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Wednesday 19 February 2020

THE CURRENT STATUS OF MALA JEWISH CEMETERY

One can say without doubt, that the most controversial Jewish monument in Kerala is the Mala Jewish cemetery. The cemetery was handed over to the Panchayath (the Village Council) by the Jewish community in 1955 with the following conditions: "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"

 The Mala contract clearly specifies that  the cemetery had a gate and was protected by walls on all sides. Furthermore, in the deed we learn that keys to the cemetery along with that of the synagogue were handed over to the Panchayath, which is an additional proof that the cemetery was well preserved and guarded. In the same contract the value assigned for the plot containing the synagogue (23 cents) and the cemetery (400 cents) were identical (500 Rupees each), this is interesting since the size of their area varied significantly! The four-acre Mala cemetery is considered the largest Jewish graveyard in India. Today, the triangular shaped cemetery is divided into two parts by a stone wall built in 2005, giving rise to a smaller section (1.5 acres) at the western side with three tombs and a larger portion (2.5 acres) on the eastern part with a sports complex containing indoor and outdoor stadiums, but devoid of any graves. The original entrance to the cemetery was at the western end with a proper gate and there was a signboard on the top that read "Mala Jewish Cemetery" (installed in 2002-2003?). The board is missing and only a fraction of the gate remains today. Large portions of the old boundary walls have collapsed resulting in an exposed cemetery with gaps that can be easily trespassed. The newly built barbed wire fence on the north-west boundary are only knee-deep high and that do not serve the purpose for which they are made. 
Map of Mala Jewish Cemetery (2020)
1, 2 and 3-position of the tombs; E1-main entrance to the cemetery; E2 and E3-modern entrances to the sports complex; E4-entrance connecting the larger east and smaller west sections of the cemetery; G1 to G5-Gaps in the boundary walls; Yellow Solid Lines-modern boundary walls; Yellow Dotted Lines-barbed wire fence; Red Solid Lines-old boundary walls of the cemetery. Interestingly, the above area when measured using Google Map comes to around 4 acres, just as specified in the Mala contract (1955), confirming that the original cemetery included the portions containing the sports complex and not just the region where the existing tombs are located as some argue.

Main Entrance of Mala Jewish Cemetery (2011 & 2020)
Photo: January, 2011

Photo: January, 2020

The following set of photographs will give you an idea of the extend of damage that has occurred on the boundary walls flanking the entrance. On the northern boundary, the full section of the wall from the entrance to the partition dividing the cemetery into two halves has been replaced with knee-deep high barbed wire fence (see Map above); while on the southern border, a portion of the wall (see below, white dotted lines) from the gate to the plaque commemorating the Mala contract  has been demolished (G1 in Map).

North-West Corner of the Compound Wall (2010-11 & 2020)
Photo Courtesy: https://www.slideshare.net/wlts/mala-jewish-synagogue-cochin (2010?)

Photo: January, 2011

Photo: January, 2020. See the barbed wire fence on the left side.

South-West Corner of the Compound Wall (2011 & 2020)
Photo: January, 2011
Photo: January, 2020. White dotted lines mark the collapsed section of the wall.

The plaque installed at the entrance of the cemetery testifies the names of the three Jewish trustees and the Mala Panchayath President involved in the 1955 Mala contract, I believe it could be a sheer chance of luck that this tablet has not been destroyed til date. 
Photo: January, 2020

The damage to the the boundaries are not confined to the entrance alone, but through out the cemetery borders. More gaps can be seen in the southern, northern and eastern borders where large sections of walls have collapsed. The white dotted lines mark the gaps (G2 to G5) in the boundary; see their respective positions in the map attached at the beginning of the post.  

Gap (G2) in the Southern Boundary Wall
Photo: January, 2020

Gap (G3) in the Eastern Boundary Wall
The blue building in the background is the K. Karunakaran Memorial Indoor Stadium of Mala; Photos: February, 2020

Gap (G4) in the Northern Boundary Wall
Photo: January, 2020

Gap (G5) in the Northern Boundary Wall
Photo: February, 2020

There are two entrances to the eastern section of the cemetery, both open to the sports complex from the south. The third entrance is not a proper one, but acts as a short cut connecting the western and eastern portions of the cemetery. See E2 to E4 in the map.

Small entrance (E2) from the southern border to the sports complex
Photo: January, 2020

Main entrance (E3) from the southern border to the sports complex.
Photo: January, 2020

Entrance (E4) connecting the eastern and western sections of the cemetery.
Photo: November, 2019

Partition wall separating the eastern and western sections of the cemetery.
Photo: January, 2020. 
We have seen that the cemetery is divided into two sections. The western compartment is smaller in size (1.5 acres), but contains the Jewish tombs left in Mala (total of three only) and it does not harbour any modern constructions inside. However, the larger eastern compound (2.5 acres) has the play grounds and all the modern constructions that include "Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium" (2005)-a three sided 62-metre long open air gallery named after India's first Prime Minister; "K. Karunakaran Memorial Sports Academy" (2012)-an indoor stadium in memory of veteran political leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala; a sports council building; a recreation centre for senior citizens; toilet blocks; guard rooms; waiting areas etc.

Constructions in the eastern section of cemetery (all photos: January, 2020)
K. Karunakaran Memorial Sports Academy
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium 
Sports Council Building & Recreation Centre for Senior Citizens

Signboards from the Cemetery Indicating the Jewish Connection to the Site
All photos-2020

1) Reads: "MP LADS 2002.'03, Jewish Cemetery North Road, Mala Block, Mala Panchayath, M.P. Sri. K Karunakaran, Length. 500 mtr., Amount. Rs. 200,000.
2) Inauguration plaque of "Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium" datred 25-08-2005, in brackets below the name of the stadium is written "Jewish Monument" in Malayalam
3) Signboard indicating the site as a protected monument by Archaeological Department. There are two such boards in the cemetery, one at the western end adjacent to the entrance gate and the other at the eastern end near the indoor stadium.
4) Reads: MP LADS 1997-98, Jewish Cemetery North Road, M. P. Sri. A. C. Jose
5) This board was lying on the ground completely hidden under dry leaves and dirt.

Missing Signboards from the Cemetery
 Photo: January, 2011

The yellow board says: "Mala Grama Panchayath, Jewish Cemetery". Photo: January, 2017.

How did a well protected Jewish cemetery lost more than 60% of its land and deteriorate to the current dismal state of poorly maintained compound areas, crumbling tombs and unguarded boundaries? The answer is not simple as it involves a complex history where the local guardians themselves remained insensitive and often played negative roles. We will discuss more about that in the next post.

Posted by CONTACT ME (Dr. Laju Paul K.) at 08:45

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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)