(Uri Sittan Tripo/Wikimedia)

The Cochin Jews Of Kerala

A small Jewish community in India.


Early History






Growth of the Kerala Community





Written sources indicate that the Kerala Jews observed mainstream religious law (halakhah) and had religious leaders they called hakhamim or rabbanim, though there is no record of anyone in Cochin undergoing traditional ordination or writing a responsum. Day-to-day halakhic decisions were made by these learned men. Occasionally they consulted with visiting scholars or even wrote for advice to rabbis in Jerusalem or Cairo.

Although Cochin Jewish internal social relationships were undoubtedly influenced by the caste system and Hindu social values, it should be emphasized that the Cochin Jews were not themselves divided into separate castes, and that all of them shared in a common culture.

There is ample evidence of social contacts among all the Jewish communities of Kerala–including business relationships, invitations to each other’s lifecycle rituals, men studying Jewish texts together, women lending jewelry and exchanging songs, and the sharing of ordinary and ritual meals. As with Jews elsewhere, friendships between members of different communities were most common among people of the same class, education, and occupational standing.

Political and Economic Conditions

Portuguese colonial rule (1498-1663) brought suffering to all the minority communities of South India. The economic power of Muslims declined when the Portuguese ended their monopoly of trade between Malabar and the West. Syrian Christians were persecuted and killed by the Inquisition, which forced Roman Catholicism on many Kerala Christians.

The Cochin Maharaja protected Jews under his rule, but the Inquisition brought terror to Conversos (“New Christians”) who fled to India in order to reclaim their Jewish identity. In 1663 the Dutch defeated the Portuguese, who set fire to the Paradesi synagogue and a number of Jewish houses just before they left Malabar.




Immigration to Israel


The hope we have had since ancient times,
Has not faded.




Nevatim constructed its synagogue in the traditional Kerala style, incorporating the Torah ark and other furnishings brought from the Tekkumbagam synagogue in Ernakulam.

Most of the Cochin Paradesi Jews remained in India longer. In 1968 they celebrated the 400th anniversary of the building of their synagogue with a week-long series of cultural events. The festivities included performances of Kerala music, scholarly seminars, and a visit from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Most members of this community made aliyah during the 1970s and 1980s. Now scattered throughout Israel, they number about 200 and often meet for ritual occasions in Binyamina and other places where there are Paradesi households.




Reprinted with permission from The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

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