9°57′26″N76°15′34″E / 9.95722°N 76.25944°E /9.95722; 76.25944
| Paradesi Synagogue בית הכנסת פרדסי പരദേശി ജൂതപള്ളി | |
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 Interior of the synagogue facing the ark | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Kochi,Kerala |
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| Geographic coordinates | 9°57′26″N76°15′34″E / 9.95722°N 76.25944°E /9.95722; 76.25944 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Completed | 1568 |
TheParadesi Synagogue or theMattancherry Synagogue (Malayalam:പരദേശി ജൂതപള്ളി) is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of the city ofKochi,Kerala, inIndia. It was built in 1568 A.D. by Samuel Castiel, David Belila, and Joseph Levi for the flourishingParadesi Jewish community in Kochi.Cochin Jews were composed mainly of the much olderMalabari Jews and the newly arrivedSephardic refugees from thePortuguesereligious persecution of Jews in Spain and Portugal.[1] It is the oldest active[2]synagogue in theCommonwealth of Nations.[3]Paradesi is a word used in severalIndian languages, and the literal meaning of the term is "foreigners", applied to the synagogue because it was built by Sephardic or Portuguese-speaking Jews, some of them from families exiled inAleppo, Safed and other West Asian localities.
The synagogue is located in the quarter of Old Cochin known asJew Town,[3] and is the only one of theseven synagogues in the area still in use. The complex has fourbuildings. It was built adjacent to theMattancherry Palacetemple on the land given to the community by the Raja of Kochi,Rama Varma. The Mattancherry Palace temple and the synagogue share a common wall.
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The Malabari Jews or Yehudan Mappila (also known as Cochin Jews) formed a prosperous trading community of Kerala, and they controlled a major portion of worldwidespice trade.[citation needed] In 1568,Paradesi Jews constructed the Paradesi Synagogue adjacent to Mattancherry Palace,Cochin, now part of theIndian city ofErnakulam, on land given to them by the Raja of Kochi. The first synagogue in India was built in the 4th century inKodungallur (Cranganore) when the Jews had a mercantile role in the South Indian region (now called Kerala) along theMalabar coast. When the community moved to Kochi in the 14th century, it built a new synagogue there.[citation needed]
The Malabari Jews' or the Yehudan Mappila first synagogue in Cochin was destroyed in the 16th century during thePortuguese persecution of the Jews andNasrani or Suriyani Mappila or Syriac (Aramaic) Mappila people. The second, built under the protection of the Raja, in Mattancherry, in 1558, during the Portuguese rule of Cochin, is the present synagogue,[4] which is still in use for worship and can attract aminyan. It is calledParadesi synagogue because it was built by Spanish speaking Jews (Paradesi Jews); this contributed to the informal name:paradesi synagogue or "foreign" synagogue. In addition, a new Jewish group had immigrated to Kochi, Sephardim from the Iberian Peninsula. They and the Malabari Jews or Yehudan Mappila shared many aspects of their religion, and the newcomers learned theJudeo-Malayalam dialect, but the Sephardim also retained their own culture and Spanish language at least for three centuries. By 1660 the Dutch ruled the Kochi area, calling itDutch Malabar. In later years, the Paradesi Synagogue was used primarily by the Sephardim (who were also referred to as Paradesi) and their descendants, and later European exiled Jews.
The Paradesi Synagogue had three classes of members:
In 1968, the 400th anniversary of the synagogue was celebrated in a ceremony attended byIndira Gandhi, theIndian Prime Minister.
As is customary forOrthodox Jewish or Yehudan Mappila synagogues, the Paradesi Synagogue has separate seating sections for men and women.
Today the Paradesi Synagogue is the only functioning synagogue in Kochi with aminyan (though this minyan must be formed with Jews from outside Kochi, as the number who still reside there is not sufficient). In conformity with theHindu,St Thomas Christian or Syrian Mappila andMuslim Mappila traditions of Kerala, the worshippers are required to enter theParadesi Synagogue barefoot.[5] Other facets which are unique to the Cochin Jewish community, and which are results of Hindu influence, include special colours of clothing for each festival, circumcision ceremonies performed at public worship, and distribution of grape-soaked myrtle leaves on certain festivals. In addition, the current Rabbi at the Paradesi synagogue placed by Midrash Sephardi is Rabbi Yonaton Francis Goldschmidt.
The synagogue is open for a fee to visitors as a historic attraction. The ticket-seller,Yaheh Hallegua, is the last female Paradesi Jew of child-bearing age.[6] The synagogue is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and also on Jewish holidays. As of April 2016, only 5 Jews live in Fort Kochi.[citation needed]. Timing to visit the Mattanherry Synagogue is from 10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m and then it again opens from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. There is a strict dress code for both men and women. Men have to wear full shirts and trousers and women have to wear skirts below knee length . Currently it is head by one of the most senior Jews in Kerala, Mr. John Jacob who lives in Kaviyoor village, Thiruvalla.
The Paradesi Synagogue has theScrolls of the Law, several gold crowns received as gifts, many Belgian glasschandeliers, and a brass-railedpulpit. It houses the 10th-century copper plates of privileges given to Joseph Rabban, the earliest known Cochin Jew. These two plates were inscribed in Old Malayalam by the ruler of theMalabar Coast. The floor of the synagogue is composed of hundreds of Chinese, 18th-century, hand-painted porcelain tiles, each of which is unique. A hand-knottedoriental rug was a gift fromHaile Selassie, the lastEthiopian emperor.[7] The synagogue has an 18th-century clock tower, which, along with other parts of the complex, was restored between 1998 and 1999 by the architectKarl Damschen under the direction of theWorld Monuments Fund.[8]
A tablet from the formerKochangadi Synagogue (1344) inKochangadi, south of Jew Town in Kochi was installed on the outer wall of the Paradesi synagogue. The inscription states that the structure was built in 5105 (in theHebrew calendar) as "an abode for the spirit of God".. This tablet was initially discovered inserted in the wall of theKadavumbhaagam Mattanchery Synagogue during restoration work.
The Thekkumbhagom synagogue, located on Jews Street in the Ernakulam area of Cochin, was built in 1580 and renovated in 1939.[9]
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