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The Last Jews of Kerala: The Two Thousand Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community

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There have been several scholarly books written on the Jews of India. Among them are scholarly books written on the Jews of Kerala titled "The Jews of Kerala" by J. B. Segal and the "Jews of Kerala" by P.M. Jussay which the author has conveniently or inadvertently omitted from her list of references.

Ms. Fernandez either has little or no knowledge of the location of the 3 synagogues on Synagogue lane in Cochin or has decided not to mention it in her book. Two of these synagogues and their Torah scrolls and property called the Thekkumbaggam and Kadavumbagham synagogues were owned solely by the Malabari Jews (Ms Fernandez and other Western authors call them Black Jews). The Malabari Jews' two synagogues and the Paradesi Jewish synagogue (White Jews to Ms Fernandez) are located on a stretch of road measuring about 1000 meters. The Malabari Jews and the Paradesi Jews would carry the Sifre Torah from one synagogue to another on Simha Torah and attend services in each other's synagogue. The Shoheth (ritual slaughterer for kosher chicken and beef) for the Paradesi Jews from the late 1940's to 1960's was a Malabari Jew (Black Jew to Ms Fernandez) who lived in the house of a Paradesi Jew (White Jew to Ms Fernandez). Ms. Fernandez claims or was misinformed that the Paradesi Jews refused to eat the meat slaughtered by any Malabari Jew. Old single male Jews from the Jewish community of Mala (suburb of Cochin) and the Kadavumbagham synagogue in Cochin left behind after the communities there left en masse for Eretz Israel were not only welcomed to stay in buildings adjacent to and owned by the Paradesi Synagogue but were given financial help for their food and daily needs for many years till they died of old age in Cochin. Ms Fernandez exaggerates for the purpose for gossip and infamy that apartheid was present in the Jewish community of Cochin. The use of the word "apartheid" to the situation in Cochin is an insult to the suffering of the African people in South Africa. All the Jews in Cochin were free citizens with the right to vote, seek employment, own property, conduct business and not forced to live in shanty towns. The 3 synagogues in Synagogue Lane were in such close proximity that the houses of the Paradesi Jews and the Malabari Jews were intermingled. The role and extent of prejudice and differences between the Paradesi and Malabari Jews have written about at length in many books and articles. The author's claim that the prejudice and discrimination made the Jews of Kerala leave for Israel is false and without substance. The Jews of Kerala, Calcutta and Bombay left for Israel in order to fulfill the Messianic vision and live in Eretz Israel or for better economic opportunities.

Space limits me listing all the inaccuracies in this book. The remaining Jews in Cochin and Ernakulam are constantly under the prying eyes of a 1000 tourists and journalists who visit the Cochin Paradesi Synagogue and the 2 synagogues in Ernakulam every day. They desire no fame or exposure to the media. Ms Fernandez has deliberately exposed the unattractive physical characteristics of these people to add tabloid material to her book. She has also repeated false and slanderous information that is very personal to some of Cochin's Jews increasing their exposure to taunting and prying by various tourists and journalists. This is irresponsible penmanship and my hope is that scholars and people interested in the history of the Jews of Kerala will buy the works of reputable authors listed above and that this book will find its way into the dustbins of history,

In her book "the last Jews of Kerala" Edna Fernandes describes the life of the remaining Jews living in Kerala. She unfortunately places far too much emphasis on the question of colour but when she came to Israel to talk to the jewish population that immigrated to Israel from Kerala she neglects to interview any member of the white group - who,by the way settled more in the centre of the country and did not "make the desert bloom" as she puts it. I, personally, do not know any of these "white" jews but do know many of the "black" jews that immigrated from Kerala as they live near me in the Negev and they are "the salt of the earth". I have never heard them complain of any type of colour bar either here or in their past life in Kerala (although they will tell you that it existed if you question them)and they are very industrious people.
Edna Fernandes should also be more careful if she wants to intersperse her narrative with hebrew words by making sure that she really does understand them and the difference between singular and plural in Hebrew.

This book is an account of that portion of the Jewish diaspora that wound up on the southwest coast of India, in Kerala. King Solomon sent traders there before the Christian era, and later, after the destruction of the temples, additional Jews wound up on its shores. These early settlers, probably heavily male, intermarried with the dark-skinned local women. Their descendants, retaining dark coloration, are known as "black Jews". One early settler made a great impression on the local Raja and was granted special privileges, almost on a par with being royal. Another wave of immigrants followed the Inquisition, and remained segregated, protecting their racial purity as white-skinned people, or "white Jews", disdaining their darker brethren and refused to intermarry or use the same synagogues. The advantage of being in Kerala was the high level of religious tolerance, for Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Christians lived and still live in amity. When the State of Israel was founded, some Indian Jews, from Kerala as well as from Bombay and Calcutta and elsewhere, went to Israel; most stayed, gradually getting used to the very different conditions. A few who went from Kerala to Israel were uncomfortable in Israel, mostly because of the perpetual fear of the Arab enemies but also because of the hustle and bustle, and some of these returned to Kerala where one's neighbors were, at least, not physically hostile. The exodus to Israel plus the refusal of the white Jews to intermarry has led to a greatly shrunken Jewish population in Kerala and in India in general. The handful of "white Jews" will not survive for their are no children nor prospects of any. The larger number of "black Jews" in Kerala might survive in that place but depend on finding Jews from elsewhere, e.g. Bombay, if such urban sophisticates are willing to re-settle in the "backwater" of Kerala. The rather conservative Jews of India do not like to consider marrying outside the faith. The author did not discuss the Israeli religious ruling that a Jew is the offspring of a Jewish mother. The author suspects that the black Jewish community was founded by immigrant males and local, non-Jewish females. I kept wishing for some Y-chromosome and mitochrondrial DNA analyses of these populations! The book is an excellent depiction of the fate of a small population group who refuses to out-breed.

While some authors make you feel inferior by not knowing the background of the topic and others can make the most interesting story, dry and boring. Ms. Fernandes overcomes both challenges with flying colors. Her approach to the topic gave this story legs. The story starts when she arrives in Kerala to interview the residents, whose families go back several centuries to several millenia. Later we meet former Kerala Jews, who left to start new lives in Israel.

Her glimpses into the personalities of those who have experienced India first hand is the ultimate treasure. We learn that Kerala Jews will soon be a note in the history books, due to the internal struggles between the original settlers (black Jews), who can trace their heritage and relocation back to King Solomon and those whose relatives immigrated to flee the Spanish Inquisition, the (white Jews); that due to the white Jews money and prejudice as well as their ability to control the means by which the history of Kerala Jews has been reaccounted (they maintained separatism and refusal to allow interracial marriages), which ultimately has ended a legacy and a lifestyle.
It is a sad note on history that even a shared culture (Judaism), could not overcome human nature.
My only criticism of the book, we never know why the author pursued this topic and only came to have knowledge that her own heritage was Indian near the very end of the book, (her last name is Spanish and she mentions early on that she is a native of Great Britain). I read the Advance Reading Copy so perhaps this was addressed in the published books.

The author visited a small, declining Jewish community in Southern India- a community that once had thousands of Jews and now has less than a hundred. Why did the community decline? The author focuses heavily on dissension between the "White Jews" (who came to India after the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492) and the "Black Jews" (who had lived in India longer and who physically resemble other Indians rather than Europeans). Until the mid-20th century, the White Jews refused to intermarry (or even to have much to do with) the Black Jews, causing Jews to leave India in search of mates. But many other non-Israeli communities have declined as well, so it seems unlikely that such dissension was as important as the author thinks.

Probably the major factor causing the decline of South Indian Jewry was the pull of the state of Israel; as the author concedes, "the primary reason to go was to return to the land of their forefathers." In addition, India's early socialist governments were hostile to large-scale enterpreneurship, nationalizing major businesses (often owned by Jews) and restricting foreign trade (another area which Jews were concentrated in). Although these policies were not intentionally anti-Jewish, they nevertheless made the Jewish community poorer and thus more willing to leave.

The most interesting essays are those at the end, describing how Indian Jews have adjusted to Israel. Some fit in quite well; others are unhappy (and in some cases have even returned home) due to the fast pace of life, terrorism and warfare in Israel.

Very interesting historical background of a much visited but little understood community. The author spent time with the remaining Jews and understood the dynamics of this ancient community.The author keeps the reader engrossed.