Kochi hosts Jewish wedding after 15 years as former Kerala Police officer's daughter marries US man

Kochi: The port city of Kochi had a rare cultural experience as it hosted a Jewish wedding after 15 years.

Racheal Benoy Malakhi, US-based data scientist, who has her roots in Thiruvananthapuram married American NASA engineer, Richard Zachary Rowe.

The wedding was held following Jewish traditions in the presence of a large gathering, including members of the community in the city. The ceremony was held in a resort in Kochi.

Racheal is the daughter of former Superintendent of Police (crime branch) Benoy Malakhi and Manjusha Miriam Emmanuel, a clinical psychologist. Richard is the son of Richard Rowe III and Sandra Nedalka Rowe.

Rabbi Ariel Tyson from Israel conducted the rituals held under a tent known as 'chuppah'.

"If we conducted the ceremony in a synagogue only a few close relatives of the bride and groom would have been able to attend. So we decided to set up a 'chuppah' in a resort so that all of our guests could watch the wedding rituals," the bride's parents said.

The synagogues in Kerala are designated as protected heritage sites.

The rabbi read out 'ketubah', the standard marriage contract, to the bride and groom. After that, the bride and groom exchanged rings. The couple stepped into married life with the groom breaking a glass by stomping on it.

The groom wore a traditional prayer shawl called 'tallit' during the ritual while the bride was clad in a saree. The American Jews in attendance wore Indian clothes as a mark of respect to the country.

The ceremony came to a close as the couple and their relatives danced together to the tunes of Hebrew songs.

Twenty members of the groom's family attended the ceremony. Food was also prepared according to Jewish religious laws.

The Jewish community in Kochi that has 25 members, had last hosted a wedding in 2008.