A periscopic look into the life and times of the Jews of Kerala as one compact whole reveals an extraordinary diasporic community whose forefathers trace their ethnic roots to King Solomon of Israel, the Sephardim of Iberia, and the Mizrahim of Persia and Babylonia. The chequered history of the Jewish diaspora in the context of the Malabar coast is traced back to Solomon’s reign. Arriving as traders during peaceful times, they chose to settle down on the lush green Kerala coast. Years later, beginning in the early 16th century, the second wave of Jews arrived as émigrés, following the Spanish and Portuguese inquisition, from the Iberian peninsula. At one point, the Cochin community of Jews was much larger than that in New York, with about 2,000 Jews and nine synagogues. The Cochin Jewish housewife, living in a land abundant with exotic spices, lush green fields, and bountiful coconut and fruit trees, infused her cooking with these flavourful ingredients. Cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, coconut and pepper played a tantalising role in her kitchen. Rice was a staple in Kerala, and being a kosher grain, it was perfect for Passover. In the 1950s, some families made the Aliyah, the epoch-making exodus from India to Israel, leaving behind idyllic seaside memories and a handful of loved ones who continue to live on in the island city of Kochi.

Text by KS Mathew and Yamini Nair; Photographs by Ajay Menon

Guiding light: The Star of David, also known as Magen David, is a symbol associated with Judaism for centuries

Look back: A public art project for the Kochi Biennale 2018 reminiscing Kochi’s Jewish heritage and women’s song repertoire by Israel-based Cochin artist Meydad Eliyahu

Long ago: Sarah Cohen at her home in Jew Town, Kochi. She is one of the city’s last remaining white Jews

Under one roof: Selene Xavier, Sarah Cohen’s Christian cook, started living with her after Cohen’s husband passed away, and helps run a Jewish curio shop which sells embroidered kippahs, white silk and damask table linen, challah covers and gingham dresses for children

In memory: The oldest Jewish tombstone in Kerala is at the Chendamangalam Synagogue. A carving in Hebrew dated 1269 reads: ‘Sarah, Daughter of Israel’

At rest: In Chendamangalam, Ernakulam district, Jewish and Muslim cemeteries still share the same compound

As old as time: Paradesi Synagogue at Mattancherry, in the old Kochi Jewish quarter, is the oldest active synagogue in the entire Commonwealth

One Heart. Two Worlds: The Story of the Jews of Kochi; Stark World; Non-fiction Rs 2,500

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One last time: The foundation of the Kadavumbhagam synagogue in Ernakulam was laid in the 1200s; it was rebuilt in the 1700s but closed down following a mass emigration to Israel in 1948. The synagogue lay vacant during 197479 (after Torah scrolls were shipped to Moshav Nehalim in Egypt) after which a congregant decided to take care of its upkeep
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