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Thursday, 12 August 2021

TORAH ARKS OF THE JEWS OF KERALA

The Torah Ark, also known as Heichal or Aron ha'Kodesh is a chamber or cabinet that houses the sacred Torah Scrolls. In Kerala, the wooden Torah Arks are highly ornate, intricately carved and elegantly designed. All the Arks of Kerala are positioned on the wall facing Jerusalem, i.e. at the western end of the synagogue. Out of the 8 extant synagogues of Kerala, the arks of all except that of the Mala have survived. This is a remarkable achievement considering that except for the  Paradesi synagogue, the remaining 7 synagogues were abandoned or unattended for decades after the Jewish community emigrated to Israel from early 1950s onwards. The Thekkumbhagom synagogue in Mattancherry was completely demolished in 1960s; the nearby Kadavumbhagom sanctuary was turned into a godown and left to decay; and the Mala Synagogue was transformed into a local community hall and primary school. The situation was not different with other Malabari synagogues as well until the early decade of 21st century, when Government Organisations, Private Institutions and individual initiatives together played significant roles in changing the dismal conditions. Today, Parur and Chendamangalam synagogues are Jewish museums open to the public; Kadavumbhagom-Ernakulam is a fully functional beautiful synagogue; Mala synagogue is being renovated and beautified; heavily ruined Kadavumbhagom synagogue-Mattancherry is under early phases of restoration; and Thekkumbhagom synagogue-Ernakulam is already a protected monument waiting for its turn of restoration.


It has to be noted that painful renovation efforts and significant background works were required to bring many of these monuments back to the current acceptable forms. More than five decades of total disregard had resulted in the irrecoverable loss of many of the precious  artefacts inside, especially the wooden structures. It is therefore sheer luck how all these Torah Arks made completely of wood survived despite the harsh and unfavourable conditions. Thanks to the Jewish community's early efforts in preserving their most important artefact and the philanthropic support they received from abroad, four of the Arks were brought outside Kerala and carefully preserved. Today in Kerala only three of the original Arks remain- at Paradesi synagogue, Mattancherry; Kadavumbhagom synagogue, Ernakulam; and Chendamangalam synagogue. There are four Torah Arks of Kerala preserved outside India, three in Israel and one in USA. 

The original Ark of Kadavumbhagom synagogue of Mattancherry was brought to Israel in mid-1950s. It was eventually procured by Moshav Nehalim in central Israel near Tel Aviv, and currently part of the synagogue there. In 1991, the interior furnishings of Kadavumbhagom Mattancherry were brought to Israel and after much strenuous restoration efforts it was opened to the public in 1995 as a permanent exhibit in the Israel Museum of Jerusalem. However, an Ark for the Kadavaumbhagom synagogue in Jerusalem still had to be arranged from a different source as the original was already in Moshav Nehalim, and therefore the Paravur Ark was brought from Kerala. Later, the emptied Paravur synagogue was added with a replica in 2016 when it was opened as Kerala Jews History Museum. I had previously discussed about the the events and the circumstances that led to the transfer of these Arks to Israel in detail here. Likewise, the Thekkumbhagom Ernakulam Ark was also brought to Israel in 1973 and installed in the synagogue of Moshav Nevatim near the Southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva. Interestingly, the Thekkumbhagom synagogue at Ernakulam today houses a very early Torah Ark discovered from its attic in 1996. 

The Thekkumbhagom synagogue of Mattancherry was completely erased to ground in 1960s and today nothing from the original structure remain on the site, and even a picture of this monument is extremely rare to find (see here). The Torah Ark of Thekkumbhagom Mattancherry has been meticulously preserved in the Magnes Museum Collection of Jewish Art and Life, California, USA. This is indeed a fascinating effort given that it is the only surviving major artefact left from the original structure today. In the case of Mala, it was the first synagogue to become defunct in Kerala (1950s) and was transferred to the local village authorities (Panchayath) free of cost under the condition that the sanctuary would be protected and preserved. Ironically, it is the only synagogue in Kerala whose Torah Ark has not been accounted for! What happened to the Mala Ark is a puzzle unsolved. Did the Ark remain intact after the Jews of Mala left and was damaged or lost or even sold afterwards? Perhaps it was removed by the Jews before the synagogue was handed over to Panchayath? If that is the case, what happened to the Ark under Jewish hands, why was it not preserved like the remaining arks? More unfortunately, not a single photograph or sketch has survived til date that can throw some light into how the ark looked like. It is said that the Mala Ark resembled the one in Paravur. I still believe we might come across a rare document or report or even a photograph that might fetch valuable information in this regard.

Location of the Torah Arks of Kerala

Following are photographs of the Torah Arks of Kerala with details of their current location.

THE TORAH ARKS IN KERALA

1) CHENDAMANGALAM SYNAGOGUE

2) NORTH PARAVUR (PARUR) SYNAGOGUE-a modern replica (2016)

3) KADAVUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE, ERNAKULAM

4) PARADESI SYNAGOGUE, MATTANCHERRY

Photo credit: www.keralatourism.org

5) THEKKUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE, ERNAKULAM (Ark discovered in 1996)
Photo credit: Orna Eliyahu-Oron, “Heichalot (Torah Arks) from the Synagogues of Cochin Jews in India,” MA Thesis (Hebrew), 2004, Fig. 51, p. 161.

THE TORAH ARKS IN ISRAEL

1) KADAVUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE (MATTANCHERRY), MOSHAV NEHALIM

Photo credit: Slapak, Orpa (ed.), The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities, 1995, p. 56

2) NORTH PARAVUR (PARUR) SYNAGOGUE, ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM

Photo credit: Israel Museum (https://www.imj.org.il)

3) THEKKUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE (ERNAKULAM), MOSHAV NEVATIM

Photo credit: Orna Eliyahu-Oron, “Heichalot (Torah Arks) from the Synagogues of Cochin Jews in India,” MA Thesis (Hebrew), 2004, Fig. 94A, p. 180.


THE TORAH ARK IN USA

1) THEKKUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE (ERNAKULAM), CALIFORNIA, USA

Photo credit: The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life (https://magnes.berkeley.edu/)


THE LOST TORAH ARK

1) MALA SYNAGOGUE, KERALA

In the Mala Palli song (Scaria Zachariah and Ophira Gamliel, 2005, Karkulali-Yefefiah-Gorgeous, pp. 45-48), we find that the Elahu (Heichal or Ark) of the synagogue was very beautiful- "ചേ൪മ്മയിൽ ഒത്തൊരു ഏലാഹു൦ പണിതീർന്നു" (p. 47) and that it was built by a carpentar from Ayyampilly (located about 15 km south-west of Mala). In the same song, we see the Mudaliar of Cochin ("കൊച്ചി തുറവിലെ മൂത്തമുതലിയാര", p. 47), who is the chief of the Paradesi Jewish community, appreciating the Holy Ark as "ഇത്തരനല്ലൊു ഏലാഹമല്ലെന്നു" (no such good Ark available, p. 48).
Posted by CONTACT ME (Dr. Laju Paul K.) at 07:54

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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)