Incessant rain destructs the Black Synagogue in Mattancherry

Kochi : The Black Synagogue in Mattancherry that has a pivotal role in the Jewish history of Kerala, collapsed in heavy rain on Tuesday.

History

Black synagogue is also known as Paradesi synagogue. It is built in 1568 by Spanish-speaking Jews, the Paradesi synagogue is the oldest active Jewish place of worship in Kerala. The word paradesi means foreigner in Malayalam.

The synagogue’s wrought-iron gates sport the Star of David. The building has white walls with a tiled roof. The inner courtyard features Hebrew-inscribed gravestones. The floor is paved with hand-painted porcelain tiles from China.

Other notable features include gold and silver decorated Torah scrolls, an oriental carpet in front of the ark, two brass columns and two pulpits. Crystal chandeliers and brass and glass oil lamps hanging from the ceiling add to the beauty of the structure.

The synagogue is historically important as it was at the epicentre of a struggle within the Jewish community around 1927. The White Jews – or Paradesi Jews from Spain, Portugal and Netherlands – were considered the elite class and they enjoyed the right to worship as well as full membership at the synagogue.

The Black Jews were the settlers from Kochi who were allowed to worship but were not given full membership. Then there were the Meshuchrarim, the community of freed slaves, who accompanied the Paradesi Jews when they came to India from Spain. They were not allowed to enter the synagogue and had no communal rights.

Abraham Barak Salem, who belonged to the Meshuchrarim community, launched a non-violent agitation against this discrimination based on skin colour, including a prayer boycott. It earned him the sobriquet Jewish Gandhi. He died in Mattancherry at the age of 85 in 1967.

Although the government had stated that they will take care of the synagogue, no action was taken, the locals told the media.