Paradesi Jews
Encyclopedia
Paradesi Jews are a community of Sephardic Jews settled among the larger Cochin Jewish
community located in Kerala
, a coastal southern state. They were followers of Halakhic Judaism
and are known in Kerala
as Juda Mappilas.
population, were originally Sephardic immigrants from southern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries who fled persecution in the wake of the Alhambra Decree
expelling Jews from Spain. They are sometimes referred to as White Jews, although that usage is generally considered pejorative or discriminatory and refers to relatively recent Jewish immigrants (15th Century onward), predominantly Sephardim and Mizrahim.
The Paradesi were endogamous to their own group during their settlement in Kerala, similar to the Knanaya
people. Many those who left and married the local population established the Nasarani community. This tradition began to break in the late 1940s.
The primary original language of the Paradesim was Ladino, which contributed a number of loanword
s to Judeo-Malayalam
, the pre-existing Jewish language
of the Kerala Jewish community.
The last female Paradesi Jew of child-bearing age, Yaheh Hallegua
, is the ticket-seller at the Paradesi Synagogue
.
in their attempt to convert them to Catholicism
. Many were forced to practice their faith in private. The inquisition targeted the Nasarani community as well, who had close ties to the Paradesi.
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews , are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots claimed to date to the time of King Solomon, though historically attested migration dates from the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Historically, they lived in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the...
community located in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, a coastal southern state. They were followers of Halakhic Judaism
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
and are known in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
as Juda Mappilas.
History
Paradesi Jews, who were integrated in the Cochin JewishCochin Jews
Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews , are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots claimed to date to the time of King Solomon, though historically attested migration dates from the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Historically, they lived in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the...
population, were originally Sephardic immigrants from southern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries who fled persecution in the wake of the Alhambra Decree
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
expelling Jews from Spain. They are sometimes referred to as White Jews, although that usage is generally considered pejorative or discriminatory and refers to relatively recent Jewish immigrants (15th Century onward), predominantly Sephardim and Mizrahim.
The Paradesi were endogamous to their own group during their settlement in Kerala, similar to the Knanaya
Knanaya
The Knanaya also known as Q'nanaya, Q'nai, Kanai, or Thekkumbagar, are endogamous Jews who settled in Kerala, India. Their origins are unclear and are hotly disputed by academic scholars...
people. Many those who left and married the local population established the Nasarani community. This tradition began to break in the late 1940s.
The primary original language of the Paradesim was Ladino, which contributed a number of loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s to Judeo-Malayalam
Judeo-Malayalam
Judeo-Malayalam is the traditional language of the Cochin Jews , from Kerala, in southern India, spoken today by a few dozens of people in Israel and by probably fewer than 25 in India....
, the pre-existing Jewish language
Jewish languages
Jewish languages are the various languages and dialects that developed in Jewish communities around the world.Although Hebrew was the daily speech of the Jewish people for centuries, by the fifth century BCE, the closely related Aramaic joined Hebrew as the spoken language in Judea and by the third...
of the Kerala Jewish community.
The last female Paradesi Jew of child-bearing age, Yaheh Hallegua
Yaheh Hallegua
Yaheh Hallegua is the youngest female Paradesi Jew in Cochin, Kerala, south India, and indeed the only Cochin Jew of childbearing age...
, is the ticket-seller at the Paradesi Synagogue
Paradesi Synagogue
The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin...
.
Persecution by Portuguese
They were persecuted by the PortuguesePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
in their attempt to convert them to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. Many were forced to practice their faith in private. The inquisition targeted the Nasarani community as well, who had close ties to the Paradesi.