The Jew Town (also called Jew Street) and the history-laden streets around it in Mattancherry, (15 kms from Kochi) stand out from the mainland for many reasons.
Unlike the mainland, replete with modern buildings and heavy traffic, Jew Town and Mattancherry have preserved their old-world charm.
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Nowhere is it more evident than in the local market which once used to be the hub of activties. It was from here that spices and other indigenous produce were exported to the Arabs and Europeans. Most of the old warehouses are still intact, despite the fall in business activity.
The locality is home to a multi-ethnic population, living together in peace for the past few centuries. Thus there are, as the town's name goes, Jews (though their numbers have fallen to a few senior citizens), Muslims, Christians, Konkanis, Anglo-Indians, Tamils, Gujaratis, Jains, even Kutchi Memons.
The prevailing harmony there was evident when people from all communities came to pay their condolences when Samuel Halleguah, a prominent leader of the Jewish community in Mattancherry and warden of the Mattancherry synagogue died around two years ago. Mattancherry also has a Jewish cemetery.
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The Jews are said to have arrived in Kerala over 2,000 years ago. Many hundreds of people of Jewish origin lived in and around the Jew Town till 1949, when Israel was born. Subsequently, most of them went back to Israel.
Most Jews who preferred to stay back adapted themselves to the regional culture.
Royal gift
The synagogue here is said to be the oldest in the Commonwealth of Nations.
It was built in 1568, in Mattancherry, on land gifted by Rama Varma, the then king of Kochi.
A visit to the synagogue is a must on the tourist itinerary as well as a visit to the St Francis Church in Fort Kochi, where Vasco Da Gama was first buried.
Another landmark in Mattancherry is the Jain temple that was built in 1904, dedicated to Lord Dharamnath - the 15th Tirthankara. The Konkanis are said to have come here following persecution by the Portuguese in Goa.