Cochin Jews
Also called: Malabari Jews, Paradesi Jews · Topic: India, a Home to Many: Diasporas and Refuge · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "India, a Home to Many"
Meaning
The Cochin Jews are the Jewish communities who settled near Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala. They came in several waves between the 12th and 19th centuries, each time fleeing persecution in other lands. The Raja of Kochi gave them land free of cost, "as long as the world, sun, and moon endure". They built synagogues there. A synagogue is a Jewish place of worship, used for prayers and ceremonies such as weddings. They show how Indian rulers gave a safe home to people of other faiths.
Example
At the Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry, Kochi (built 1568), a plaque records that the Maharaja of Travancore gifted an expensive item for the Torah. The Torah is the Jewish holy scripture.
Don't confuse with
- Bene Israel: they are an older group (c. 175 BCE, according to some scholars) on the Konkan coast. They were India's largest Jewish community, not the Cochin Jews.