#cochin jews

[bobemajses]

Cochin Paradesi Jewish family from Kerala, southern India, ca. 1880.

[cottoncandytrafficcones]

Hey Jumblr,

What are some non-Ashknazi marriage traditions/rituals that y'all do? I was reading up on weddings and a lot of stuff (the bedeken, the walking around the groom) was written to be Ashkenazi tradition. I know a lot about henna, but that's basically it.

[estera-shirin]

Ketubbah — Ernakulam, India, 1910 CE

This beautiful ketubbah was created in 1910 for the Cochin Jewish community.

[gliklofhameln]

Ketubbah with birds from Ernakulam, Cochin, India, 1909

Groom: Menahem, son of Rabbi Elijah. Bride: Rebekah, daughter of Rabbi Elijah.

[microwave-gremlin]

You know the drill, reblog for a bigger sample size!

(I'm making versions of this poll for different Jewish diasporas, and I might do a denomination version, too!)

#jupi gets jewish#jumblr#jews#jew#jewish#judaism#polls#tumblr polls#poll#jews of tumblr#mixed jews#mixed#mixed race

[knittedbond]

high and reading wikipedia again but got distracted when an article source i tried to read was paywalling their archives.

"not to worry" i think. "i'll look at the wayback machine. surely they've got it cached--"

oh. okay. i wasn't aware that was something a website could do

[chanaleah]

jews 🤝 stew

sephardim 🤝 stew

kaifeng jews 🤝 stew

amazigh jews 🤝 stew

bukharian jews 🤝 stew

mountain jews 🤝 stew

mizrahim 🤝 stew

ashkenazim 🤝 stew

teimani jews 🤝 stew

italkim 🤝 stew

musta'arabi jews 🤝 stew

romaniote jews 🤝 stew

beta israelis 🤝 stew

cochin jews 🤝 stew

[we-left-egypt-for-this]

Thinking about the shabbes goy at my hillel again.

This kid has done so much for our community post 7-10, helping to organize petitions against hate and coordinating with our dean and uni president to make conversations happen.

I was also talking to him yesterday and he said "that first shabbat dinner became a Core memory."

That first shabbat dinner I was just hanging around at hillel, so I helped with set up. So did he. I go to a big school, and I don't know everyone, so I just assumed he was some new guy. And so I was taken aback when we were setting up tables together and he said "yea, I know I don't look very jewish."

He's east Asian. So was my friend David in Hebrew school. He was in a Jewish space, so my immediate assumption was you are jewish. And I said as much. "You don't look very Ashkie," I said, "but that doesn't mean you don't look jewish."

(I elaborated about kaifeng jews and Japanese jews and the cochin jews.)

And he was shocked, but excited. He listened to us discuss how rough things had been on campus the past week (it was Oct 13th). He asked questions. He listened.

That's what allyship is. Coming into a space, and just expecting to listen, not be heard. Choosing to learn. Face ideas that threaten your assumptions.

[yato-dharmastato-jayah]

Hindutva literally means being Hindu or Hindu-ness.

How tf is that a negative thing?

We Hindus are proud of our heritage, culture, religious history and scholarly achievements.

How is that an evil thing?

We are decolonising and reclaiming the religious sites which were stolen from us. We are rebuilding those sites with our own money and celebrating their restoration.

How is that hurting anyone? How is that wrong?

Hindus have always believed in the sentiment of live and let live, of living together as one family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). We have welcomed into our fold many different communities and peoples, like the Parsis (Zoroastrians) when they were persecuted and forced to leave their homeland Persia, the Jews (Bene Israelis, Baghdadis, Cochin Jews, Bnei Menashe, Bene Ephraims, etc.), the Tibetans when they were persecuted and their homeland stolen by China, even the Christians and Muslims from different parts of the world when they came to trade here. We have cohabited peacefully with people of other faiths, like Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, who are so close to us that we intermarry frequently and don't even consider it an interfaith relationship.

Hindus, for the most part, are inherently welcoming people, open and accepting of others as long as they don't try to stifle us or impose their religious beliefs on us. We believe in being nonviolent as long as we aren't pushed into a corner, as long as we're given space to practice our religion, as long as we're not forced to bend so much that we break.

If the Hindus are attacked, if attempts are made to erase or subjugate our religion, then obviously we'll respond in kind. It's the simple concept of self defence.

In the end, I shouldn't even need to state this overtly, but obviously there are bad apples in every cart, and people from every community commit wrongs. But it doesn't define a community. We condemn such wrong acts and will continue to do so. But calling all Hindus or Hindutva itself evil because of a few bad apples is not only illogical, it reeks of prejudice and preconceived hatred. That's when it becomes Hinduphobia.

[bobemajses]

Praying Jews in Ernakulam, Kerala, southern India, early 20th century.

[cottoncandytrafficcones]

People like to portray Judaism as a "European" religion so here's all the love to the non-European Sephardic (Turkish, Latin American, North African, Middle Eastern, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.), Mizrahim (Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, etc.), Teimanim, Maghrebim (Moroccan, Tunisian, Libyan, etc.), Beta Israel, Indian Jews (Cochin, Bene Menashe, Bene Israel, Paradesi, etc.), Jews of China (Kaifeng, Ningbo), Latino Jews, converts, Persians, Bukharians, Mountain Jews, and more.

Also f u you here's love to the Ashkenazim and the Krymchaks and the Georgian Jews and the Sephardim who settled in European lands after the expulsion and Italkim and more.

[estera-shirin]

Ketubbah — Cochin, India ca. 1790

According to the museum: "The Jewish community of Cochin, a city of the western coast of southern India, has an almost thousand year history. This decorated Ketubah from Cochin is one of the oldest known from that city.  It is also one of the most beautiful, with its elaborate Islamic style floral design on the gold background. The Ketubah was purchased in India in the first half of the 19th century by an English missionary, Joseph Wolff.  It was brought to England and given as a gift to a Christian Hebraist, John Hookham Frere (1769-1846).  This is all recorded on a sheet attached to the back.  The Ketubah resurfaced in the last decade in a local auction in England. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, most of the Jewish community of Cochin has immigrated to that country.  Today only a handful of Jews remain in Cochin. The artistic design of this Ketubah is an excellent example of the integration of local cultural and artistic influences into objects of Jewish life. This wedding took place on February 17, 1790 (3 Adar I 5550).

Groom:                             Avraham Ben Meir

Bride:                                Matzla Bat David Cohen"

[mariacallous]

In Israel, you’ll find a patchwork of different communities. Most Israeli Jews originate from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, but some come from other regions, such as India.

According to the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv, there are about 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel — so Indian Jews make up just 1.2% of Israel’s Jewish population. This small community is divided into four groups: the Bene Israel from Maharashtra, the Cochin Jews from Kerala, the Baghdadi Jews from Kolkata, and the Bnei Menache from Mizoram and Manipur.

Although I grew up in the U.S., my mother’s family is from the Cochin Jewish community in Israel. I wanted to find out more about how this community is preserving our unique Jewish traditions from the South of India.

Many of these traditions are at a risk of dying out. For example, the language of the Cochin Jewish community is called Judeo-Malayalam. Today, this dialect has only a few dozen native speakers left (you can hear it spoken in this video).

According to legend, the first Jews arrived in Cochin during the time of King Solomon. The oldest physical evidence of their presence is a set of engraved copper plates dating from around 379-1000 CE, which were given to community leader Joseph Rabban by the Chera Perumal dynasty ruler of Kerala.

Jewish sailors originally arrived in Kodungallur (Cranganore), an ancient port city known as Shingly by Jews, before shifting to Cochin following a flood in 1341. These Jews became known as the Malabari Jewish community. After the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, a group of Sephardic Jews also came to Cochin, and became known as the Paradesi (Foreign) Jews. The Malabari and Paradesi Jews historically lived separately and maintained their own traditions, although in modern times this division has become less important.

Today, the vast majority of Cochin Jews live in Israel. I spoke with several community members to learn about current projects in Israel to preserve Cochini Jewish culture.

Hadar Nehemya, a jazz musician and performer, runs a food delivery service sharing traditional Cochin Jewish recipes. Hadar learned the art of cooking from her mother, who learned it from her paternal grandmother.

Cooking her dishes from scratch and selling them at markets and for delivery, Hadar’s goal is to introduce Cochini cooking into the mainstream of Israeli culture. “Many Israelis don’t know much about Cochin Jewish culture. Maybe they met a Cochini person in the army,” she said. “But Indian food is popular in Israel, because Israelis love to visit India after they finish their army service.”

Cochin Jewish cuisine is similar to other types of South Indian cuisine, but also has influences from Iberian and Middle Eastern cooking. One example is pastel, pastries with a spicy filling that are similar to empanadas. Other staples include fish and egg curries, chicken stew, black-eyed pea stew, dosa (thin rice pancakes) and dishes cooked with coconut and mango.

Hadar’s favorite dishes to cook are idli and sambar, which are often eaten together. Idli is a type of savory rice cake, while sambar is a spiced lentil stew. Although Hadar says it’s difficult to maintain an Indian food business from an economic perspective, she’s passionate about cooking and enjoys creating homemade dishes with the right balance of spices.

Along with cooking, music is also important in Cochini culture. In most religious Jewish communities, women aren’t permitted to sing in front of men who aren’t their immediate relatives. However, this prohibition was not part of the Cochini tradition.

In the Cochin Jewish community, women have sung in Hebrew and Judeo-Malayalam for centuries. Piyyutim (liturgical poems) were sung in the synagogue or at people’s homes during holidays. Judeo-Malayalam folk songs were sung at weddings and special occasions, and the lyrics of these songs were recorded in notebooks to hand down to future generations. Later, many women also learned Zionist songs in preparation for moving to Israel. I have memories of my own grandmother singing these songs at home.

In recent years, audio recordings have been produced of Cochini songs, including a collection called “Mizmorim” (Psalms) featuring Hadar’s grandmother, Yekara Nehemya. Hadar then created her own version of one of the songs, “Yonati Ziv.”

Today, community leader Tova Aharon-Kastiel has organized a choir which meets once or twice a month at different locations. In the choir, Cochini and non-Cochini women, mostly aged 65-85, sing songs in Hebrew and Judeo-Malayalam. The older generation is eager for the younger generation to get involved, but since most younger Cochin Jews have a mixed background and are assimilated into mainstream Israeli culture, this is sometimes proving a challenge.

Still, many young Cochin Jews are eager to connect with their roots. The community maintains several Facebook groups, including one specifically geared towards the younger generation. The group description reads: “If you are a young Cochini, you surely know (at least partially) the wonderful heritage of our forefathers and mothers…  the sad truth is that this heritage is currently on its way to pass from the world.”

Shlomo Gadot is the CEO of Inuitive, a semiconductor company, and is actively involved with Cochini community projects. His nephew, Ori, runs the Facebook group for the younger generation. Shlomo says events are regularly held at the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv for young Cochinis. “Normally the embassy gives them their office in Tel Aviv, and they invite the young Cochini people to come there and do a trivia contest,” he said. “They do it twice a year, once at Hanukkah and once at Passover.”

According to Shlomo, the embassy also has initiatives to create connections between Indian and Israeli tech companies. “Sometimes they invite people to the ambassador’s house or office to see how they can create connections between Israeli and Indian companies,” he said. “They also have a program to bring young people to India to help them get to know India better.”

Anil Abraham is one of the few Cochin Jews with recent memories of life in India. Born in Jerusalem, his family returned to India when he was 8 years old, and he lived there until age 35 before migrating back to Israel. He says he found growing up Jewish in India difficult, but rewarding. “It was very difficult to move there from Israel and learn Malayalam,” he said. “But it was amazing to be part of the community and enjoy Cochini food prepared from scratch. We used to attend prayers in the Paradesi Synagogue, because right now there are fewer than 20 Jews in Kerala.”

Today, Anil runs tours of Kerala for the Cochin Jewish community and others. “The kids travel with their parents and grandparents to India,” he said. “That’s how our traditions are passed down.”

[outreach-by-adellah]

Throughout Time & Space - Modern Jewish Languages (19 Shevat)

Everyone has heard of Hebrew, the official language of the Jewish people. With over 9 million speakers and 7 million learners, it is certainly the most important and well-known Jewish language as well. However, it is by no means the only one! Many Jews do know that there are other some Jewish languages besides Hebrew, such as Yiddish and Ladino, but did you know that there are actually dozens of other Jewish languages in 7 different language families that are still spoken to this day!? In this week’s edition of Throughout Time and Space, you will be introduced to the most widely spoken Jewish language from each of these 7 families, and the history and culture behind them.

Afro Asiatic: Hebrew. Well, I did just say that Hebrew is the official language of the Jewish people, and the one with the most speakers by far, so it makes sense that Hebrew would be on the list. The Afro-Asiatic language family contains all of the Semitic languages, such as Hebrew and Arabic, as well as the vast majority of North and Northeast African languages. However, Hebrew is by far the most unique language out of any of them, as it is the only language in all of human history to be brought back from the “dead”, meaning that Hebrew is the only language to ever regain native speakers after having none at all for thousands of years. Of course, it is no coincidence that this has only ever happened to the language of Hashem’s chosen people!

Austronesian: Judeo-Malay. Judeo-Malay is (or, was, as it may have recently gone extinct) the only Judeo language in the Austronesian language family, which includes a huge diversity of languages from Maritime Southeast Asia. It is spoken by Jews in the Northern Malaysian state of Penang, and is very closely related to the Malay language of that same region. All surviving manuscripts in this language exist in the notebook of Rahamim Jacob Cohen, an Iranian Jew, and are currently being kept by the British Library.

Dravadian: Judeo-Malayalam. Judeo-Malayalam is also the only Judeo language in its language family (the Dravidian family, spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka), and is spoken by the Cochin Jews (the oldest Jewish community in India, perhaps tracing back to the time of King Solomon) in both Israel and Kerala India. Since this language is extremely similar to Malayalam, it is considered by some to be a “dialect” rather than a language, but some argue that there are enough Hebrew loanwords and unique features in Judeo-Malayalam for it to be considered a unique language. Unlike other Judeo languages, Judeo-Malayalam is not written using the Hebrew alphabet. Unfortunately, this Judeo language may not be around for much longer, as the vast majority of its speakers now live in Israel, where they mainly speak Hebrew. Indo-European: Yiddish. Yiddish is perhaps the most well known Jewish language aside from Hebrew, as it was the primary Jewish language in Europe until very recently. However, it is certainly not the only Judeo language in its family. The Indo-European language family also includes the somewhat well known Jewish language of Ladino (also known as Judeo-Spanish), as well as dozens of lesser known languages such as Judeo-Persian (Jidi), Judeo-Portuguese, and Judeo-Italian. Yiddish originated in what is now Germany as a West Germanic dialect, but quickly became a language in its own right. Although many of Yiddish’s speakers were murdered in the holocaust, it is by no means an endangered language. Every year, the number of Yiddish speakers actually increases (it’s currently at about 1 million) due to its use as a primary language in Haredi communities in pretty much every country with Haredim. Many famous Jewish authors, such as Shalom Aleichem, have written in Yiddish.

Kartvelian: Judeo-Georgian. Judeo-Georgian (called Qivruli in the language itself) is one of two Kartvelian (South Caucasus) Judeo languages, the other being Judeo-Mingrelian which is nearly extinct. However, Judeo-Georgian actually has about 60,000 native speakers! It is spoken by Jews who live in the country of Georgia, a community which has been there for 2,600 years after escaping Babylonian captivity. Although Judeo-Georgian is mutually intelligible with Georgian, it has enough Hebrew loanwords to be considered its own language (a similar situation to Ladino and Spanish, or even Yiddish and German). The language is written using the Hebrew alphabet.

Turkic: Krymchak. Krymchak is spoken in Crimea in the Krymchak community, which is mostly composed of Jewish immigrants. The language shares a lot of similarities to Crimean Tatar, which is the dominant language of the region. However, Krymchak is considered a language in its own right due to the amount of Hebrew loanwords it contains. In the past, the language was also written using Hebrew letters, but it is now written using Cyrilic (and during the time of the Soviet union was written in a modified Latin alphabet). Although this language once had quite a number of native speakers, it is now nearly extinct, with fewer than 800 speakers in Crimea and a couple thousand worldwide. There are single digit numbers of native speakers.

Creole: Judeo-Papiamento. Judeo-Papiamento is a Jewish language with its roots in the Portuguese-based creole (creoles are languages that are formed by two or more distinct languages combining and simplifying. Many, including this one, were formed during the colonization of the Americas) language of Papiamento. The language was first spoken by Sephardic Jews in Curacao, which is where it is still most commonly used to this day. Judeo-Papiamento differs from Papiamento as it contains many Hebrew loanwords and is also pronounced slightly differently. Judeo-Papiamento is the only living Jewish creole language and also the only Jewish language with any ties to the Netherlands.

So, that was your first glance at Judeo languages across the world. The fact that Jews speak so many languages in so many different language families all across the world is truly a testament to how long we have been living in exile. However, the fact that many of these languages are now dying is a testament to another form of Jewish resistance. We no longer need to continue speaking languages tainted by our exile, as we have now revived the language of our ancestors for our children to become its native speakers. Normally, it is sad when languages die, but these languages are not dying because their speakers are dying - they are being laid to rest because their speakers are finally returning home to their motherland and mother tongue. Although these languages are fascinating to learn about, Iy”H they will soon be relegated to the history books while the people of Israel live.

Tell me in tags: How many of these languages have you heard of before? How many do you speak? Are you also a Hebrew speaker? Let me know in the tags!

Jew Joke:

What does a kvetcher always have for breakfast?

A (com)plain bagel.

[spacelazarwolf]

Hey.

Curious non-Jew here with a question or two.

Sorry if I’m interrupting anything.

I’m just curious.

You describe yourself as an italki Jew, what exactly is italki? I’m assuming Italian but I genuinely don’t know.

I know there are loads of different groups of Jewish peoples (Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Cochin Jews, Mizrahi Jews (some people group them in with the Sephardic Jews), Ethiopian Jews (apparently they call themselves Beta Israel?), Nigerian Jews, Karaite Jews, etc. among MANY others I haven’t mentioned).

But I’ve never heard of Italki.

Could you perhaps elaborate on it?

If it’s okay for me to ask.

I’m just curious

And I don’t wish to come across as prying.

no worries! i have a tag that i’ll put on this post where i have posts that talk about that.

[pargolettasworld]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEL-NKosKG0

Often, when you hear music from the Cochin Jewish community originally of Kerala, India*, you’re hearing a recording of songs sung by women in Malayalam that celebrate various life-cycle and religious events but aren’t actually part of the liturgy.  This actually is Cochin liturgy.  It’s a recording of a special Yom Kippur melody for the Kaddish.  There’s something very deliberate about this performance that I find highly compelling.

*Most of them up and moved to Israel.  There are a few very old Jews left in Cochin, but most of the community members were quite excited when Israel became a country and couldn’t wait to move.