Torah Case and Crown
Kochi, India, 1908
Case: wood, silver tin
Crown: impressed gilded metal sheet, brass, gems, and glass
Ornaments: gilded metal sheet
Gift of the Paradesi Synagogue, Kochi, Kerala, India
Must Know
This marvelous, unique Torah attests to the story and the character of Kochi’s Paradesi community. The parchment encased in wood follows the tradition of Muslim-country Jews, while the crown and ornaments are designed and applied in a southern Indian style. Dating back to the 16th century, the Paradesi community was founded largely by Jews expelled from Spain, and Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Aleppo. It is one of the oldest Jewish communities in India. Over the centuries the community enjoyed good relations with its neighbors of different religions that were based on mutual respect and tolerance.
This Torah was donated to the Paradesi synagogue in 1908 by Shabtai Koder. In time, the community gifted it to the Museum of the Jewish People to preserve its heritage and commemorate the protection and goodwill they enjoyed from India’s rulers and peoples. The book was gifted to the museum in 2017 by India’s prime minister Narendra Modi when he visited the country, as a gesture of collaboration and fraternity between Israel and India.
