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Sunday, 23 February 2020

JEWISH CEMETERY OF MALA-A TIMELINE OF EVENTS SINCE 1955.

I will be brief here and include only the important events and decisions associated with cemetery. Not all dates are accurate to my knowledge, so I would be happy to incorporate corrections as required and add if there is any relevant information that I have failed to mention. 

 1954, December 20: A contract was executed by (1) Avarony Jew aged 77, son of Mosha of Vadama Village, Mukundapuram Taluk, (2) Pallivathukkal Eliacha Jew aged 75 Son of Kunjeli of Vadama Village Mukundapuram Taluk, (3) Chennamangalathukaran Eliabai Jew aged 50, Merchant Son of Aphraim of Vadama Village Mukundapuram Taluk-Trustees of the Mala Synagogue on behalf of the Synagogue (referred to as Donors) in favour of Athappilly Joseph Christan aged 37 Son of Devassy, Vadama Village, Mukundapuram Taluk the President of the Mala Panchayath for and on behalf of the said Panchayath (refererred to as Donee). The contract was the entrustment of all properties movable and immovable appertaining to the Jewish synagogue including the synagogue building and its premises (23 cents, valued Rs. 500) and the Jewish cemetery (400 cents, valued Rs. 500) as a deed of gift to the Panchayath, provided it was subjected to the conditions and obligations recited in the contract. There were six conditions to be fulfilled namely:

(1) The item in the A schedule (synagogue building and its premises) should under no circumstance be used or converted as a place of Worship of any Denomination or Sect. 
(2) Under no circumstance should the A schedule item be used as a Slaughter house.
(3) The Donee shall maintain the A schedule building in proper tenantable repair meeting all the charges for its annual maintenance and repair. 
(4) The Donee shall not in any manner alienate the A schedule item to any individual person or Corporation. 
(5) The Donee shall in a conspicuous part of the building in the A schedule announce and notify by a permanent and indelible inscription the factum of this perpetuate the memory of the Mala Synagogue.
(6) The Donee shall maintain at his own expense the Jewish Cemetery described in the B Schedule hereto annexed and hereby entrusted to his possession and shall preserve the same without trespass or molestation of the tombs. Nor any portion of the Cemetery be dug or unearthed. The compound wall bounding the cemetery on all sides and the gate in it shall also be preserved and the Donee shall meet the expenses, if any, necessary for the preservation in good repair. The B Schedule item shall not be alienated and shall ever be preserved in its present condition without being put to any other use: nor shall the right of any member of the Jewish Community to use the B Schedule item as Cemetery ever denied or questioned.

1955, January 4: The contract is registered in the Sub-Registrar office of Mala

1955 to Early 1990s: Initial interest shown by the Panchayath in protecting the monument subsided as time passed on and new members started to join the council. No maintenance or repair was carried out for decades and the cemetery remained in an abandoned state, but no serious construction work was carried out. With weak borders, the locals freely roamed inside, the graveyard turned into a grazing field and a portion was used as a playing ground. By the beginning of late 1980s to early 1990s, attempts were made to start constructions inside the cemetery.

 Early 1990s: Jewish Monument Conservation Committee (Yahuda Smaraka Samrakshana Samithi) of Mala is formed by freedom fighter and political leader, K. A. Thomas-first of its kind that spearheaded the activities to save the Jewish heritage in Mala.

1994: Ernakulam-based 'Association of Kerala Jews' moved the High Court of Kerala against Mala Panchayat for attempting illegal constructions inside the cemetery and violation of minority rights. Mala Panchayath filed a counter affidavit wherein they stated that no such violation has occurred and no Jews live in Mala. 

 1994-2005: Construction activities in the cemetery gets a major halt under the court order (however, it seems minor works still continued).

2001: Work of out door stadium (open air gallery) begins


2004, March 04: Foundation laid for Sports Council building and Recreation Centre for Senior Citizens.

 2004, December 23: Inauguration of Sports Council building and Recreation Centre for Senior Citizens

2005, February 16: Kerala High Court technically dismisses the case on the grounds that there are no Jews in Mala and therefore minority violations have not occurred. The verdict however stressed that the 1955 contract still stands valid, the exact phrase used was "without prejudice to the contentions of the petitioner", and it is the lower court (Appropriate Forum) to decide if contract conditions are violated by the Panchayath.

 2005: The Panchayath takes the verdict as a green signal and restarts construction works. A stone-wall separating the cemetery into two halves, a 1.5-acre western and a 2.5-acre eastern are constructed.

 2005, August 05:  On the eastern portion, a 62m long, three-sided open air gallery (an outdoor stadium) is built and inaugurated in the name of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The foundation plaque added the words "Jewish Monuments" in brackets.

2011, December: Kerala Tourism Ministry allots of  Rs. 1.61 crores (16.1 million) for constructing a 'Jewish Heritage Souhrada (Friendship) Park' on the 1.5-acre western section of the cemetery. Inside the park was proposed a stage, green room, ticket counter, toilet block, bus shelter, artificial pond, boat, museum, commercial shops, security cabin, parking area, compound walls, entrance gate, sidewalks, seating benches and memorial forest with flowering trees. 

 2012: Mala Heritage Conservation Committee or Mala Paithruka Samrakshana Samithi (MPSS) formed under the leadership of Prof. C. Karmachandran. MPSS agrees with protection of the tombs and construction of compound walls, entrance gate, sidewalks, seating benches and memorial forest with flowering trees, but demands rejection of the remaining 14 proposals.

 2012, November 11: Foundation laid for K. Karunakaran Memorial Sports Academy-Mala, Indoor Stadium.

Early 2013: Sports Ministry of Kerala allots Rs. 8 crores (8 million) for an Indoor Stadium Complex on the 2.5-acre eastern section of the cemetery. The three-phased project envisioned: Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Badminton courts in 1st phase; Swimming Pool, Pavillion, Gallery, 200 m Synthetic Track in 2nd phase; and Office, Boundary Walls in the 3rd phase, respectively.

 2013 April 12: Dan Elias and Abby Abraham, two Ernakulam-based descendants of Mala Jews, lodged a case with Irinjalakuda sub-court seeking to have the synagogue and cemetery returned to them as the Panchayat had violated the 1955 deed. 

 2013 June 06: Mala Panchayath files counter affidavit.

2014, September 3: Irinjalakuda sub-court orders the Panchayath not to make any alterations in the cemetery that contradicts the 1955 deed and illegal construction activities must be suspended. The court later partially lifted the restrictions, but litigation is still going on in higher court. 

 2015, August 20: Inauguration of the main entrance gate and installation high mast lights in K. Karunakaran Memorial Sports Academy-Mala.

 2016, February 22: Inauguration of K. Karunakaran Memorial Sports Academy-Mala, Indoor Stadium.

 2010 to 2017: The boundary walls surrounding the cemetery have collapsed at several locations. In most cases it was done intentionally by human intervention and in a few situations, natural causes were the reasons. The entrance gate was demolished and the name boards went missing. Two meters of cemetery land around the monument was used for Panchayath road-widening.

 2017 July: The Finance Department of Kerala suspends use of money for activities related to construction works in Mala Sports Academy until new orders arrive. Til then, Rs. 2.5 crores out of the Rs. 8 crores allotted, were used for the first phase of Sports Academy.

 2017 December 26: Mala Jewish Cemetery and Synagogue declared protected monument by Kerala Government under the Kerala Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act-1968.

 2018 April: Mala Synagogue and Jewish Cemetery included in the second phase of Muziris Heritage Project. 

 2019: Revenue Authority conducts a survey to demarcate and identify Mala Jewish Cemetery over apprehensions that there are encroachments over the graveyard.

 Also, as of date, I understand there are multiple court cases pending in connection with the construction activities in Mala cemetery that are awaiting final decisions from Thrissur District Court and Kerala High Court.

Posted by CONTACT ME (Dr. Laju Paul K.) at 02:08

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INTRODUCTION

The monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived India much before they reached the West. For instance, it is widely believed that Christianity reached the subcontinent only after Portuguese, the first European colonists arrived India in the 15th century. However, long before Christianity reached many parts of Europe, it came to India. According to strong, continuous and unanimous traditions among the ancient Syrian Christians of Kerala, Christianity was introduced to India by St: Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus Christ in 52 AD, who established seven churches in Kerala. Contrary to popular belief that Islam came to India through the 11th century Muslim invasions in the northern parts of the country, it first arrived Kerala via the Arab merchants from 7th century onwards at the earliest. Similarly, Judaism the oldest continuously practiced monotheistic religion has an Indian presence from very early times. If traditional accounts are to be accepted,India had a Jewish colony from the time of King Solomon (10th century BC)! Most importantly, all the three religions trace their arrival in India to the Malabar region of Southern India which is currently the modern State of Kerala. Since ancient times Kerala has been the center of the Indian spice trade where Greeks, Romans, Jews, Arabs and Chinese came for grabbing their part of share. To be specific, the first Jewish, Christian and Islamic settlements of India claim their origin to a place called Cranganore (modern Kodungallur) in Kerala.

Much has been written on Indian Jews, their unique culture and traditions. Among the three major Jewish communities in India, the “Kerala Jews” popularly known as“Cochin Jews” are the most ancient followed by the “Bene Israel” of Maharashtra and the “Baghdadi Jews” of West Bengal. Recently two more communities have claimed Jewish ancestry viz. “Bene Menasheh” (1970s) from North East India and “Bene Ephraim or Telugu Jews” (1980s) from Andhra Pradesh. A small population of Jews had migrated to India during the Mughal, Portuguese, Dutch, French and British rule as well. Perhaps the Jewish refugees from Hitler’s Anti-Semitic Europe were the last Jews to arrive India. In other words, Jews weren’t a single emigration to India. At different times they arrived and settled peacefully in India where they never experienced any anti-Semitism from the native Indian community. Although Jews supposedly reached Kerala as early as 1st century AD, there were many different waves of emigrations later as well. Gradually, Jews of Kerala became organized into three distinct groups, but the different communities interacted very less among themselves. 1) Malabari Jews: the largest and most ancient group considered to have arrived in India as merchants during the period of King Solomon (1000 BC). 2). ‘Paradesi’ (foreigner) Jews: the second largest and recent group (from 16th century onwards) who migrated mainly from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Spain and Germany. 3). ‘Meshuhararim’ (released): the smallest group believed to be the slaves held by both Malabari and Paradesi communities who were converted to Judaism and later on released from their status as slaves. The Malabari Jews were called the ‘Black Jews’, the Meshuhararim-the ‘Brown Jews’ and the ‘Paradesi’-the ‘White Jews’-terms considered derogatory and racist today. The arguments on who came first and who are more pure were often fought vehemently and each sect defended their claims. The Jewish population of Kerala numbered 2,400 at the height of their “mass” emigration to Israel in 1954. Today (2011), less than 40 Jews remain in Kerala-9 Paradesi Jews comprising of 6 women and 3 men; and less than 30 Malabari Jews.

In a strong caste-based Indian society, fair skinned Paradesi Jews managed to win a privileged position although they were a minority and newly arrived. Their European background, influence and wealth managed to push the majority of relatively poor Malabar Jews into an inferior position in colonial India. Unfortunately, even today for many in the west and to a great extent in India too, the existence of Kerala’s ancient Malabari Jewish community and their heritage is far unknown. The famous Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin is perhaps the only monument that comes into the mind of many as far as Judaism in Kerala is concerned. Often mistakenly acclaimed to be the oldest (built 1568) synagogue in British Commonwealth, the Paradesi Synagogue however, is the only functional one in Kerala today (2011). Did the Jewish community of Kerala leave anything more than this famed synagogue? The answer is a big yes. Judaism in Kerala is not only about the Paradesi Jews of Cochin and their synagogue in Mattanchery. In fact, the Malabari Jews have seven synagogues and six cemeteries, and several aretfacts and monuments that are also part of Kerala’s rich Jewish heritage! This does not include the few existing Jewish homes and the many earlier Jewish residences converted into non-Jewish owned business buildings and private villas.

This blog will be an attempt to help people both inside and outside India to locate and learn about the known Jewish monuments of Kerala, that include synagogues, cemeteries and former Jewish residences. It will be equally pictorial and textual in format. One of the objectives of this blog is to help people in identifying all known Jewish monuments of Kerala through maps and photographs. Their left out synagogues and cemeteries are the physical landmarks that still stand in testimony to the vibrant and glorious heritage of Jews who claim at least 2000 years of strong and continuous bond with India. The big question is about the accessibility and identification of these monuments. Some of the cemeteries for example are so overgrown with weeds and turned into garbage dumping yards that even the locals have no clue about their existence. Most of the sites have no sign boards or maps available to pin point their exact location. The information from internet and other sources are also limited or at times misinformed when locating the monuments are concerned. I will try to get as many photographs as needed to help people understand these monuments and the blog will not be confined to the heritage of Paradesi Jews alone. For those synagogues that are disputed properties or lie in ruined state and are not accessible for the public I will only add photographs of the exterior. Some of the original Jewish artifacts from Kerala are preserved in Israel and what left here are the duplicates. In such cases, I will trace and append online links having the original photographs. Regarding the dates associated with the history of ‘Kerala Jews’, I have tried to incorporate the most popular views and need not always be the scholarly accepted ones. I shall be much glad if any one can contribute or provide details of additional monuments, sites or artifacts you think can be classified as part of Jewish heritage of Kerala.

Being also a photoblog, I will be concentrating more on the photographs taken from various Jewish monuments in Kerala. Not many sites are available online that go deep into the structural and historic details of these heritage units with photographs. However, we are lucky to have a few very enlightening resources. The“Friends of Kerala Synagogues 2011”(Prof. Jay A. Waronker, USA; Prof. Shalva Weil, Israel; Marian Scheuer Sofaer, USA; Isaac Sam, India and Tirza Muttath Lavi, Israel) maintain an excellent site on the synagogues of Kerala. I strongly recommend anyone interested in ‘Jewish synagogues of Kerala’ to go through their highly informative links. Whenever, I refer to their site, it will be acknowledged as ‘www.cochinsyn.com’. The other very important site I recommend is the beautiful photo collection by Jono David in his ‘Ha Chayim Ha Yehudim Jewish Photo Library’. He has photographs from many Jewish monuments of India. Although he has got wrong one of the synagogues (Mattancherry Kadavumbagam Synagogue) the site has largely helped me to identify the Jewish cemeteries in Kerala.

JEWISH MONUMENTS & ARTIFACTS OF KERALA

The most important Jewish heritage structures in Kerala are the synagogues (Juda Palli in Malayalam), cemeteries and residences.

A. Synagogues

Today, there are 35 synagogues in India and 7 of them are in Kerala. The architectural style of Kerala synagogues differs from those in the west. These synagogues are strongly influenced from earlier Hindu religious buildings on its design and construction. They are characterized by high slope roofs, thick laterite-stoned walls, large windows and doors, balcony and wood-carved ceilings. A Kerala synagogue consists of a ‘Gate House’ at the entrance that leads through a Breezeway to the Synagogue Complex. The synagogue complex is made of a fully enclosed Azara or Anteroom and a double-storeyed sanctuary-the main prayer hall. Inside a typical double-storeyed sanctuary of a ‘Kerala Synagogue’ are:

1) A Tebah/Bimah: Located at the center of the sanctuary, Tebah is usually an elevated wooden platform or pulpit from which Torah, the holy book of Jews is read. 2) A Heichal (Ark): Represents the altar. It is a chest or cupboard in the synagogue where the Torah scrolls are kept. It is usually carved intricately and painted/gilded with teak wood. Unlike in the European Synagogues, where the ark is placed on the eastern wall, the synagogues in Kerala have the arks on the western wall facing Jerusalem. 3) A Balcony/Second Tebah: It is unique to the synagogues of Kerala. The balcony has two portions one for men and the other for ladies. Women’s seating area is placed directly above the azara. 4) A Staircase: Leads to the balcony and is generally spiral in shape and made of wood. At times there are two staircases, one for men from the main hall inside the synagogue and the other for the ladies from a staircase room outside the synagogue; 5) A Jewish School: Is actually a classroom for Jewish children usually located behind the women’s section on the first floor.

B. Cemeteries

Resting place of ancestors means a lot to the Jewish community. Sometimes they even carried tombstones from their old settlements while migrating to a newer place. The oldest Jewish tomb in India (dated 1269 AD) preserved in front of Chendamangalam synagogue is one such transferred from Kodungallur. Unlike Christian tombs in Kerala with Malayalam and English engravings, the Jewish graves have mostly Hebrew inscriptions. The Jewish year can be converted into modern Gregorian date if one can read the Hebrew letters. ‘Reading Hebrew Tombstones’ is an interesting site to read the Jewish tombs.

C. Jewish Residences

Today, most of the early Jewish homes sold to non-Jews are substantially modified or refurbished. However, there are a few features that still make them identifiable. Sometimes you can trace Jewish symbols like Menorah (candlestick) and Magen David (Star of David) on the walls, windows and roof tops. For example, a few residences in Mattancherry still maintain the Star of David (Magen David) despite being converted into shops or warehouses. The best way to locate the home of a residing Jew is to look for the Mezuzah on the door post. Nailed to the doorpost of a Jewish home, Mezuzah is a small container made of wood, plastic or metal having a piece of parchment with the most important words from the Jewish Holy Book, Torah. It is customary among religious Jews to touch the mezuzah on entering or leaving the home. A few homes in the Synagogue Lane of Mattancherry with mezuzah are the residences of the remaining 9 Paradesi Jews.

The Jewish monuments and artifacts I will be discussing in this blog are:

I Synagogues

1. Pardesi Synagogue, Mattancherry (1568)

2. Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Mattancherry (1130 or 1539)

3. Thekkumbagam Synagogue, Mattancherry (1647, only the building site known)

4. Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Ernakulam (1200)

5. Thekkumbagam Synagogue, Ernakulam (1200 or 1580))

6. Paravur Synagogue (750 or 1164 or 1616)

7. Mala Synagogue (1400 or 1597)

8. Chendamangalam Synagogue (1420 or 1614)

(The various speculated dates of establishment in parenthesis are taken from www.cochinsyn.com, coutesy Prof. Jay A. Waronker)

II Cemeteries

1. Pardesi Jewish Cemetery, Mattancherry

2. Malabari Jewish Cemetery, Mattancherry

3. Old Jewish Cemetery, Ernakulam

4. New Jewish Cemetery, Ernakulam

5. Paravur Jewish Cemetery

6. Mala Jewish Cemetery

7. Chendamangalam Jewish Cemetery

III Jew Streets

1. Jew Street Mattancherry (Jewish residences with Mezuzah and Magen David)

2. Jew Steet, Ernakulam (today all shops in non-Jewish hands)

3. Jew Street, Paravur (Twin Pillars)

4. Jew Street, Mala (Gate House and Breezeway of synagogue turned into shops)

5. Jew Street, Chendamangalam (used to be a Jewish Market or Judakambolam)

6. Jew Street, Calicut (identified in July 2011 as Jootha (Jew) Bazar)

IV Other Monuments & Artifacts

1. Tomb of Sarah (1269 AD), Chendamangalam

2. Kochangadi Synagogue Corner-stone, Mattancherry

3. Jewish Children’s Play Ground, Mattancherry

4. Clock-Tower, Mattancherry

5. Sarah Cohen’s Embroidery Shop, Mattancherry

6. Jew Hill/Judakunnu/Jewish Bazar, Palayur

7. Jew Tank/Judakkulam, Madayi

8. Koder House, Fort Kochi

9. Grand Residencia, Fort Kochi

10. Jewish Summer Resorts, Aluva

11. Jewish Copper Plates, Mattancherry

12. Syrian Copper Plates, Kollam

13. Torah Finial, Palayur

V Lost Jewish Colonies

1. Kodungallur (Thrissur)

2. Palayur (Thrissur)

3. Pullut (Thrissur)

4. Kunnamkulam (Thrissur)

5. Saudhi (Ernakulam)

6. Tir-tur (Ernakulam)

7. Fort Kochi (Ernakulam)

8. Chaliyam (Kozhikode)

5. Pantalayani Kollam (Kozhikode)

9. Thekkepuram (Kozhikkode)

10. Muttam (Alappuzha)

11. Kayamkulam (Alappuzha)

12. Dharmadom (Kannur)

13. Madayi (Kannur)

14. Quilon (Kollam)

15. Pathirikunnu, Krishnagiri (Waynad)

16. Anchuthengu (Thiruvananthapuram)