Cochin Jews celebrate 50 years of settlement in Israel

Jews who emigrated to Israel from Kerala in India have decided to turn their new settlement into a replica of the place of their origin in Cochin, to mark the 50th anniversary of their move. The "Moshav'" (collective agriculture settlement) in southern Israel already has a replica of the synagogue in Cochin. A well similar to the one near the temple has now been inaugurated as the first step towards achieving their goal that includes bringing and planting trees from Kerala. "Our heart still beats for our place of origin in India where we did not encounter any kind of anti-Semitism", the chairman of the Cochin Jewish Council in Israel, Nechamia Izhak, said. Lauding the contributions made by the Cochin Jews in "making the desert bloom", former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said that the community had brought with them a rich culture that was worth emulating. Programs were organized in Malayalam and Hebrew, relating to their experiences in India and Israel.