History Cochin Jews

1 history

1.1 first jews in south india
1.2 jewish traveler s visit cochin
1.3 1660 independence
1.4 relations between cochin jews, madras jews , bene-israel

history

first jews in south india

arrival of jewish pilgrims @ cochin, 68 ce



the inscription sasanam outlining grant of rights joseph rabban

p. m. jussay wrote believed earliest jews in india sailors king solomon s time. has been claimed following destruction of first temple in siege of jerusalem of 587 bce, jewish exiles came india. after destruction of second temple in 70 ce records found attest numerous jewish settlers arriving @ cranganore, ancient port near cochin. cranganore, transliterated kodungallur, known under other names, city of legendary importance community. fernandes writes, substitute jerusalem in india. katz , goldberg note symbolic intertwining of 2 cities.

in 1768, tobias boas of amsterdam had posed eleven questions rabbi yehezkel rachbi of cochin. first of these questions addressed said rabbi concerned origins of jews of cochin , duration of settlement in india. in rabbi yehezkel’s hand written response (merzbacher s library in munich, ms. 4238), wrote: ...after destruction of second temple (may rebuilt , reestablished in our days!), in year 3828 of anno mundi, i.e. 68 ce, ten thousand men , women had come land of malabar , pleased settle in 4 places; places being cranganore, dschalor,  madai [and] plota. in cranganore, called mago dera patinas; called sengale.

st. thomas, 1 of disciples of jesus, believed have visited india while proselytising. possible many of jews became christians @ time absorbed became nasrani or saint thomas christians. knanaya sub-group of nasrani christians claim jewish heritage , known having similar customs , rituals cochin jews.

central history of cochin jews close relationship indian rulers. codified on set of copper plates granting community special privileges. date of these plates, known sâsanam , contentious. plates physically inscribed date 379 ce, in 1925, tradition setting 1069 ce. indian rulers granted jewish leader joseph rabban rank of prince on jews of cochin, giving him rulership , tax revenue of pocket principality in anjuvannam near cranganore, , rights seventy-two free houses . hindu king gave permission in perpetuity (or, in more poetic expression of days, long world , moon exist ) jews live freely, build synagogues, , own property without conditions attached . family connection rabban, king of shingly (another name cranganore), long considered sign of both purity , prestige within community. rabban s descendants led distinct community until chieftainship dispute broke out between 2 brothers, 1 of them named joseph azar, in 16th century.

the oldest known gravestone of cochin jew written in hebrew , dates 1269 ce. near chendamangalam (also spelled chennamangalam) synagogue, built in 1614. operated museum.

in 1341 disastrous flood silted port of cranganore, , trade shifted smaller port @ cochin (kochi). many of jews moved quickly, , within 4 years, had built first synagogue @ new community. portuguese empire established trading beachhead in 1500, , until 1663 remained dominant power. continued discriminate against jews, although doing business them. synagogue built @ parur in 1615, @ site according tradition had synagogue built in 1165. every member of community emigrated israel in 1954.

black jew of cochin payot

in 1524, muslims, backed ruler of calicut (today called kozhikode , not confused calcutta), attacked wealthy jews of cranganore because of primacy in lucrative pepper trade. jews fled south kingdom of cochin, seeking protection of cochin royal family (perumpadapu swaroopam). hindu raja of cochin gave them asylum. moreover, exempted jews taxation bestowed on them privileges enjoyed tax-payers.

the malabari jews built additional synagogues @ mala , ernakulam. in latter location, kadavumbagham synagogue built 1200 , restored in 1790s. members believed congregation receive historic copper plates. in 1930s , 1940s, congregation large 2,000 members, emigrated israel.

thekkambagham synagogue built in ernakulum in 1580, , rebuilt in 1939. synagogue in ernakulam used services if former members of community visit israel. in 1998, 5 families members of congregation still lived in kerala or in madras.

a jewish traveler s visit cochin

the following description of jews of cochin 16th century jewish traveler, zechariah dhahiri (recollections of travels in circa 1558)

1660 independence

the paradesi jews, called white jews , settled in cochin region in 16th century , later, following expulsion iberia due forced conversion , religious persecution in spain , portugal. fled north holland majority fled east ottoman empire.

some went beyond territory, including few families followed arab spice routes southern india. speaking ladino language , having sephardic customs, found malabari jewish community established in cochin quite different. according historian mandelbaum, there resulting tensions between 2 ethnic communities. european jews had trade links europe , useful languages conduct international trade, i.e. arabic, portuguese , spanish, later on maybe dutch. these attributes helped position both financially , politically.

when portuguese occupied kingdom of cochin, allegedly discriminated against jews. nevertheless, extent shared language , culture, ever more jews came live under portuguese rule (actually under spanish crown, again, between 1580 , 1640). protestant dutch killed raja of cochin, allied of portuguese, plus sixteen hundred indians in 1662, during siege of cochin. jews, having supported dutch military attempt, suffered murderous retaliation of both portuguese , malabar population. year later, second dutch siege successful and, after slaughtering portuguese, demolished catholic churches or turned them protestant churches (not sparing 1 vasco da gama had been buried). more tolerant of jews, having granted asylum claims in netherlands. (see goa inquisition situation in nearby goa.) attitude differs antisemitism of dutch in new york under pieter stuyvesand around years.

photo identified white jew town, cochin, 1913

the malabari jews (referred historically during colonial years black, although skin colour brown) built 7 synagogues in cochin, reflecting size of population.

the paradesi jews (also called white jews) built one, paradesi synagogue. latter group small comparison malabaris. both groups practiced endogamous marriage, maintaining distinctions. both communities claimed special privileges , greater status on each other.

it claimed white jews had brought them iberia few score meshuchrarim (former slaves, of mixed african-european descent). although free, relegated subordinate position in community. these jews formed third sub-group within cochin jewry. meshuchrarim not allowed marry white jews , had sit in of synagogue; these practices similar discrimination against converts lower castes found in christian churches in india.

in 20th century, abraham barak salem (1882–1967), young lawyer became known jewish gandhi , worked end discrimination against meshuchrarim jews. inspired indian nationalism , zionism, tried reconcile divisions among cochin jews. became both indian nationalist , zionist. family descended meshuchrarim. hebrew word denoted manumitted slave, , @ times used in derogatory way. salem fought against discrimination boycotting paradesi synagogue time. used satyagraha combat social discrimination. according mandelbaum, mid-1930s many of old taboos had fallen changing society.

the cochini anjuvannam jews migrated malaya. records show settled in seremban, negeri sembilan, malaysia. last descendant of cochin jews in seremban benjamin meyuhasheem.

relations between cochin jews, madras jews , bene-israel

plan of fort st george , city of madras in 1726,shows b.jews burying place jewish cemetery chennai, 4 brothers garden , bartolomeo rodrigues tomb



rabbi salomon halevi(last rabbi of madras synagogue) , wife rebecca cohen, paradesi jews of madras

although india noted having 4 distinct jewish communities, viz., cochin, bene-israel (of bombay , environs), calcutta , new delhi, communications between jews of cochin , bene-israel community greatest in mid-19th century. according native bene israel historian, haeem samuel kehimkar (1830-1909), several prominent members white jews of cochin had moved bombay in 1825 cochin, of whom named michael , abraham sargon, david baruch rahabi, hacham samuel , judah david ashkenazi. these exerted not in edifying minds of bene-israel , of children generally, particularly in turning minds of these few of bene-israel, through heathen influence had gone astray path of holy religion of forefathers right direction, viz. study of own religion, , contemplation on supreme being. david rahabi engaged in effecting religious revival @ revandanda, followed successor hacham samuel. although david rahabi convinced bene israel descendants of jews, still wanted examine them further. therefore gave women clean , unclean fish cooked together, singled out clean unclean ones, saying never used fish had neither fins nor scales. being satisfied, began teach them tenets of jewish religion. taught hebrew reading, without translation, 3 bene-israel young men families of jhiratker, shapurker , rajpurker. david rahabi said have been killed martyr in india, 2 or 3 years after coming upon bene-israel local chief.

another influential man cochin, alleged have been of yemenite jewish origin, hacham shellomo salem shurrabi served hazan, or reader, in newly formed synagogue of bene-israel in bombay trifling sum of ruppees 100 per annum, although worked book-binder. while engaged in avocation, @ times ready explain scriptural difficulty might happen brought him bene-israel. reader, preacher, expounder of law, mohel , shochet. served community 18 years, , died on 17 april 1856.