12-02-2004, 11:23 PM
From Pioneer, Agenda Section
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shalom kochi
<b>The Jewish synagogue in Kochi built in 1568 AD stands out as a testimony of communal harmony in the State for centuries. It is the oldest Synagogue in the common wealth countries.</b> Located at Mattancherry, the Synagogue has the scrolls of the Old Testament and the copper plates, which recorded the grants of privilege, bequeathed by the Kochi rulers. The tolerance of the erstwhile Kochi rulers is responsible for India having the fourth largest Jewish community in Asia after Israel, Asian Russia and Iran, says Arun Laxman
The predominantly Jewish State of Israel was formed in 1948. But centuries before that, the Jews had registered their presence in India. Among other things, they built a majestic Synagogue at Mattancherry in Kochi, Kerala in 1568. It has been, through all these years, an enduring monument to peace. It was only during the Portuguese rule that a few minor incidents of attack on the institution were reported.
Considered the oldest in the British Commonwealth by historians, the synagogue has an interesting history.
It is housed in an old mansion, which was built by a Jewish merchant. Today the interiors have a plush look.
One enters the synagogue after buying a Rs 2 ticket. On the right, after entering, are paintings depicting the erstwhile Kochi kings and the Jewish traders who were allowed to do business in the land. The most interesting of these paintings that of Joseph Rabban, the Jewish leader, getting the title deed of Anjuvannam, a village near Kochi. The King Sri Parkaran Iravi Vanmar is seen donating the title deed to Joseph Rabban.
A rough translation of the title deed in Hebrew says: "We the King of the Cochin dynasty transfer the rights of the land an Ãd the village Anjuvannam to Joseph Rabbin, the Jewish business man who will henceforth be known as the Prince Anjuvannam and is donated the village of Anjuvannam together with the seventy two propriety rights, tolls on boats and carts, the revenue and the title of Anjuvannam, the lamp of the day cloth spread in front to walk on a palanquin and he and his descendants can enjoy all these benefits as long as the sun and the moon exist."
But the best feature of the synagogue is the floor in the prayer hall. The significance of the floor is in its 1100 tiles. No two of them are alike. The tiles had been brought from Canton in China. An interesting story behind the tiles goes something like this: A Jewish merchant told a Hindu King that the tiles had been made by the Chinese with the blood of cows. The King, a devout Hindu, promptly sold the tiles to the shrewd Jew. No doubt the Jew businessman had concocted the tale to get the tiles at throwaway prices for the synagogue.
Another interesting object is the huge mechanically operated clock on the top of the synagogue. Inside the prayer hall are chandeliers, imported from Belgium, hanging in beautiful rows. On the left and the right side of the altar are inscriptions from the Old testament in Hebrew. The Jewish community now has restricted the display of a copy of the Old testament which lies inside a curin in the altar in five boxes.
Visitors are also not permitted to walk upstairs for a look at the top of the prayer hall wherein the women devotees generally sit at prayer time. The Synagogue opens from 10 am till 1 pm and 3pm till 5pm.
The area around the synagogue is known as Jewtown and is one of the centres of the Kochi spice trade. Many Jewish names can be seen inscribed on the premises and there are several curio shops on the street leading to the synagogue.
These days, the Jews do not have a priest in this synagogue and pray on their own. The interesting thing is that notwithstanding all the enmity between the Muslims and the Jews in Israel and the West Bank, the Jews in Mattancherry enjoy a healthy camaraderie with predominantly Muslim community of the area. Incidentally, the MLA from Mattancherry belongs to the Muslim League.
The Government had released a stamp and first day cover in 1968 to commemorate the 400th year of the synagogue. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the special guest at the function. In her speech, she specifically pointed out the tolerance of the erstwhile rulers of Cochin towards the Jewish community and said India enjoyed its reputation as the land of tolerance from the acts of the Cochin Kings.
According to Mr S H Hallegua, a community elder the reason why his community was depleting was due to most of "our people going back to our motherland and the remaining dying of old age."
Marriages are also few and in between as the Jews are a closed community and do not think much of inter-religious marriages. Mr S H Hallegua says the Jews in Kochi total around 60 and have their prayers still at the Mattancherry Synagogue. They still read the prayers in Hebrew the ancient Jewish language.
<b>In 1984, a thesis presented by a Jewish student for her Masters degree in Sociology incorporated a questionnaire given to all the members of the community. </b>The study was aimed at finding out the reason for the emigration of the Jews from the place. <b>Chief among the reasons were cited religious sentiments, lack of marriage partners, and also better employment opportunities. Not one cited discrimination of any kind as the reason for leaving Mattancherry. </b>It also does not seem that when in time, the Jewish populace passes away in Kochi and Kerala, it would only be due to their passion in their holy land and not by any political or social intolerance.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shalom kochi
<b>The Jewish synagogue in Kochi built in 1568 AD stands out as a testimony of communal harmony in the State for centuries. It is the oldest Synagogue in the common wealth countries.</b> Located at Mattancherry, the Synagogue has the scrolls of the Old Testament and the copper plates, which recorded the grants of privilege, bequeathed by the Kochi rulers. The tolerance of the erstwhile Kochi rulers is responsible for India having the fourth largest Jewish community in Asia after Israel, Asian Russia and Iran, says Arun Laxman
The predominantly Jewish State of Israel was formed in 1948. But centuries before that, the Jews had registered their presence in India. Among other things, they built a majestic Synagogue at Mattancherry in Kochi, Kerala in 1568. It has been, through all these years, an enduring monument to peace. It was only during the Portuguese rule that a few minor incidents of attack on the institution were reported.
Considered the oldest in the British Commonwealth by historians, the synagogue has an interesting history.
It is housed in an old mansion, which was built by a Jewish merchant. Today the interiors have a plush look.
One enters the synagogue after buying a Rs 2 ticket. On the right, after entering, are paintings depicting the erstwhile Kochi kings and the Jewish traders who were allowed to do business in the land. The most interesting of these paintings that of Joseph Rabban, the Jewish leader, getting the title deed of Anjuvannam, a village near Kochi. The King Sri Parkaran Iravi Vanmar is seen donating the title deed to Joseph Rabban.
A rough translation of the title deed in Hebrew says: "We the King of the Cochin dynasty transfer the rights of the land an Ãd the village Anjuvannam to Joseph Rabbin, the Jewish business man who will henceforth be known as the Prince Anjuvannam and is donated the village of Anjuvannam together with the seventy two propriety rights, tolls on boats and carts, the revenue and the title of Anjuvannam, the lamp of the day cloth spread in front to walk on a palanquin and he and his descendants can enjoy all these benefits as long as the sun and the moon exist."
But the best feature of the synagogue is the floor in the prayer hall. The significance of the floor is in its 1100 tiles. No two of them are alike. The tiles had been brought from Canton in China. An interesting story behind the tiles goes something like this: A Jewish merchant told a Hindu King that the tiles had been made by the Chinese with the blood of cows. The King, a devout Hindu, promptly sold the tiles to the shrewd Jew. No doubt the Jew businessman had concocted the tale to get the tiles at throwaway prices for the synagogue.
Another interesting object is the huge mechanically operated clock on the top of the synagogue. Inside the prayer hall are chandeliers, imported from Belgium, hanging in beautiful rows. On the left and the right side of the altar are inscriptions from the Old testament in Hebrew. The Jewish community now has restricted the display of a copy of the Old testament which lies inside a curin in the altar in five boxes.
Visitors are also not permitted to walk upstairs for a look at the top of the prayer hall wherein the women devotees generally sit at prayer time. The Synagogue opens from 10 am till 1 pm and 3pm till 5pm.
The area around the synagogue is known as Jewtown and is one of the centres of the Kochi spice trade. Many Jewish names can be seen inscribed on the premises and there are several curio shops on the street leading to the synagogue.
These days, the Jews do not have a priest in this synagogue and pray on their own. The interesting thing is that notwithstanding all the enmity between the Muslims and the Jews in Israel and the West Bank, the Jews in Mattancherry enjoy a healthy camaraderie with predominantly Muslim community of the area. Incidentally, the MLA from Mattancherry belongs to the Muslim League.
The Government had released a stamp and first day cover in 1968 to commemorate the 400th year of the synagogue. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the special guest at the function. In her speech, she specifically pointed out the tolerance of the erstwhile rulers of Cochin towards the Jewish community and said India enjoyed its reputation as the land of tolerance from the acts of the Cochin Kings.
According to Mr S H Hallegua, a community elder the reason why his community was depleting was due to most of "our people going back to our motherland and the remaining dying of old age."
Marriages are also few and in between as the Jews are a closed community and do not think much of inter-religious marriages. Mr S H Hallegua says the Jews in Kochi total around 60 and have their prayers still at the Mattancherry Synagogue. They still read the prayers in Hebrew the ancient Jewish language.
<b>In 1984, a thesis presented by a Jewish student for her Masters degree in Sociology incorporated a questionnaire given to all the members of the community. </b>The study was aimed at finding out the reason for the emigration of the Jews from the place. <b>Chief among the reasons were cited religious sentiments, lack of marriage partners, and also better employment opportunities. Not one cited discrimination of any kind as the reason for leaving Mattancherry. </b>It also does not seem that when in time, the Jewish populace passes away in Kochi and Kerala, it would only be due to their passion in their holy land and not by any political or social intolerance.
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