oh the things we can learn

so, I read my little booklet called “Kerala and her Jews”, which says it’s based on a paper given before the Kerala History Association in 1965 and a master’s thesis from 1984. So, it’s a little dated, I’d have to do more research to see what’s been learned past then. It’s pretty unclear how Jews arrived in India. One theory is that they arrived as part of King Solomon’s merchant fleet. There are resemblances between Hebrew words and Tamil words that support this view. Another theory is that the Jews arrived in Kerala as a result of the exodus from Persia during the 5^th century. The tradition of the Cochin Jews says they arrived soon after the destruction of the second Temple in the first century. And there are many other theories as well.

Their origins undecided, Jews definitely had their own settlement in India, in Cranganore (also called Shingly), from the 5^th century to the 15^th century. They had a virtually independent principality “ruled over by a Prince of their own race and choice”. After the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, many traveled to Cranganore and settled in the existent Jewish community there. The Portuguese then arrived in the early 1500s and expelled all the Jews from Cranganore. The Jews fled to Cochin and came under the protection of the Hindu Rajah “who in the words of an English historian, ‘with a liberality that can be hardly understood’ granted them a town by the side of his own palace and temple”. Jew Town was built then and the synagogue in 1568. There were ups and downs after that when Cochin came under, first, Portuguese rule followed by Moorish rule. Under Dutch rule and, finally, British rule, the Jewish community lived peacefully in Cochin.

Most of the Jewish community eventually emigrated to Israel in the 20^th century. The master’s student conducted a survey questionnaire, the results of which attributed the emigration to religious sentiment, the lack of marriage partners, and better employment opportunities. The booklet concludes by saying:

“After some years the story of the Jews of Malabar which has marked an interesting episode in the chequered history of the Jewish people may come to an end. If this happens History can record that their emigration was not motivated by intolerance or discrimination by Government nor by external political or social pressure but their deep sense of religious fervour to live and die in the Holy Land.”

In the spirit of religious diversity, I have signed up for both the Passover seder and the Easter Sunday sunrise service. We’re actually having two first-night seders. Passover starts tomorrow, our first night in Malaysia. There will be a small seder that night for anyone who will be around the ship and then a big seder for the shipboard community on April 7^th. I signed up for the Easter sunrise service because it will be led by Archbishop Tutu. It’s been fun seeing him around the ship casually and hearing him speak, but I thought I’d very much enjoy the formal experience of watching him do his thing. He has been holding Sunday services as well in his cabin but it is by invitation only. I haven’t felt comfortable asking to just come and observe, it feels too private.

This morning, for April Fool’s Day, Dr. Matt came to Global Studies and told us that two students had been diagnosed with leprosy overnight, after leaving India. He had everyone going for a very long time. There was much angst in the room. We arrive tomorrow in Malaysia, which feels a little crazy. We’ve only had 2 days of classes since India. Day 1 was also the cultural pre-port and tonight the logistical pre-port. We’ve had a very whirlwind overview of Malaysia, so hopefully we’ll learn lots while on land. I’m staying in Penang. No overnights this time, just a few day trips. Stay tuned.