Rachel Israel: a Jewish Indian Kiwi
Rachel Israel
How I came to be a Jewish Indian Kiwi
Rachel Israel tells the history of Indian Jews and how she came to be in New Zealand
I was born at home in Kochi (Cochin), India in 1950 (the youngest of five siblings) delivered by a Jewish doctor, Dr. Koder. He was also a dentist, had a general store and managed the synagogue.
My home in Kochi was built by the Dutch and still stands today. It is now run as a homestay. Cochin was a beautiful town to grow up in with its lush backwaters, Chinese fishnets and long sandy beaches.
Rachel’s beautiful family home in Kochi, where she was born, is now a homestay.
The Jewish synagogue in Kochi, built in 1568 AD, stands as a testimony of communal harmony for centuries. The tolerance of the Kochi rulers is responsible for India having the fourth largest Jewish community in Asia. The synagogue has scrolls of the Old Testament and copper plates which record the privilege bequeathed by the Kochi rulers.
Kochi synagogue, built in 1568, stands as a testimony of communal harmony for centuries
Varied traditions about the origin of the Cochin Jews appear in travellers’ accounts and in Hebrew chronicles from Malabar, some written as early as the 17th century. Some records say the first Jews sailed to South India on the ships of King Solomon; others say they came during the Babylonian exile; others that they fled to Malabar after the destruction of the Second Temple; and others refer to a fourth-century migration from Majorca.
The oldest documentary evidence of a Jewish community in Kerala dates from 1000 CE, when a Jewish leader named Joseph Rabban received a set of engraved copper plates from the Hindu ruler of Cranganore. These plates, which are still preserved in the Cochin Pardesi synagogue, list economic and ceremonial privileges.
The Pardesis were often referred to as ‘white Jews’, the descendants of immigrants of various Middle Eastern and European countries; the more ancient Malabari communities were known as ‘black Jews’, though there is not always a clear distinction between them in terms of skin colour.
The Pardesi synagogue celebrated its 400th anniversary in 1968 and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was present at the celebration. A stamp was issued for the synagogue’s anniversary.
My favourite festivity in Cochin was attending a wedding. The celebrations began a week before. Everyone took part in the preparations. On the Friday before there is a dinner at the bridegroom’s house for the whole congregation. The bride does not attend. The two best men are chosen. After the Shabbat morning service, there is lunch at the bridegroom’s house where the bride is the chief guest. The main hall is decked and special wedding sweets were prepared. The festivities continue after the wedding ceremony where the bride is decked in her finery and jewels and the women sing songs in Malyalam, blessing her once the couple is married. I always enjoyed attending a wedding in Cochin.
A typical wedding in Kochi, Rachel’s favourite family celebration
In 1958 there were 2500 Jews but currently that number has dropped to a mere handful. The Cochin Jews have made a contribution to the land of their adoption far beyond what their infinitesimal numbers would suggest. May one dare hope that the Pardesi synagogue will tempt back to Cochin an active community of Jews.
The largest community of Jews in India, besides the Cochin Jews and Baghdadi Jews were the Bene Israel (the children of Israel) who claim descent from the ‘Lost Tribes’ of Israel. They claim they came from Galilee in the north perhaps in 175 CE. Local oral history recounts that during the voyage their forefathers were shipwrecked and washed ashore on the Konkan coast 20 miles north of Bombay.
Bene Israel were absorbed into the local culture and adopted Marathi the local language. They observed many Jewish customs and observed the Sabbath.
In 1796 Samuel Divekar, a soldier and benefactor of the Bene Israel community in Bombay, India established the first synagogue. His ‘Sha'ar ha-Rahamim’ synagogue, the oldest landmark in Mumbai, was renovated in 1860 and is still in use.
In the following years, 10 synagogues were built where the Bene Israel settled. In 1861 the Magen David synagogue was opened by the Sassoon family who had made their fortune in Shanghai. The first Bene Israel school was built in 1875 called the Elli Kadoori School.
I left Kochi when I was 10 years old, when my family moved to Mumbai. I grew up with many cousins and family gatherings. It was a very carefree childhood where from a young age I enjoyed elocution and dramatics and participated in many school productions.
Rachel's mother (on the far right) with her sisters
Rachel’s mother with her parents and family
Friday night prayers were particularly special as my mother prepared a wine from pressed raisins (she soaked them in water the night before) and hand pressed and strained the juice. This attracted many of our non-Jewish friends to join in. One tradition was to go round the table and wish each member Shabbat Shalom by taking their hand between one’s palms and this was also a peace-making gesture if us siblings had arguments. My mother loved to crochet and has left us many beautiful pieces of her work. She also made many Indian-Jewish dishes which are now in a family cookbook. Kosher meat was hard to get but there was a butcher who supplied us. Also, matzo was made by a local baker for Passover. We visited the Magen David Synagogue on High Holy Days.
Rachel’s extended family would get together at holidays to celebrate
Magen David Synagogue in Mumbai, exterior
Magen David Synagogue in Mumbai, interior
There was never any struggle to live a completely Jewish way of life in a country where the majority were Hindus and Muslims. Nor was there any racial tension between the Muslims and Jews in India. In fact, my mother’s eldest sister was Principal of the first Muslim girls’ school in Mumbai. All through her residence on the premises of the Anjuman Islam Girls’ School she was a staunch practicing Jew who had a mezuzah on her door and held prayers at her home every Friday in Hebrew.
One of my mother’s brothers became an Admiral in the Indian Navy so we visited many naval functions and frigates. His daughter became an Indian dancer and later was the Director of the famous Kalakshetra Indian dancing school. One was a director of a large publishing firm.
Both sides of my family came from large families so I had lots of cousins whom I met frequently and spent holidays with. We had a book club and a tree house and many adventures together. My grandmother who lived with my mother’s eldest sister, always had family gatherings and especially at High Holy Days we gathered at their place for a few days of feasting. She would spend days preparing delicious Indian Jewish food and delicacies. My favourite was a pastry filled with coconut called purees and ‘marshees’, onion layers filled with a mixture of rice and beef and baked. My uncles always entertained us with family stories from the past. We visited my grandmother in a horse and carriage called Goda Gadi which was common in those days for short trips. Members of the family have written books on the Jews of India.
Members of Rachel’s family have written books on the Jews of India
The Jews in India distinguished themselves in various capacities: in the Defence forces; the railways; as educationalists and teachers; doctors and nurses; and in films. Their quiet devotion to duty made them much valued members of the organizations where they were employed. From about 24,000 Bene-Israeli Jews in India in 1940, 5000 remain today due to immigration to Israel, the Americas and Australia, and through intermarriage.
The Baghdadi Jews were the latest arrival in India. The first settler arrived from Aleppo in 1790 and set up a prosperous business in Calcutta. He was joined early in the 19th century by settlers from Baghdad and Basra. Before WW2 there were 3500 in Calcutta and 3000 in Bombay. Again today these numbers have declined due to immigration to Israel. However their contribution to Mumbai and Calcutta was immense.
At the age of 22, I went to Kibbutz Mayan Tzvi in Israel to study Hebrew. The next year was the Yom Kippur War and I got a first-hand experience of what Israel faces. I had a brother living there who was a para trooper in the Six Day War so I spent the weekends with him, his wife and baby girl. I lived in Haifa for 5 years. My amazing time in Israel and on the kibbutz has made me a staunch Israel supporter. My time there was an unforgettable experience - so different from India but I welcomed the change. I have memories of going to the beach in summer, seeing the buses full of soldiers going home for Shabbat, and of doing laundry for the entire kibbutz.
Rachel visited Israel, staying with her brother and family
a young Rachel
I returned to India, after spending three months in Iran visiting a friend, before the family moved to San Francisco. A graduate in Economics, I worked in the investment arm of Bank of America for the next 20 years, in a very corporate world. I did a lot of travelling around the world in those years. In 1998 I visited and fell in love with New Zealand’s beauty.
After 9/11, at the age of 52, I decided I wanted a break for six months and what better place to visit than New Zealand. A Jewish consultant got me a six-month work permit which entitled me to residency if I found a permanent job. When I landed in Auckland on October 5th, 2002, I sat in Aotea square and wondered what I had done!
I was hired by Guardian Trust in their small Portfolio Management Department, so obtained residency and things fell into place. At Guardian Trust in NZ, my job entailed speaking to clients and I struggled to understand the kiwi accent and had to politely ask them to send their request in an email. Happily, I made good friends there, and there is a group of us from Guardian Trust who still regularly meet for a meal.
I found the quality of life and proximity to nature here in New Zealand quite refreshing. I found New Zealanders reserved but practical and always willing to help without a fuss. Having chosen to simplify my life and live close to work after having commuted for years in unbelievable traffic, I found a tiny apartment in the heart of the city and did not need a car.
One Sunday morning rather dishevelled I walked into the Auckland Mission with a bag of clothes to donate and the young guy at the front desk said to me, “Ma’am can you please sign in and you can have breakfast,” which was being served to the homeless at the time.
It was Stan Rose, who I met through my consultant and runs the Auckland Jewish Immigration, who suggested I go and introduce myself to the then Rabbi Lawrence at the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. As good fortune would have it, it was a Friday and Sylvia and Arnold Treister, valued community members, were there. They invited me to dinner. What a blessing that was! I went to Shul frequently, and got to know so many members of the community and their warmth and hospitality was tremendous.
When I retired in 2013 it was only natural to volunteer at Kadimah. I was asked if I would like to do the Asset inventory for Kadimah and after that project, I worked as a Teacher’s Aide at the school. It was very rewarding to be with the children and Kadimah/AHC rapidly became a second home. I work a few hours a week at Preschool and enjoy that a lot. I currently work in Admin/accounts at the AHC with the team there and am close to Rabbi Friedler. Since I live so close, I accompany the ladies to the mikveh, the women’s ceremonial bath. I am also a member of Stan Rose’s Auckland Jewish Immigration Committee.
Life in New Zealand has been good. Things have gone smoothly and without the support and hospitality of the community I would have left New Zealand for home. I look forward to my annual visits to San Francisco, to be with family.
It is nice to be able to give back to the community in a small way. I feel very connected and fortunate to be an active member of the community. I’ve learnt a lot about religion, our community and our children.
I still think about my childhood in India sometimes and hope that Jewish communities can again be as fortunate as we were in those days.
Jewish Lives thanks the Auckland Hebrew Congregation for allowing us to reproduce this article from its community newsletter, Shavuon.