14 Facts About Cochin Jews

Cochin Jews are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon.

The Cochin Jews settled in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the state of Kerala.

The European Cochin Jews maintained some trade connections to Europe, and their language skills were useful.

In contrast, most of the Paradesi Cochin Jews preferred to migrate to Australia and other Commonwealth countries, similar to the choices made by Anglo-Indians.

Many of the Cochin Jews moved quickly, and within four years, they had built their first synagogue at the new community.

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The Protestant Dutch killed the raja of Cochin Jews, allied of the Portuguese, plus sixteen hundred Indians in 1662, during their siege of Cochin Jews.

The Cochin Jews, having supported the Dutch military attempt, suffered the murderous retaliation of both Portuguese and Malabar population.

Malabari Jews built seven synagogues in Cochin, reflecting the size of their population.

Paradesi Cochin Jews built their own house of worship, the Paradesi Synagogue.

The meshuchrarim were not allowed to marry White Cochin Jews and had to sit in the back of the synagogue; these practices were similar to the discrimination against converts from lower castes sometimes found in Christian churches in India.

Cochin Jews therefore gave their women clean and unclean fish to be cooked together, but they singled out the clean from the unclean ones, saying that they never used fish that had neither fins nor scales.

Cochin Jews was a Reader, Preacher, Expounder of the Law, Mohel and Shochet.

Cochin Jews served the community for about 18 years, and died on 17 April 1856.

Jews of Cochin had a long tradition of singing devotional hymns and songs on festive occasions, as well as women singing Jewish prayers and narrative songs in Judeo-Malayalam; they did not adhere to the Talmudic prohibition against public singing by women .