has differed by the use of Hebrew loanwords andDravidian archaisms in lexicon, phonology, and syntax. Traditionally, the Jews of Cochin speak Malayalam and like most Jews around the world, Malabari Jews use Hebrew for public worship purposes. They also speak English. Jeudo- Malayalam that includes a number of Hebrew words and idioms, such as tora (Torah), shalom (peace), shir (song), and aliya (ascension). Hebrew words appear as part of Malayalam compounds, such as alam padacavanthe, world-created-he and shalom ayi, died (lit. entered the state of peace), Mattancherry (Mattan meaning gift).

The songs of the Malabri Jews are part Hebrew and part Malayalam by Lineage. It is laced with sprinkling of Tamil. It is a charming cocktail which echoes the ethnic lore’s, festivities, dreams and hopes of this extraordinary community. There was songs that suited every occasion and every lifecycle function such as childbirth, circumcisions, wedding, and festivals. The also

sung Biblical tales in honour of the ancestor – Prince Joseph Rabban. Among the different pieces of Cochin Jewish songs.

The Jews of Cochin are allowed full religious freedom in the state.Even if the Jews are married tonon-Jew, they follow Judaism as their religion and have not convertedin most cases. DuringYom Kippur, they refrain from all food and drink for theand also by other infirmities such as not wearing leather shoes etc.

THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUES

Kerala and its traditional architecture is famous worldwide. It has diversity and miscellany which depicts natural phenomena and it acts as an amalgam of different ethnic and religious communities. The architecture of synagogues and Jewish outline, styles and principles evolved from Kerala’s peculiar climate and long history play a designated role in casting synagogues with all their purity and tranquility across Kerala. The Synagogues of Kerala is combined with the elegant Kerala and Sumerian architecture. It resulted in an integrated evolution of a typical and topological perception in Jewish Kerala architectural style.

Among the eight synagogues, the Paradesi Synagogue located in Mattancherry belongs to the Paradesi Jews. The rest seven synagogue’s belongs to the Malabari Jews. The Mala Synagogue in Thrissur is the very first constructed synagogue among the eight.

The Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Broadway, Kochi constructed in AD 1200 is not an active one but is famous in the area and has very beautifully decorated interiors. Now it is under the control of Elias Josephai who belongs to one of the last Jewish families.

The Thekkumbagam Synagogue built in AD 1201 is at a walkable distance from the Kadavumbagam Synagogue at Broadway. It is now closed because of its dilapidated condition. It is also known as Yellow Synagogue because of its yellow colour and availability of sunshine.

The Chendamangalam Synagogue is of the architecture that reflects traditional Kerala Style but built in AD 1420 using western construction technology. It is now a protected heritage building under Kerala State Archaeology Department.

The Kadavumbagam Synagogue at Mattancherry built in AD 1554 is in a very pathetic condition. It is just a surviving skeletal architecture which is been used as a cattle shed. The synagogue got collapsed recently. The Paravur Synagogue is the largest surviving synagogues

of Kerala. It is built in AD 1615 and it is the most expansive one. It is the only complete synagogue in the state.

LIFE IN CELEBRATIONS

The Kosher Meal is the identity of Jewish hallmark as the strictly follow laws associated with it. The Hebrew word literally means ‘fit’ which defines the foods that are fit for the consumption of a Jew.

The Shabbat is the most distinctive practice of the Jews. It is a weekly twenty five hour observance which starts from Friday and continues till Saturday. Its origins are traced to the Torah when God finished creation of heaven and earth and all melakha which means work. The Shabbat is a holy day that is completely meant for rest and complete break of labour, a day of happiness and joy. It is the day that is said to be Gods rescue of the Israelites from slavery.

The preparations regarding the Shabbat begins during the mid-week and its arrival is marked by a candle- lighting ceremony. But there certain Melakhas means activities are prohibited on Shabbat called The Orders of the Bread, Garments, Hides and Construction. It also includes writing, erasing, and driving, slaughtering, planting. There are six categories of Muktzeh that maybe touched not can never be moved during Shabbat and Jewish holidays such as cameras, musical instruments, raw foods, Shabbat candles, hammers.

The Passover is another festival of the Jews. It is a festival of freedom which begins at the fifteenth month of Nisan. The Nisan is an ancient declared day associated with sacred Jewish holidays. It celebrates the biblical story of the Exodus which is the liberation of the Jews from slavery from God. The story is about how God has helped the Israeli Children from slavery.

The Purim associated with the Jewish festival is explosion of food, fun, and fancy dress revelry, uniting the community. It happens on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. The whole week of Purim is about of festive spree in Cochin. The Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the year of Judaism. It is also called as the Day of Atonement. Traditionally the day is observed with fasting for twenty five hours followed by intensive prayer.

The Hanukkah or Chanukah is the Feast of Lights is celebrated. The celebration revolves around the kindling of a nine- branched Menorah, known as the Hanukkah Lamp. It was celebrated in Cochin over eight long days and nights and another candle is added to the Mebnorah after sundown. The festival of Hanukkah is also associated with the memory of Nehemiah Ben Abraham Motha, a learned Jewish mystic and Kabbalist who lived in Cochin

many years ago. The Simchat Torah Procession in the Jew Town is the happiest memory of all Malabari Jews. Jewish Men and Women dress up in their finest clothes goes from one synangogue to the other in order to kiss the Torah.

The Jewish blessings around the world, Rosh Hashanah blessings usually begins with the worlds Yehi Ratzon which means May it be God’s grace and the request for divine gifts of bounty, strength and peace. The ritual is also known as Sedar as they are recited in a specific speed and sequence. People should include a habit of eating foods that symbolizes and represents prosperity that includes Pumpkins, a bean-like vegetable called Rubia, leeks, beets and dates which included other foods over time.

Two symbolic rituals are performed during this and the first is of dropping apples in honey which symbolizes the hope to have a sweet New Year ahead. The Tashlikh is the second ritual which means casting off that takes place at the first day of Rosh Hashanah which is symbolically casting off the sins of previous year.

The Kiddush meaning holiness is one among the ceremony of prayer and blessing over wine. Usually it is addressed and performed by the eldest household of the Jewish family at the time of meal ushering in a holy day or on Sabbath. Kiddush is usually recited by men but today most women chant the Kiddush.

JEWS AND JEWISH HEALTH

According to legends, death came instantly through a sneeze, returning to God as the “breathof life” breathed in through the nostrils at creation (Genesis 2:7). This is the origin of responding with expressions meaning “To your health!” when someone sneezes.

Jews has got this close connection to healing. It is as both as patients and physicians and is rooted anciently in both theology and history. In many religions in ancient times, and still in some today, the idea of medical treatment was anathema, even heresy. Disease, accident and deformity were considered no less parts of God’s creation than human beings themselves. Medical treatment was considered meddling with God’s work and will.

Judaism generally views medical treatment positively, even as an obligation and it is accepted. The physician’s duty was to heal and by the general duty to tend to one’s own health. One is not entitled to refuse medical treatment, except for a legitimate reason, and, following this logically, Judaism does not countenance suicide or permit one to help another commit suicide.

People are not fully autonomous over their bodies and lives, but receive them from God and hold them in trust. However, Jewish scholars long ago distinguished between acts which shorten a person’s life and those which prevent the unnecessary delay of death. The latter are permitted.

There are limits, of course. Judaism does not sanction treatments, medicines or procedures that are overly experimental or speculative. There must be a reasonable chance of success or benefit. Similarly, a Jew is not allowed to undertake activities which clearly endanger health. The use of drugs, for example, is permitted in order to improve health or reduce pain; one is not required to suffer needlessly. However, the teachings of most authorities would prohibit the use of drugs taken for the purpose of providing a “high” or a mind-altering experience, because of the dangers involved to the user and others.

Judaism’s response was to institutionalize the use of alcohol at moderate levels and in controlled circumstances, such as Kiddush (the prayer sanctifying the day) on Shabbat and festivals. The result seems to have been, until recently at least, a relatively low incidence of alcoholism within the Jewish community.

Smoking, on the other hand, has only recently been perceived as a serious danger; in prior centuries, it had even been praised. All rabbinical authorities today urge against it, but, because of its prevalence and the desire not to declare large number of Jews lawbreakers, only a few have actually ruled that smoking is a specific violation of Jewish law.

THE COCHIN JEWISH WEDDINGS

The wedding ceremonies of the Cochin Jews have an enduring charm about them. The celebrations regarding the wedding starts days ahead, usually on a Thursday afternoon. The preferred days for the ceremony was Sunday and Tuesday. The events included decorating the connubial chamber and the manara and the special canopy for the bridal bed. It is done using exquisite silk and shiny little baubles. It is done by seven young ladies over a tea party was the first among the preliminaries. On the Friday night before the wedding, a party is being thrown to friends by the bridegroom and community members, and in the following afternoon he hosts a festive lunch for the bride’s family.

The wedding includes love songs, fireworks, and the men and women creates a procession by walking backward facing the bride, clapping hands and singing all along in Hebrew, followed

by a festive dinner. The personal narratives from the Malabari Jews regarding the wedding says how all Kerala Jewish brides, rich or poor dresses alike and how the ladies brought their own jewellery to dress up the bride. The mother and sister of the bride usually wears diamonds. As per custom according to Kerala Jewish Weddings, no priest was present during the ceremonies associated. The complete marriage ceremony will be done by the couples themselves with the help of the elderly, in the presence of family and friends.

Prof. C. Karmachandran, a retired history and government teacher who is working to preserve a Jewish cemetery is someone who has dedicated years of his life to the question of preservation of the Malabari Jews. He, who is not Jewish, is passionate about — and some would say obsessed with — the fate of the Jewish cemetery in Mala, a sprawling town 50 kilometers north of Mattancherry and Ernakulam. It is the largest Jewish burial ground in India, he claims, and the final resting place of what he estimated to be between 2500-3000 Jews.

“This is one of the few and most important surviving symbols of Jewish presence in Kerala,” Karmachandran says.

The last Jews of Mala, approximately 300 of them, left for Israel in early 1955. Before doing so, documents show, they signed an official agreement with the local municipality entrusting it with the care and conservation of the cemetery as well as the synagogue. The synagogue, it was stipulated, should never be used as another house of worship or turned into a slaughterhouse.

While the former synagogue has been nominally watched over by authorities and used from time to time for educational or cultural functions, the cemetery down the road is a different story: A soccer stadium is slated to be built there.

“The cemetery is being destroyed by the local authorities,” says Karmachandran, charging them with cashing in on the real estate.

“If we do not prevent this, there will be nothing to preserve for future generations.”

He adds,

“The situation is pathetic.”

Karmachandran is not alone in this struggle. He belongs to a group of activists — among them Hindus, Muslims, and Christians — who have been fighting for the preservation of the Mala cemetery for several years and the Malabari Community.

K J Sohan, Ex- Mayor of Fort Cochin adds his experience attending the different festivals and ceremonies of the Malabari Jews. He speaks how welcome the community is and how much they propagate the engagement of other community members.

Sohan said,

“There are different religious communities scattered here in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and other parts of Cochin. But I have never seen such an engaging and enthusiastic community that seeks the attention of people from other religions as well the natives. The invite the Non-Jewish people to all their festivals and ceremonies and that’s really great of them”

P. F Mathews is a well-known Malayalam author and scriptwriter. He spoke his experience with the Malabari Jews while approaching them for collecting details regarding his book.

“The people are so cooperating and easily mingling. It didn’t took much time for us to create a rapport between us and that has helped me a lot to find references for my work”

The Malabari Jews is living in close harmony with the natives of Cochin and it has helped them to adopt and made a living according to the styles and traits of Kerala Culture.

CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

Major Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion

Malabari Jews have migrated to Kerala and chose the island kingdom of Cochin in Malabar to settle down. They are the earlier settlers comprising of the ancient Malabari communities dating back to the time of King Solomon. It have helped them to adopted and make a living through selling and engaging in trade relations. They are known to have developed Judeo- Malayalam dialect, a mix of Tamil as well as Malayalam and certain terms from Hebrew for describing their culture and associated aspects. Speaking about their cultural preservation, they have built synagogues and continues to follow and practice their own cultural traits. They strictly follow their ritual practices, celebrate festivals and follow rules regarding them. But at the same time they maintain close relationships with natives.Their history is deep. Their culture is unique.

The rituals they perform are new to the local settlers. There is a salt and pepper game between the Jews themselves. It is said, seen and identified that the Jews of Cochin has been classified into two, based on their racial features and their skin tone – The White or the Paradesi Jews and The Black Jews or Malabari Jews. Today the last few Jew remains in Ernakulam. Over the years socio- religious divisions with natives and local people around have all disappeared but sadly also most of the community. Majority of the population have immigrated back to Israel which began in the 1950’s and 1970’s. It has removed a large portion of the once- thriving Kerala- Jewish Community. While over 1,500 Jews lived in the princely state of Cochin once, today it is less than 30.

Kochi as a unique cultural place was welcoming for the Malabari Jews who had migrated from their homeland during the King Solomon's reign, arriving as traders during peaceful times. Those Jews who migrated during that time settled here and engaged in trading practices, slowly got adapted to the culture of Kerala, trying to build a new home here.

But it was easier for them than they thought. Since the natives were not hostile to a foreign and different cultural group and Jews as traders and migrants, could flourish well here. The native community of Cochin was open to all cultures and so the Jews found it easy to adapt to the cultural landscape of Kerala by preserving their true identity, socio- political integrity.

For them people of the native community are like family. Irrespective of caste, colour, religion they intermingled, became friends. They still maintain a healthy and effective relationship. The Jews here know that there heart always belong to Kerala. There is a Hebrew inscription outside

the Cohini Jewish Synagogue in Nevatim, Israel that holds testimony to the Jews’ love for Kerala;

“If I forget my Cochin, may my tongue stick to my palette”

The Jews and the native people maintain a good rapport with each other. They don’t discriminate the Jews as an alien or foreign community. The young Jews are actually Keralites. They have their Jewish identity but identify themselves more as Keralites.

Even though the kept very close relationships with the natives, they always married within their community. But there are few who broke this chain marrying people outside their community. Most of them were accepted by both the community and natives. Jews also adapted to the culinary habits of Kerala and nourished their diet with Kerala spices and other delicacies.

These were added to their cooking without breaking and disrupting their Jewish and Kosher laws. They were lucky that rice was a staple in Kerala which was also a Kosher grain. It was perfcet for their Passover ceremony, a freedom feast that they celebrate. Kerala Puttu, Idiyappam, Appam, Dosa and other Kerala breakfast dishes, sweetmeats like Achappam, Unniyappam are part of the Cochin Jewish Diet.

The native Hindu, Muslim, Christian and rest of the religious communities saw them as part of their culture and made sure that the Jews were not kept discriminated or excluded. They were invited for the ceremonies of the natives. Be it Onam, Vishu, Christmas, Ramzan etc, Jews along with all the other natives belonging to different communities were part of it.

Unlike people of the Diaspora elsewhere, the Malabari Jews of Cochin were embraced and welcomed by neighbours of all creeds. The Jews in India remained immune to the troubles that sometimes endangered the religious equilibrium. The Jews of Kerala made substantial contributions to the socio – economic life of the land. They have assimilated the customs and manners of the people among whom they lived and unlike the Muslims, and to some extent the Christians, they have accepted the local language as a medium of their prayers and devotional songs. Though the distinction of the Jew community with other communities is negligible, the controversy between the White Jews and Black Jews still exists. After the creation of Israel in 1948, the Indian Jews started going back and there was a mass exodus and their number in andaround Cochin in places like Mattancherry, Parur and Ernakulam did not exceed 100. Those whomigrated to Israel found easy employment amongst

well-heeled Jewish businesses in the city. Butwhat is interesting is the observation by a few families that no longer enjoyed the special favoursthat they found back in Cochin. Both the Malabari and the Paradesi Jews suffered and interestinglythe Malabari Jews proved to be more religious and interested in a potential Aliya to Israel. The pettytraders faced difficulties, and all the affluent families had moved on. A few Malabari Jews from North Paravoor, visited their homeland, Cochin everyyear as they call India their motherland and Israel their fatherland. They live in Israel preservingtheir ethnic and (to a lesser degree) language identity. Israel is their “promise-land” and thus theyhad to go and settle over there. Our data reveals that Jews had migrated to Israel around the 1970’son an average. Cochin Jews sold most of their properties in Cochin and opted to settle in Israel. When certain Cochin Jews saw their friends, neighbours and relatives move out of Cochin, they too got tempted tosettle in an all Jew- Land. So, eventually there was mass migration of Jews from Cochin to Israel. This controversy is not visible on the forefront anymore, but there still exists the deep rootedhostility towards each other. In many literature, articles and blog read by us, the Jews especially Malabari Jews have been described as a group of people who interact with other community. The MalabariJews are found in Ernakulam and its surrounding area and different parts of Ernakulam. The age group of the Black Jews varies to a large extent thus there are several young members in the community. This makes them more accessible to the researcher and tourists. All in all, the Jews of Cochin follow a simple livelihood with most of them being in the business sector and the relationship between the two divisions of the Jews has become friendlier in recent times. They are however a community which is on the verge of declining. Our generation will most likely witness the extinction of Indian Jew community. This makes the study and collecting data on the community even more imperative. An issue which concerns foreign Jews visiting India is the rescue of prayer books, ritual objects and Torah scrolls which are being ravaged by a tropical climate and neglect. Books which are salvageable should be brought to Israel where they could be put to use; others should be buried. Many Indian ritual objects, carved arks especially, are unique in the Jewish world. Deserted synagogues contain unremunerated treasures which shall soon be lost forever unless their rescue is prompt. From the analysis and interpretations, it is understood and evident that Kochi is definitely a home away from home for the Malabari Jews. Even though they were migrants the soil in

Kochi gave them base to survive, provided them with nutrients and water to establish their community and expand. Long years of acquaintance and life here, the Malabari Jews in features, skin tones, dressing patterns, food style and living conditions resemble an everyday Kerala. They speak Malayalam fluently even though they have developed a Judeo- Malayalam dialect with sparks of Tamil and Hebrew. They interact with natives and other communities settled around. All these were possible because the ancient Jews landed and survived in a friendly and accepting neighborhood like Kerala. Only few Malabari Jews remain in Kochi and as year’s progress this may result in a cultural vacuum. The Malabari Jews of India represent an extremely small minority residing in harmony among Hindus, Muslimsand Christians for generations. The Malabari Jewish community along with the Paradesi Jews, distant from the heartland of Jewishsettlement has succeeded in surviving for hundreds, probably more than two thousand years, notonly physically but as a full-fledged Jewish community with a Jewish way of life recognizable byJews from any other part of the world. This is the uniqueness of the Malabari Jews of Cochin.

The research attempted to find the remains of the Jewish culture and Jewish identity that are still pervasive in Cochin.According to the data that collected, it can be clearly seen that the first generation Jews hada first-hand idea about their cultural practices. They know how to read the Torah, prepare ‘Kosher’and also they celebrated each and every festival according to the Jewish calendar. For most of them, being just a Jew is special in its own way.

The major Jewish population in Kochi comprises of the Malabari Jews. An interesting fact about the community is the conflict between the White and Black Jews which was prevalentyears back and whichstill exists in modern times. The research attempted and tried to look into the majoraspects of their lifestyle and cultural beliefs and practices, their relationship with the surroundingcommunities in Cochin.

This research is an attempt, a walk down memory lane, soaking in the astonishing beauty of Cochin’s waning Jewish culture, and the community’s distinctive history, lore’s, life, faith and dreams. The study, dives deep into the everyday life and times of the Malabari Jews of Kerala, sifting through handwritten song diaries, evocative memoirs, tinkling rolling pins, kosher recipes, Hebrew plays and synagogue rituals, intrinsic to the community’s festivities. Navigating the course of Jewish history, the saga winds through the days of King Solomon; the Holocaust in Europe; the Zionist movement; peaceful times on the Kerala coast; the mass

immigration, Aliyah, to the Promised Land; and finally, the stark reality of the present - as a mere handful of the community remains in God’s Own Country.

The Jew Town Source: BBC

The Kadavumbagam Synagogue at Broadway, Ernakulam

The Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Mattancherry (Source: The Hindu)

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