Two Jewish heritage sites in Keralam’s Kochi (earlier known as Cochin) have been affected by fire within two weeks. On September 29, a blaze tore through Koder House in Fort Kochi, and on October 12, a fire was set outside the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Ernakulam. Investigations are on.
\n\nKoder House, built in 1808, was the home of the Koder family, a prominent Jewish family in Kochi, before it became a hotel. Samuel Koder, who remodelled it in the early 20th century, registered the Cochin Electric Company, and he served as president of the Paradesi Synagogue. The house stands for the wealth and standing the Jews once held in the city.
\n\nKadavumbhagam dates to 1200 CE and was modelled on the ancient synagogue of the Malabar Jews at Muziris. It was shut for prayers in 1972 as the Jews left for Israel, then fell into neglect. Elias Josephai, one of the few Cochin Jews who stayed, restored it and brought a Torah scroll from Israel in 2018. It is one of the last working reminders of the Jews of Kerala.
\n\nIndia has several Jewish communities: the Cochinis, Bene Israel, Baghdadis, Portuguese Marranos, Ashkenazim and Bnei Menashe. Minority Rights Group counts three…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle
