RENOVATION OF THE PARADESI JEWISH CEMETERY OF MATTANCHERRY (15 September 2019)

A major renovation of the cemetery was completed in 2017. The whole area was cleaned, broad pathways were made, the weed filled sections were leveled and filled with gravel. The swampy parts near the western wall of the cemetery where the Meshuchrarim tombs were segregated (see here), was filled in and landscaped nicely. May be this is also an intentional effort to rectify one of the reminders of the the long-past factional conflict that was a dark episode in the Cochin Jewish history. The rivalry between the two communities is a long forgotten chapter today, even using the term Meschuchararim (manumitted slaves) is considered highly offensive. Two large 'Star of David' are added in the cemetery: 1) in front of the Prayer Hall, yellow allamanda flowers are arranged in the shape of a David's Star. 2) positioned adjacent to the tomb of A. B. Salem-the Jewish Gandhi who bravely fought against the apartheid prevalent in their community until the mid 20th century; is the gravel filled Star of David  painted in blue and white colours. The entrance to the cemetery is also beautified and the trilingual plaques are freshly painted (see here).  

REVISITING THE JEW TOWN, MATTANCHERRY (15 September 2019)

My last visit to the Jew Town was in March, 2017, so it was some time since I had been to this area. I see a few of the monuments have been beautified and will discuss more about them in future posts. A few snaps from the visit:

The Synagogue Lane

THE JEW TOWN OF MATTANCHERRY-a walk through history.

Imagine you are in Jew Town of Mattancherry in the early 20th century, and you start walking straight towards the south from the Maharaja's Palace (the Dutch Palace)-by the time you cover a distance of 2 km you will pass through 4 synagogues! (see Map below). The northernmost Paradesi Synagogue (1568) followed by the Thekkumbhagom (1647), Kadavumbhagom (1544) and Kochangady (1344) synagogues. The southernmost Kochangady Synagogue which is also the oldest would be in ruins (supposedly demolished in the late18th century), but it's remains would be still visible. You will find the remaining 3 synagogues intact, active and vibrant with Jewish presence. 

Major Jewish monuments in Mattancherry. Courtesy, Google Map

THE KADAVUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE OF MATTANCHERRY-A Vanishing Heritage

The structure of the synagogue:  

For more details on the structure and history, see my earlier post (updated) here. The  Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry shares similar architectural features with other existing synagogues in Kerala. The synagogue is aligned in the east to west direction. The complex begins with a double-storied gatehouse at the eastern end followed most probably by a breezeway to a two-storied structure that opens into the main sanctuary building at the western end. The two-storied structure had a lower Azara or Anteroom, and an upper floor which is the women's seating room. The anteroom is the buffer space of the synagogue, mainly used as a waiting area and a place for storage. There was also a Hebrew school in the synagogue and I believe it was adjacent to the women's room or part of the upper floor of the gatehouse. Inside the main double-height long rectangular sanctuary building, was a central Tebah (Pulpit) and a beautifully carved wooden Heickal (Holy Ark), the holiest part of the synagogue where the Torah Scrolls were kept. The Ark was placed at the at the western wall facing Jerusalem. One of the prime attraction of the synagogue was the elegantly carved and painted ceiling woodwork. In addition, there was another pulpit inside the sanctuary at the eastern end. The second reading desk was part of the upper wooden balcony, reached by a staircase from inside the synagogue. An extra pulpit is unique to Kerala synagogues and was used on special occasions. The upper balcony is separated from the women's room by a latticework partition.  Access to the women's gallery was not inside the  sanctuary but through a staircase from the anteroom.

The Eastern (Front) Side of the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue Complex (Mattancherry)-transformation through ages.

The following photographs will give you an idea on how the front side of the synagogue had been altered with time. The first snap, a beautiful colour photograph taken in 1956 shows clearly the original synagogue before any structural damage has occurred. The photograph is of excellent quality, the colours are bright and vivid and more importantly, you can see details the double-storied gatehouse and the fully intact gable. Also do not miss the 1957 black & white photograph of the synagogue taken from the same angle here. Two decades later, you can see in the 1977-photograph by Barabara Johnson-the gatehouse has disappeared, but the main sanctuary building remain with all the four windows on the front wall intact. A more careful analysis of the photograph would reveal some interesting features like the steps to the synagogue (was intact in 2011), the two pillars in the front, the small construction attached to the southern wall of the sanctuary building and the border outlines on the gable-none of them remain today. For the source and other details regarding all the old photographs, see my earlier post here.  In 2011, when I visited the synagogue for the first time, there was a metallic shutter door on the anteroom and all the windows on the front wall were sealed. The synagogue remained more or less the same except for the absence of a door in the anteroom as seen in the 2017 photograph which I took during my last visit before the collapse of the sanctuary.

The Front Side (East) of Kadavaumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry at different stages.

The Southern Courtyard of the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue, Mattancherry.

The Southern courtyard of the synagogue has disappeared and you can see that a new residential two-storied building has been erected on the spot. 

Destruction of the Eastern Wall of the Main Sanctuary, Kadavumbhagom Synagogue (Mattancherry)

The eastern side of the main sanctuary building possessed some of the unique elements of the synagogue. In the following rare photograph taken by Jorg Drechsel in 1990 before the synagogue's interior was shifted to Israel, you can see the upper balcony, the second Tebah (Pulpit), the staircase to the gallery, the lattice work partition separating the women's gallery, the enclosed anteroom, and most importantly the beautiful wood ceiling. Remember, the synagogue stopped functioning since 1955 and was later converted to a warehouse, luckily the interior remained without much damage for decades. In 1991, the interior finishes were brought to its final resting place in Israel Museum, Jerusalem. In 2016, when I visited the synagogue, there was nothing significant inside, but an outline of the women's seating room survived in the form bare incomplete walls and rudimentary wooden ceiling. Today, the toppling down of the synagogue has completely erased whatever left from the women's gallery. You can compare the photographs and see the intensity of the damage.

 

The interior of the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry in 1990. For the source and details of the photograph see my earlier post here.

The Azara (Anteroom) of Kadavumbhagom Synagogue (Mattancherry) after the collapse.

Azara or Anteroom (Puranthalam), characteristic to Kerala synagogues, is a fully enclosed buffer space in front of the main sanctuary-used for different purposes, such as arrival area, waiting space, storage for furniture etc. The entrance to the main sanctuary in a synagogue is from the western wall of  Azara, and the floor above it is usually the women's seating area. The breaking down of the synagogue has severely affected the Azara as you can see from the photos below. I have included photographs taken from my previous visits also to give you the extent of damage. The eastern wall and the ceiling of the anteroom have fully crumbled down.

The Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry after collapse (More Photos).

Front side of the synagogue (eastern side)

The Hebrew Inscription in the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue from Mattancherry.

After the synagogue became defunct in 1955, and in 1991 when the whole interior was shifted to Israel, not much was left inside the synagogue. In fact, today there is nothing to establish a Jewish connection to the building except for a Hebrew inscription above the lintel over the main entrance. It is learned that there were two granite slabs with details of the donors to the synagogue on either side of the door, but was removed (early 2000s?) by the current owner for unknown reasons.

 The Hebrew inscription over the lintel of the collapsed synagogue

Enlarged view of the Hebrew inscription that reads:

"זה השער ליהוה צדיקים יבאו בו"

 

The inscription is a quote from the Book of Psalms. The verse is translated: "This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous shall enter" (Psalms 118: 20). For a word to word Hebrew-English translation and transliteration see here. For more interested readers here is a photograph I fetched from online- the entrance to an orthodox synagogue in Tehran, Iran with the same words.

Western Wall of the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue, Mattancherry. Once the location of Holy Ark (Heichal)

The red dotted lines demarcate the area where once the Holy Ark was placed (currently in the synagogue of Moshav Nehalim, Israel). Flanking the Ark are two floral motifs (1) and they remain fairly preserved in the Western Wall of the dilapidated synagogue in Mattancherry. Between these pair of motifs is an outline of a tablet (2), once engraved with the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. The tablet however is not displayed in the Ark kept at Moshav Nehalim. Similar floral patterns in the gable of nearby buildings are still visible near the synagogue area (photos attached below). Similarly, on either sides of the bottom end of the Ark were large windows, which are sealed now. See my earlier post for the journey of the Ark to Israel.

Western Wall of the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue, Mattancherry

THE LAST PHASE OF MATTANCHERRY'S JEWISH COMMUNITY

As it turns out, 2019 is a sad year for the Jews of Kerala in Mattancherry (Cochin). On Friday, August the 30th, Sarah Jacob Cohen, the oldest member of the Paradesi Jewish community died at the age of 96, just five days before celebrating her 97th birthday. ‘Sarah Aunty’ as she was fondly called, was always approachable, and by her warmth and smiling face she won the hearts of everyone who dropped by her home. Mattancherry has now only two Paradesi Jews left, who live outside the town most of the year. Sarah Cohen's demise has virtually sealed the glorious chapter of Paradesi Jewish life in Mattancherry that goes back to 451 years. 

SARAH JACOB COHEN (September 4, 1922-August 30, 2019)

Ironically, within a fortnight after Sarah passed away, another catastrophe  struck the Jewish community. The Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry collapsed on September 10th, Tuesday morning and was reduced to rubble. This famed Malabari synagogue is at least 475 years old and predates the Paradesi Synagogue. Though the synagogue was abandoned and all of its interior including the furniture, ceiling etc., and various religious artefacts used for worship were taken to Israel in the 1990s, the overall external structure remained intact. It is unfortunate that despite being declared as a protected monument by the Kerala State Archaeology Department around three years ago, the historic monument could not be saved. What is equally sad is how most of the media reported, that the synagogue of 'Black Jews' collapsed and many even didn't bother to mention the correct name 'Kadavumbhagom Synagogue.' I have discussed earlier (November 2011) in detail about this synagogue, its history, structure, relocation to Israel etc., with photographs. If interested, you can follow this link and the older posts thereafter. 

Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry-15 September 2019