Last Prayers in Kochi's Synagogues | Hattiesburg News

In Kochi, India, the Paradesi Synagogue stands as a 458-year-old testament to Jewish resilience — now often echoing with the prayers of just one man, Keith Hallegua, as tourists fill the gap left by dwindling local congregants. Once thriving amid centuries of peaceful coexistence, this community split between fair-skinned Sephardic Paradesi Jews and darker-skinned Malabari Jews whose roots stretch back two millennia — tensions that linger even as numbers fade. Elias Josephai, guardian of the last Malabari synagogue, mourns the lost vibrancy, while non-Jews like Hindu trustee M.C. Praveen and Muslim shopkeeper Thaha Ibrahim carry on traditions with quiet devotion. For Hallegua, solitude is not isolation — he was born a Jew in India and will die one there, anchoring his identity to soil and story. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0d4603b18113a215