The Historical Traditions of the Jews of Kochi

Abstract

Three very different types of data must be considered in any attempt at constructing a history of the ancient Jewish community of Kochi in Kerala. There are scant historical data—a third-century patristic letter, a ninth-century Muslim travelogue, an eleventh-century royal charter engraved on copperplates, a twelfth-century Hebrew tombstone. There are numerous motifs from Kochini folklore, especially the intriguing Malayalam songs of Jewish women. Finally, there are indigenous narrations by which the community presents itself to the outside world. Even taken together, these three types of data do not yield a comprehensive history. But what they do reveal is perhaps more significant; they chart the community's crafting for themselves a niche within the social framework of Kerala. In sum, in their narrations they create an identity that resonates exceptionally well with both Indian and Jewish values, themes and motifs.