After opening an old wall-mounted showcase with wood and glass, Thaha Ibrahim takes out a metal lampstand.
The 50-year-old then cleans each of its seven branches and the metal plate in which it is kept with due reverence and care.
“Sarah Cohen used to light this menorah (lampstand used by the Jews) every Friday evening to mark the beginning of Shabbat. I have been lighting this after her death in August, 2019,” Thaha says while he places the lampstand back in its place.
A year has passed since the death of Sarah Jacob Cohen, the icon of Jewish community in India.
Now, her house in the Jew Street at Mattancherry in Kerala’s Ernakulam district has been converted into a museum that preserves the history of Jews in the south Indian state.
Thaha, who looked after Sarah for more than 30 years, is the brainchild behind the museum.
“This is an attempt to preserve the Jewish history for the future generations,” says Thaha.
The museum showcases Sarah Cohen’s rare photographs, embroidery tools, personal belongings, kitchen utensils, prayer books, traditional prayer tools, Jew caps (Kippah), bread covers (Challah covers) and literature on Jewish history in Kerala.
Know Sarah Cohen & Thaha
Sarah Cohen had commanded a lot of respect in Jew Street.
The genial woman used to sit near the window of her home facing the street, clad in her colourful house dress and matching Kippah till she breathed her last in 2019.
Many of her friends had migrated to Israel but she stayed put in Mattancherry and became the most visible face of Jews in Kerala.
Sarah was born in 1924. After her education in prestigious institutions in Ernakulam, she got married to Jacob Cohen in 1942.
“The marriage was solemnised in Bombay (now Mumbai),” Thaha said, pointing to a black and white wedding photograph.
Sarah and Jacob lived together for 47 years before Jacob’s death in 1999. The couple did not have children. “These rare photographs throw a glimpse of their happy married life,” Thaha said.
Thaha dropped out of school when he was just 12. He then sold souvenirs to tourists in the Jew Street.
During this time, he had a chance encounter with Jacob Cohen, which, according to Thaha, changed his life forever. “I sought Jacob uncle’s permission to keep my souvenirs at their home at night. He duly agreed and the relationship grew stronger in the following years,” he said.
Sarah used to make Kippah (traditional Jew cap) and hand-embroidered Challa Cover (special cloth used to cover bread loaves) and tablecloth.
Thaha knew basic tailoring and soon Sarah hired him as an assistant. “I helped Sarah aunty in producing Kippah and Challa covers. She was like my mother. She reprimanded me whenever I committed mistakes and patted me for my good deeds,” recollected Thaha, a devout Muslim.
“The earnings from the shop helped Sarah aunty meet her expenses, while I got a decent monthly salary,” he said.
Thaha took care of Sarah after Jacob’s death.
“A few days before death, Jacob uncle had pleaded with me not to leave Sarah aunty alone. I found it as a Godsend opportunity to give something back to the Cohen family. She died holding my hands,” he said.
After Sarah’s death last year, the shop – Sarah Cohen’s Embroidery – has been handed over to Thaha. “I am continuing Sarah aunty’s legacy by producing high quality Kippahs, Challa covers and all hand-embroidered products,” he said.
Jews in Mattancherry
Jews had a strong presence in Mattancherry. They are known as Paradesi Jews, or foreign Jews, as they were believed to have migrated from Portugal.
They lived in row houses and prayed at the Paradesi Synagogue that was built 422 years ago, in 1568.
Abraham Barak Salem, the first Kochi Jew to become an attorney, throws light on the history of Jews in Mattancherry in his book titled ‘Cochin Jew Town Synagogue’.
“The community had sought refuge in Cochin, now Kochi, after the Portuguese persecution of the Jews in Cranganore (present-day Kodungallur) in the 16th century. The Raja of Cochin gave them a piece of land next to his palace to build a place of worship, where the existing synagogue came up," he writes.
“When the Dutch withdrew from Malabar to Ceylon, the Portuguese attacked the Jews once again, plundered the street and houses and burnt the synagogue in 1661 or 1662. With the burning of the synagogue, their books and chronicles of events were also destroyed. The houses and the synagogues were repaired and rebuilt after the reappearance of the Dutch about 1665,” he writes.
The community’s presence dwindled with the migration of Jews to Israel and the death of senior citizens.
Tribute to Sarah Cohen
Thaha says only two Paradesi Jews remain in Mattancherry and the society will forget about them and their contributions in a few years’ time. “A museum will preserve their rich history. This is my tribute to Sarah aunty and the Jews in Mattancherry,” he said.
The museum is open from 9.30 am to 7pm all days, except on Saturdays.