Kochi's lone Cochin Jews battle solitude to safeguard centuries-old heritage

In Kochi’s Jew Town, Keith Hallegua and Elias Josephai are the final local worshippers of the historic Cochin Jewish community, maintaining solitary prayers and caring for aging synagogues.

Keith Hallegua, the sole remaining Paradesi Jew in Kochi’s Jew Town, walks to the ancient Paradesi Synagogue each Shavuot to pray without a minyan, while Elias “Babu” Josephai tends the Kadavumbagam Synagogue, the last functioning Malabari house of worship, often lighting its lamps alone. The community’s numbers collapsed after the 1950s exodus to Israel, leaving fewer than 5,000 Jews across India and a legacy of Sephardic-origin Paradesi Jews and darker-skinned Malabari Jews who once endured social stratification.

Preservation efforts now involve non-Jewish locals such as Hindu trustee M.C. Praveen, Muslim shopkeeper Thaha Ibrahim, and Christian donors who have contributed lamps and plaques. A recently opened museum showcases a 1000 CE copper charter granting the Jews religious freedom. Despite the loneliness and fading traditions, both men remain committed to ensuring that the unique Indian-Jewish identity endures for future generations.