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Thursday 13 August 2020

CRANGANORE AND THE SILVER TRUMPETS OF JERUSALEM TEMPLE

'Notisias dos Judeos de Cochim'-Mosseh Pereira de Paiva's famous Portuguese report from 1687 (English translation by Monsignor F. Fegueiredo and published by S. S. Koder, 1968), attributes the legendary origin of the Jewish community of Kerala to two waves of migration. Thus, the first batch arrives from Mayorca/Majorca (Modern Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands of  Spain in the Mediterranean) to the coast of Malabar in the year 4130 (370 AD) amounting to '70 to 80,000 souls (Israelites)', 15,000 of them settles in Cranganore with their leader Joseph Rabban and the remaining 'famous Rabbis, men with means and others settles down in Maday, Peryapatnam and Cherigandaram'; and the second group comes in the year 4250 (499 AD) from an unknown land.

Paiva, then shares a fanciful legend about Mayorcan Jews bringing with them two of the original trumpets used in the Second Jerusalem Temple to Cranganore, and further expands on the circumstances leading up to its fatal destruction in a dispute over its handling between conflicting factions. To quote the full text which reads thus: "The Myorcan Jews brought with them two trumpets with the Ineffable Name engraved on them from the Holy Temple. The Levites used to sound the trumpets to announce the approach of the Sabbath (Friday after sunset). On one occasion when the sun was about to set, the Levites had not arrived, the members sounded the trumpets; this enraged the Levites and they broke them into pieces. Thus a celebrated relic of our ancient glory was lost". It is certain that Paiva received these legends from the Paradesi Jewish community who also hosted him during his stay in Cochin from 21st to 26th November, 1686. There is no denial that the numbers and dates are all messed up with mythical proportions in these accounts. For the time being, let’s focus on the origin of the tradition and see if there are any documents before Paiva which discuss specifically about this trumpet story?

We have a report from 1676, in the form of a Hebrew letter written by the wealthy Jewish merchant leader, David Rahabi, describing this trumpet legend. The letter penned a decade before 'Notisias', to the Parnassim (communal leaders) of Sephardic Jews in Amsterdam, has most probably provided the impetus for Paiva's delegation to visit Cochin. He however avoids any reference to the destruction of the trumpets, but instead gives a tradition involving famous Jewish religious personalities from the 12th century visiting Cranganore. David Rahabi’s account runs as follows: "After the Second Temple was destroyed, which I wish may speedily rebuilt in our days! our Fathers dreading the conquerors wrath, departed thence, being above 10000 men, women, priests and Levites, and came into these parts….During the space of this 1000 years (the reign of 72 Jewish rulers of Shingli), some Jews that were banished from Spain came hither, because they had heard of this principality which was granted to the Jews. There came also R. Abraham Ben Ezra, and that man of great wisdom R. Samuel, a Levite of Jerusalem, and his Son R. Jehuda Levita (Judah Ha-Levi). They brought with them hither into Singili (Shingly), the Silver Trumpets made use of at time of the Jubilee, which were saved when the Second Temple was destroyed; and we have heard from our Fathers, that there were ingraven upon those Trumpets the Letters of Schem hamphorash, that is of the ineffable Name of God". David Rahabi makes it clear that the trumpets were made of silver and used for the Jubilee Year (once every 50 years), details however absent in Paiva’s account. Nevertheless, Rahabi and Paiva agree that the Holy Name of God was engraved on the instrument. According to Rahabi the date of writing down of their famous ‘Copper Plates’ was in the year 4250 after creation (490 AD), but Paiva assigns an earlier date near 4130 (370 AD).  Anyway, it should be noted that the Jewish Copper plates are dated by modern scholars to the early 11th century only. While narrating his community’s origin, Rahabi is silent about Paiva's twin migrations to Cranganore, instead he gives the credit to 10,000 Jews, who after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 AD), left the Holy Land directly to India. The same version is repeated by his son, Ezekiel Rahabi, in a Hebrew letter dated 1768 to Tobias Boaz, a Jewish merchant in Amsterdam. It is pertinent to note that, according to Paiva, the Jerusalem Trumpets arrive Cranganore with a Mayorcan Jewish migration to Malabar in 4th century, while Rahabi's account would postpone the event to at least the 12th century, and in the story he involves Judah Ha-Levi (c. 1075-1141), one of the greatest Spanish Hebrew poets of his time. Interestingly, the other two Rabbis mentioned in the legend are also from Spain. Rabbi Samuel-the father of Judah Ha-Levi belonged to a prominent Jewish family in the Castile region of Spain, but why he is introduced as 'a Levite of Jerusalem' is not clear. The distinguished Jewish philosopher, Abraham Ben Ezra (c. 1089-1167), a colleague and close friend of Judah Ha-Levi was also from the same region. It is known that both were well aware of India, while Judah Ha-Levi was strongly critical and extremely harsh on Hinduism and the Indians in general, Abraham ben Ezra acknowledged explicitly the primacy of Indian astrology and science; nonetheless, historical evidence backing their visit to the Malabar region has not come out yet. Notably, the 1676 Hebrew letter from David Rahabi is considered the first documentary evidence to the existence of an inscription on copper plates in the possession of the Jewish community of Cochin. Though the original Hebrew letter of Rahabi is lost or misplaced, extracts in Portuguese (late 17th century), Latin (1698) and English (1699) exist. I haven't come across any reference before David Rahabi corroborating the trumpet legend, even the Shingly letters of 1496, 1502/03 and 1503/04 are silent about them (Arthur M. Lesley, 2000). Likewise, the trumpet legend does not get a mention in the writings of native Jewish or European authors, who were diligent in recording the origin stories and were aware of “Notisias”, which include reports of Jacob Canter Visscher (1723), Leopold Immanuel Van Dort (1757), Ezekiel Rahabi (1768), Adriaan Moens (1781), Samuel Abraham (1790) etc., all written down within a century after Paiva's visit. Dutch Scholar Adrianus s’Gravezande is perhaps an exception, he quotes the legend from Paiva twice in 1778 and 1780. 

However, the story gets more attention after Rev. Dr. Claudius Buchanan visits the Jewish community of Cochin in 1807. Upon inquiring about their antiquity, Buchanan receives a narrative in Hebrew language from the Paradesi Jews regarding their arrival in India, which they claimed were handed down to them from their fathers (Christian Researches in Asia, 1811, p. 171-173). Based on the content of the text and the words used in Buchanan’s account, it can be easily deduced that the document presented to him was a copy of David Rahabi's Hebrew letter of 1676. The English translation of the Hebrew letter excerpted in Buchanan’s work became so popular that the text gets quoted in its entirety in several accounts that were published by Christian missionaries in the 19th century about the Jews of Cochin. Transcripts of Elijah Hoole (1847), Charles Foster (1854), James Henry Lord (1883), George Milne Rae (1892) etc., are a few to cite. Regarding the trumpet legend in Buchanan’s account, it reads thus: "Soon after our settlement, other Jews followed us from Judea; and among these came that man of great wisdom, Rabbi Samuel, a Levite of Jerusalem, with his son, Rabbi Jehuda Levita. They brought with them the SILVER TRUMPETS, made use of at the time of the JUBILEE, which were saved when the second temple was destroyed; and we have heard from our fathers, that there were engraven upon those trumpets the letters of the ineffable Name. There joined us also from Spain, and other places, from time to time, certain tribes of Jews, who had heard of our prosperity". The text in Buchanan has some minor variations from the Rahabi’s original. For instance, Rahabi estimates the number of Jews migrated to Malabar from Jerusalem to 10,000 people, while Buchanan generalizes the statement by writing "numerous body of men, women, priests and Levites". Notice also, how Buchanan excludes Abraham Ben Ezra from the list and narrates the importing of the trumpets directly from Judea by Rabbi Samuel and his son Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi. In Rahabi's version, trumpets arrive with a wave of Jewish exiles from Spain, whereas Buchanan records the Spanish migration only after the trumpets were brought into Cranganore (See also an observation in ‘Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany’, Volume 6, 1831, p. 7). However, in either case it is not explained how an important relic such as the 'Silver Trumpets' of Jerusalem Temple come into the possession of Spanish Rabbis of Middle Ages. Attached as a footnote to this passage is an inference that says: "It is not necessary to suppose that these trumpets belonged to the Temple; for it is well known, that in every considerable town in Judea there were Jubilee trumpets".

Alternatively, a slightly refined version recorded from the same period, reports Jews of the Benjamin tribe, after the conquest of Jerusalem by Titus, escape with the silver trumpets and other implements from Temple, settle first in Arabia and gradually come down the Malabar Coast to Cranganore, but the destruction of the relics is blamed on the Portuguese (The Literary Panorama, and National Register, 1808, p. 1025; Annual Register or a View of the History, Politics and Literature for the Year 1808, 'Characters', p. 31). When Louis-Marie Prudhomme published a Nouvelle (New) French Edition of the well-known survey of world religions by Jean Frederic Bernard and Bernard Picart, ‘Cérémonies et Coutumes Religieuses de tous les Peuples du Monde’ (9 Volumes, 1723-1743) in 12 volumes (1807-1810), Paiva’s report was excerpted and the trumpet legend was included (1809, Volume 10, p. 349). A few decades later, J. Douglas Lord (1879) arrives at a similar conclusion with Buchanan and writes: "but it is more than likely that those were not the real Temple trumpets, since every Jewish town of any importance had trumpets". By the time the story is referred by A. I. Simon (1947, p. 10), the trumpets become made of gold instead of silver! In 1968, when the Paradesi Synagogue celebrated its 400th anniversary, 10 paintings were commissioned to highlight their history and the trumpet-conflict was one of the themes (the 6th painting).

The Trumpet Painting in the Paradesi Synagogue

Why are these trumpets so important in Jewish traditions? According to the Holy Bible, God directed Moses to make two trumpets of silver for summoning the congregation and for journeying the camps during their 40 years long sojourn in the desert after having left Egypt (Numbers 10:1-4). The trumpets were blown to sound a battle alarm (Numbers 10:9) and used at the time of customary offering of sacrifices (Numbers 10:10). The Bible is specific when it gives the right to blow the trumpets only to the priests or Cohens (Numbers 10:8). The Hebrew word used for trumpet in all these verses is Hatzotzerah (חצוצרה). We find the Cohanim (Priests) with 120 Hatzotzeroth at the time of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 5:12), so there could be a possibility that more of them were added after Moses. However, Bible mentions about another type of trumpet called Shofar (שופר). Hatzotzerah is long, straight, flared at the end and made of hammered silver, whereas Shofar is crafted out of ram's (wild goat) horn and is curved or bent in shape. Hatzotzerah can only be blown by the priests, while Shofar has no such restrictions. Shofar was used for special occasions such as Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Jubilee Year etc. In fact, Shofar is first introduced in the Bible as a trumpet to announce the arrival of the Jubilee Year in which slaves are freed and the land was given rest from farming cycles (Leviticus 25:9-11). The first century Jewish historian. Flavius Josephus describes the Hatzozerah in detail as follows: “Moreover Moses was the inventer of the form of their trumpet; which was made of silver. Its description is this. In length it was little less than a cubit. It was composed of a narrow tube, somewhat thicker than a flute; but with so much breadth, as was sufficient for admission of the breath of a man’s mouth: it ended in the form of a bell, like common trumpets. Its sound was called in the Hebrew tongue, Asosra. Two of these being made: one of them was sounded when they required the multitude to come together to congregations” (Antiquities of the Jews, 3.12.6). Josephus also records that the Hatzotzerot were blown from the Jerusalem Temple to announce the beginning and ending of every Sabbath (Wars of the Jews, 4.9.12). What the Jews of Cochin are boasting is that the Hatzotzerot of Jerusalem Temple were brought to Cranganore, but unlike what they claim, Shofar was the type of trumpet used to announce the Sabbath (that is the case at least outside the Holy Temple of Jerusalem) and in proclaiming the Jubilee Year. In any case, both the Bible and Josephus are silent about God's sacred name being engraved on the instrument. 

According Flavius Josephus, when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans in 70 AD, the Temple treasures were brought to the city of Rome and deposited in the newly built Roman Temple of Peace. He doesn't specify if the trumpets were included in the lot, but mentions vaguely, He (Vespasian) also laid up there in those golden vessels and instruments that were taken out of the Jewish temple (The Wars of the Jews, 7.5.7). The famous ‘Arch of Titus’ (built in 81 AD) in Rome has a relief depicting the fall of Jerusalem with the spoils taken from the Holy Temple, consisting of the seven-branched Menorah (Candelabrum), the Table of Shewbread, the fire pans for removing ashes from the altars and a pair of Trumpets. The two trumpets are clearly depicted (see 3 in figure below) leaning against the Table of Shewbread confirming their relocation to Rome from Jerusalem. What happened to the spoils of Jerusalem Temple after it was brought to Rome is a mystery? One of the most sought out religious articles of all time, the Ark of Covenant was part of Solomon's Temple treasure, but not depicted in the Arch of Titus.  

               Relief of 'Arch of Titus' (built@81 AD) depicting the spoils of Jerusalem Temple, Rome, Italy

1-Fire Pans; 2-Seven-Branched Menorah; 3-A Pair of Silver Trumpets; 4-Table of Shewbread. Photo: December, 2011

Several theories and fanciful stories have been put forward over centuries about the whereabouts of the lost treasure of Solomon's Temple. The 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea writes in his 'History of the Wars', that the Jerusalem Temple treasures remained in Rome until Gaiseric, the Vandal King conquered and looted the city of Rome and took “an exceedingly great amount of gold and other imperial treasure (including the famous treasure which Titus had brought from Jerusalem) in his ships sailed to Carthage (445 AD), having spared neither bronze nor anything else whatsoever in the palace” [History of Wars, Book III: The Vandalic War (Pt.1), Chapter V]. Procopius goes on further and adds that Carthage was conquered by the Byzantine general Belisarius in 534 AD and brought back the treasure to Constantinople where he paraded the booty in the presence of the Roman Emperor, Justinian (527-565 AD). To quote his words: “And there was also silver weighing many thousands of talents and all the royal treasure amounting to an exceedingly great sum (for Gizeric had despoiled the Palatium in Rome, as has been said in the preceding narrative), and among these were the treasures of the Jews, which Titus, the son of Vespasian, together with certain others, had brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem. And one of the Jews, seeing these things, approached one of those known to the emperor and said: "These treasures I think it inexpedient to carry into the palace in Byzantium. Indeed, it is not possible for them to be elsewhere than in the place where Solomon, the king of the Jews, formerly placed them. For it is because of these that Gizeric captured the palace of the Romans, and that now the Roman army has captured that the Vandals." When this had been brought to the ears of the Emperor, he became afraid and quickly sent everything to the sanctuaries of the Christians in Jerusalem” [History of Wars, Book IV: The Vandalic War (Pt.2), Chapter IX]. Now, where does one fit the Cranganore version into this story? Dutch scholar, Adrianus s'Gravezande (1778, pp. 568-570; 1780, p. 141) who discusses extensively the traditions of Cochin Jews, addresses this legend and speculates that the trumpets got somehow into the hands of Jews instead of the Christians at Jerusalem, and which eventually was brought to Cranganore in the 6th century or later.

Why does Paiva’s report, which the Paradesi Jews of Cochin consider as an essential proof of their glorious past, avoid the important tradition that connect their history directly to Jerusalem, and instead focus on the Mayorcan origin? Jose Alberto Rodrigues da Silva Tavim (2019) argues that the Jews of Cochin banked upon Paiva’s record despite it contradicted their ideals, for the simple reason that they didn’t have access to this rare late 17th century Portuguese document, and they only ‘guessed’ about the content of the text, until 1968, when S. S. Koder took an initiative to translate it. Interestingly, Koder does not forget to add to the translation a foot note (42) that, “The tradition of the Cochin Jews is that they came to Cranganore soon after the destruction of the second Temple in the first century”. Though, the Rahabis arrived Cochin in the middle 17th century and were favoured by the Dutch, it was the Castiel family who held prominent positions in the Jewish community of Cochin before, and they seem to have reached Cranganore long time ago. According to Jose Alberto Rodrigues da Silva Tavim (2019), the ‘Mayorcan origin’ should be viewed in relation to the connection of the noble Castiel family to the island, and in all probability members of this dominant clan migrated to Cranganore from Majorca after Jews were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492. Interestingly, the three Jewish Rabbis mentioned in the trumpet story were from the Castile region of Spain! The Jewish life in Majorca was severely affected after papal inquisition was activated in 13th century, followed by the persecutions of 1391, the violence of 1435, forceful conversions, blood libel accusations etc. However, this does not explain Paiva’s reference of Jews coming from Majorca to Malabar in 370 AD. In fact, Majorca became a prominent Jewish settlement only after James I of Aragon (1213-1276) established the Kingdom of Majorca (1231 to 1715), and there are no historical evidences to prove that it had a strong Jewish community in the early centuries. To quote the noted anthropologist, David G. Mandelbaum (1975):  "The Jewish community of Majorca produced the leading cartographers and navigators of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. But what relation, if any, that fact bears to the legend quoted by Pereyra de Paiva is problematical". The Encyclopaedia Judaica (2nd Edition, 2007, Volume 13, p. 409 by Yom Tov Assis) summarizes the issue and reads as follows: “It is difficult to determine when Jews first arrived in Majorca, but it may be assumed that the settlement was ancient because of the island’s location at the crossroads of the maritime trade routes and its proximity to the coasts of both North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of Jews on the nearby island of Minorca during the fifth century implies their presence on Majorca also….Practically nothing is known of the history of the island from the sixth to the eighth centuries – and even less of the history of the Jews there during that period. It appears that the Jewish settlement was destroyed when the Byzantine general Belisarius overcame the Vandals and took Majorca (534 C.E.)”. Thus, if there was any major Jewish exile from Majorca in early centuries, it occurred during the Byzantine period (6th century), which is still more than one and a half century after Paiva’s reference to Jews arriving on the coast of Malabar in 370 AD. In a nutshell, we can conclude that the trumpet story was a strong attempt to connect Shingly to Jerusalem. As aptly inferred by Nathan Katz (‘Who are the Jews of India’, 2000, p. 14), the conflict between the Levites and laity could be alluding to the struggle between Malabaris and Paradesis; or Meyuchassim (Jews of true lineage) and Meschuchrarim (manumitted slaves); and the destruction of trumpets may be an allegory for the destruction Cranganore. Nevertheless, many queries remain unanswered for instance; Who transmitted the Mayorcan origin to Paiva? Why was he not informed about the Jerusalem origin, despite the fact that it was the tradition held by the Paradesi Jews of Cochin when Paiva visited the town. This is intriguing, since the Hebrew letter (1676) sent by the then Jewish community leader, David Rahabi to the Amsterdam Parnassim attests the Jerusalem origin, but a decade later, when the Parnassim sent Paiva with some other men to investigate the Cochin Jewish community, a different tradition is transmitted; oddly enough, it was Rahabi who entertained Paiva and the other Jewish visitors from Amsterdam during their stay at Cochin in 1686!

References:

Adriaan Moens (1781)-In Galletti, A. van der Burg, A. J. and Groot, 'The Dutch in Malabar', 1911

Adrianus s'Gravezande (1778)-Historical Narratives, Concerning the White and Black Jews of Cochin (Dutch)

Adrianus s'Gravezande (1780)- News from the White and Black Jews of Cochin (German)

Charles Foster (1854)-The One Primeval Language-Traced Experimentally Through Ancient Inscriptions

David G. Mandelbaum (1975)-Social Stratification Among the Jews of Cochin in India

David Rahabi (1676)-In The History of the Works of the Learned, 1699

Douglas Lord (1879)-In Mission Life, Arthur H B. Vivian (Edn.)

Elijah Hoole (1847)-The Year-book of Missions-Containing a Comprehensive Account of Missionary Societies, British, Continental and American.

Ezekiel Rahabi (1768)-In Koder, S. S.,-'A Hebrew Letter of 1768', 1949

George Milne Rae (1892)-The Syrian Church in India

Jacob Canter Visscher (1723)-English Translation by Major Heber Drury in 'Letters from Malabar', 1862

James Henry Lord (1883)-The Right Attitude and Action of the Church Towards the Jews

Jose Alberto Rodrigues da Silva Tavim (2019)- Palli Paradesi-Cochinese Jews, the Portuguese and Identity Reconstructions; In India, the Portuguese and Maritime Interactions, ed. Pius Malekandanthil, Lotika Varadarajan and Amar Farooqui, Volume 2

Leopold Immanuel Van Dort (1757)-English Translation in 'The History of the Jews of Cochin', Published in the 'Voice of Jacob', 1846

Mosseh Pereira de Paiva (1687)-Notisias dos Judeos de Cochim-English Translation by Monsignor F. Fegueiredo, Published by  S. S. Koder under the title, "Saga of the Jews of Cochin" in 'The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Anniversary Souvenir, 1968

Samuel Abraham (1790)- In Jackson, S. H., The Jew-being a Defence of Judaism, 1824

Simon, A. I. (1947)-The songs of the Jews of Cochin and their historical significance

The Annual Register or a View of the History, Politics and Literature, 1808

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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)