# Kochi’s Last Cochin Jews Preserve a Vanishing Heritage

2026-08-07T08:40:54+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Keith Hallegua is the only Jew left in Kochi’s historic Jew Town and often prays alone at the 458-year-old Paradesi Synagogue. Elias “Babu” Josephai maintains the city’s last functioning Malabari synagogue, where services are now rare. Much of Kochi’s Jewish community moved to Israel in the 1950s. Fewer than 5,000 Jews remain across India. The community’s history includes centuries of religious freedom alongside divisions over class and colour. Hindu trustee M.C. Praveen and others are helping preserve its legacy. Synagogue leaders opened a museum earlier this year, displaying a copper-plate charter from 1000 CE that granted the Jewish settlement religious freedom. Tourists now fill streets once home to Jewish families and spice traders.

## Coverage

- newindianexpress.com <https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2026/Aug/07/after-centuries-in-india-the-last-cochin-jews-try-to-keep-their-history-alive>

Tags: Cochin Jews, heritage, Jew Town, Kochi, Paradesi Synagogue
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