Ernakulam’s Broadway Market Road never sleeps. A ceaseless river of life, vendors calling, rickshaws honking, footsteps weaving into an urban symphony — the pulse of Kochi beats loud and unbroken.
But then, you notice a gate, wide open. Step through, and the city dissolves. A forest unfurls, dense with orchids and anthuriums. Sunlight filters through emerald canopies, while cuckoos and macaws screech as if warning each other of the stranger who has just walked in. A heady mix of petrichor and the fragrance of blooming petals create a dream-like ambience.
Entrance to the Kadavumbagam Synagogue.
Wander deeper, take another turn, and the forest melts into liquid blue. A shimmering marine world emerges, goldfish, black mollies, and oceanic creatures gliding past. Before you can wonder, the tide pulls you in, weightless, endless.
Then, just as suddenly, the water vanishes. A corridor appears, its walls breathing stories from another time, centuries ago. The year is 1549.
Words in an unfamiliar language buzz like a spell. And then, there it is: The Star of David. It watches over you, and you stop to think: Are you still in Kochi? Have you stepped into Israel?
No need to doubt, you stand within the walls of Kadavumbhagam Synagogue, the ‘Black Jew’s’ synagogue in Kochi.
A Boy’s dream, a synagogue reborn
“Why are Athangudi tiles inside a Jewish synagogue?”
“Doesn’t it look beautiful?”
“Yes, but this might be the only synagogue in the world where Boaz and Jachin, the two pillars from the porch of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, stand on Tamil Nadu’s Chettinad Athangudi tiles.”
The aquarium and nursery located in front of the Kadavumbagam Synagogue.
Elias Josephai, the caretaker of this historical treasure, chuckled. “It was the dream of a 12-year-old boy back in 1968. Inspired by the Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry, he asked his father to lay these tiles inside the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue.”
Who was that boy?”
Elias smiled. “You’re looking at him.”
Now 69, the tall and steadfast Elias Josephai, with a beautiful kippah adorning his head, stands as the guardian of this historical treasure, restoring and preserving it against the passage of time.
After years of renovation, the Kadavumbhagam Jewish Synagogue in Kochi reopened in early February.
One of the city’s seven synagogues, it is the oldest restored place of worship for the Malabar Jews/Black Jews. Unlike most synagogues now under government control, Kadavumbhagam and Paradesi remain privately owned.
Elias Josephai.
The synagogue, abandoned since the 1970s due to dwindling Jewish presence, was revived by Elias Josephai, whose father once served as its Hazzan (synagogue leader). With support from global Jewish communities, Josephai led restoration efforts that began in 2003.
Today, it stands as the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth.
When asked why the Malabar Jews were referred to as Black Jews and whether this was common among the Jews of Cochin, Josephai explained: “Yes, the Sephardi Jews who arrived from Spain and Portugal brought both wealth and enslaved individuals. These enslaved people came to be known as Black Jews and were barred from entering their place of worship, the Paradesi Synagogue.Even the earlier Jewish settlers, the Malabari Jews, my ancestors, who are believed to have migrated from Iraq and Yemen, were labeled as Black Jews due to their darker skin tone.
Despite not being enslaved, they faced discrimination from the Sephardi community, who excluded them from social and religious spaces, reinforcing a rigid hierarchy within the Jewish community of Cochin.”
The Jewish legacy in Kerala
Before leaving, Josephaí received a call from his employee, informing him of an order for angelfish.
Promising to return soon, he departed.
It was then that Sanjay Johnson, a tourist guide and history enthusiast, arrived at the synagogue with two Israeli tourists, Ameen and Michel.
As they stepped inside, Sanjay began narrating the rich history of the Jewish presence in Kerala.
“The Jews arrived here in 72 BC,” he explained, “establishing settlements across the region. Their presence is even mentioned in the Periplus (A Historical Book). By the 12th century AD, they had become key players in regional conflicts.
One of their leaders, Joseph Raban, allied with the Cranganore Maharaja in a war against the Chola Raja. After a yearlong battle, the Maharaja emerged victorious and rewarded Raban with 72 square miles of land, known as Anjuvannam, the Jerusalem of the East.”
However, in 1165, disaster struck. A brutal attack nearly wiped out the Jewish population, forcing the survivors to seek refuge in Chendamangalam, then Paravur, and later in Mala and Ernakulam.
Sanjay explaining the history to his Israeli guests, Ameen and Michel.
Sanjay continued, “Mattancherry, derives its name from the Hebrew word mattana, meaning ‘gift.’ It was founded when Raban’s younger son sought land from the Cochin Maharaja.”
He pointed towards the Paravur Synagogue, explaining, “Originally built in Muziris, it was destroyed in a Portuguese attack in 1635. It was only in the 1700s that it was reconstructed.”
“By 1972, most of the Jewish community had migrated to Israel, leaving their synagogues abandoned. The Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Ernakulam suffered years of neglect and was vandalism before being restored in 1978.
“The Kadavumbhagam Synagogue reflects the architectural style of the historic Muziris Synagogue, which was lost to rising sea levels in 1165 CE. Initially constructed in 1200 CE, it underwent renovations in 1700 CE.” he said.
Muslim’s effort helps restore Jewish Synagogue?
Following the migration of Jews back to Israel in 1972, the synagogue remained largely ignored until Elias Josephai took charge.
After completing his business order, Josephai returned to the scene once again, just as he had promised.
Sanjay confided in a whisper, “He is super happy when he gets a chance to explain the synagogue details to Israeli visitors because they can connect more than anyone else.”
As soon as Josephai stepped inside, Michel made a humble request, “Can we see the Sefer Torah?”
Without hesitation, Josephai walked to the podium. The Sefer Torah, a handwritten Jewish holy book, was one he had brought from Israel in 2018.
After opening the Holy Torah, he began asking Ameen and Michel about Jewish traditions. However, Ameen explained that she was raised in a secular family in Israel, where religion played a lesser role.
Josephai then invited her attention to the architectural marvel of the synagogue. “The flooring is adorned with Chettinad Athangudi tiles, fulfilling a dream I’ve had since childhood. The warm glow of the yellow lamps adds to the charm, they were donated by a Muslim.”
Joseph enters the podium at the center of the synagogue, known as the Bimah, where the Torah is read.
Ameen’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? A Muslim helped restore a synagogue? If people everywhere could think and act with such harmony, how beautiful and peaceful the world would be.”
Josephai smiled and continued, “A Christian contributed a plaque of the Ten Commandments, and the chandeliers were a gift from Swami Hariprasad of the Vishnu Mohan Foundation in Chennai. This is the true essence of India, where faiths come together, not just in spirit but in action.”
Every part of the synagogue, including the windows, chandeliers, and floor tiles, has been meticulously restored with the dedicated efforts of volunteers.
‘Courage to Remember’
Last but not least, your eyes will be drawn to the haunting photographs currently displayed inside the synagogue. The Holocaust memorial exhibition, ‘Courage to Remember’, organised by the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), was initially set to run for just five days after reopening to the public on 3 February. Yet, it remains.
Most visitors glance through the images and move on, but Michel stood still, gazing at one particular photograph. It was only later that Sanjay revealed why.
“Michel lost her grandfather in the Holocaust. Though her connection is through stories passed down by her father, like every Jew, she feels the loss deeply, an inherited wound.”
Before leaving, Ameen and Michel thanked Josephai for his dedication to preserving the synagogue and commended his efforts.
Most blessed, most cursed
As Sanjay, Ameen and Michel stepped out, Josephai kept talking.
“All my cousins and relatives are in Israel. My wife, too, will return and settle there with our daughter after my last breath. My daughter is already settled there,” he said, quite certain his wife would live on after him.
When asked about the Jewish belief that one attains heaven if they die on Israeli soil, he simply shrugged.
“Then what about my ancestors here? They lived and died in this land. I will not go back.”
Holocaust History Exhibition.
On the Israel-Palestine conflict, Josephai reflected with a quiet solemnity: “Jews have never lived in peace. And perhaps that is by design. If we ever did, we might forget the Almighty. We are the most blessed and the most cursed people.”
With that, he stepped outside, locked the heavy doors of the synagogue, and walked away.
It was 7 pm. Josephai took a seat in his shop, surrounded by the glow of aquariums. The hum of water filters filled the silence.
When I walked out of the synagogue, a teenager was walking in the opposite direction.
“It’s closed already. You’re late,” I said.
“No, no,” the boy replied confidently. “This shop stays open until 9 pm I’m a regular customer.”
For him, it was just an aquarium shop, a place of fish tanks and water bubbles. He had no idea about the stories, the history, the lives behind that locked door.
This article was originally published on South First.
