Nowhere in the world, can one witness the
harmony between the religions and cultures as one sees in this part of Kerala.
This is not a politically correct behavior imposed upon the people but one
which has prevailed for centuries among all the inhabitants of the land here,
of varying persuasion. The magnanimity of a civilization is expressed in its
tolerance of its difference and protection of that difference, the great Jewish
Historian of Islam and Arab speaking people had commented (Bernard Lewis) Desecration
of this trust puts a dark light upon all the population, not just the majority
or minority cultures.
In case of Mala in Kerala, the cultures
currently represented are unique in that while the three religions, Islam,
Christianity and Hinduism are proportionately represented, the cultural
identity is a strong Linguistic Identity, that of the Malayalam speaking
people.
When one enters the Mala synagogue, a wonderful
sensation greets the visiting Jew. Here in the interior of this abundant land,
a branch of the Jews from Kodangallur, also known as Craganore or Shingly, had transplanted themselves, built a community
which could sustain such a large and magnificent edifice to recite the prayers.
In the area around the Mala synagogue there were shops and godowns (warehouses)
of the local Jewry. Even after the sudden disappearance of the Mala Jews, by
emigration, in 1955, we see the spirit of cooperation and harmony, when a glad Christian shopkeeper, named Jose, proudly showed us his shop which until recently was Jewish owned.
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| A HAPPY CHRISTIAN MERCHANT WHO PROUDLY SHOWED US THE ERSTWHILE JEWISH SHOPS OF MALA |
A short walk away from the synagogue one sees
the waterway that led them to Kodangallur and return, the continued connections
to other parts of the Jewish world of Kerala were maintained through these
trade and passenger routes
Possibility of any Jewish presence in the future
in Mala, is very remote; the children of the Jews who left are so well
integrated into the life of Israel.
The preservation of the history of an important
community, one of the colours of the fabric of life of people in these parts of
the world, is in the hands of people who live here, the history of Jews is part
of the history of all peoples of Kerala.
While the synagogue retains the possibility of returning
to its former glory, through efforts of such erudite scholars such as Prof
Karmachandran of Trichur, the same cannot be said of the desecrated and abandoned
cemetery where over the millennia, thousands of souls were buried. Only three
tombs stand, all of them in very poor shape.
I couldn’t keep thinking of the desecrated and
abandoned Jewish cemeteries of Europe or the vandalism of Palestinians of
ancient tombstones in Jerusalem before 1967, and the willful destruction of Jewish
tombs in all Arab countries which once had a million Jewish souls. Unlike those
countries, there is a genuine interest in Kerala to keep this heritage alive as
has happened to the synagogues at Paroor and Chengamangalam.
Mala synagogue and its cemetery deserve greater
attention. Globalization and commercialization can never erase the millennial history
of the Jewish presence in this special land of Kerala, blessed with such harmony
of relationships with outsiders or Paradesis as they were called in the
centuries past and the local population. Architecturally the synagogue is a
gem, a good example of Kerala Synagogue architecture.
Tomorrow we begin remembering the history of the
slavery and redemption from Egypt of the Jewish people, 3400 years ago. In
keeping up with the fine spirit of remembering, may the defenders of harmony and
history such as Prof. Karmachandran from Trichur and Biju Thomas and many
others from Fort Cochin, succeed. Let the future generations be given a chance
to learn firsthand the glorious history of Kerala and its contribution to this
day of harmony among people who are lucky to live within its natural
boundaries.
The tolerance continues to this day, enhanced by the intellectuals of Fort Cochin. I was in the company of a Hindu and a Christian on my visit to the Synagogue at Mala, a Muslim friend met us at Paroor Synagogue, my visit to Fort Cochin was made easier by a good friend of mine, a Christian merchant who gave me a copy of the book about the architecture of Mosques of Fort Cochin . (researched and written by an American Jew, supported by the American Ford Foundation).
This sense of amity and tolerance has millenial roots. There is a manuscript of Quran in Hebrew script written in COCHIN in the 1700s, translated from French by a dutch Jewish convert, scribed by a German Jew residing in Cochin at that time!
