Mumbai acted as a reunification point for India’s disintegrated Jews. Almost everyone in the Jewish community who has ever resided in India can trace their ancestors to Mumbai. Wearing a saree to a synagogue and loudly declaring to be Indian first and subsequently a Jew is becoming increasingly rare. The Jews of Cochin are thought…
At home in Kochi (Cochin), I was born to a Jewish doctor named Dr. Koder in 1950 (the youngest of five siblings). He was also a dentist, ran a general store, and was in charge of the synagogue, too. Kochi is a city in India. The Dutch built my house there and it still stands…
The Cochin Jews are a great example of how a small religious-ethnic group can adapt to a larger, more tolerant society for at least a thousand years. It was done by telling a story about a time in history that had elements from both the original and the host religious cultures; by reenacting symbols from…
The Jewish community in Cochin has been around for a long time, no matter how you look at it. If you believe in traditional stories, the Jews of the city of Cochin in southwestern India can trace their roots there back to the time of King Solomon, who lived there. 10th-century copper tablets detail what…
ETHNONYMS: Cochin Jews, Cochinis (Israel), Malabar Jews, Paradesi Jews, Black Jews Orientation Identification and Location. The Cochin Jews constitute one of the smallest Jewish communities in the world. They originate from the Malabar Coast in India and traditionally were divided into two caste-like subgroups: “White” (Paradesi) and “Black” (Malabari, although this entire group of Jews is from Malabar)…
Jews from Kochi who have lived in Israel are ‘overjoyed’ and ‘excited’ as Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his historic visit to Israel on Tuesday, and they plan to raise the problem of Indian Jews in Israel being denied Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards with him. KOCHI: Jews from Kochi who have settled in…