Jewish world

We live in a strange but interesting Jewish world. On Friday it was reported that the biggst synagogue in Germany, on Rykestrasse in Berlin, was reopened after 70 years. It was partially burnt on Kristallnacht, 1938, but was saved in order to prevent the fire spreading to adjoining apartment blocks. Now it has been restored to its former glory by the German Government, and was opened at a very crowded public ceremony. Jewish life in Germany is undergoing a renaissance due largely to the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union. Also, a small number of Germans who were brought up as Christians or without religion, have discovered that they are of Jewish origin and have returned to their people and faith.
Meanwhile in Cochin, India, the Jews of this small locality are dying out. There are now only 13 elderly Jews left, speaking a mixture of the local language of Malayalam and some Hebrew words mixed in. The Pardesi synagogue built in 1568 is the only one left functioning in "Jew Town," part of Kochi (or Cochin as the British called it) in Kerala. Most of the Jews left for Israel after 1948, and those that remain consider themselves Indian as well as Jewish. They never experienced any hostility from the local Hindu or Muslim Indians, and in fact when the majority of Jews left they penned a joint letter assuring the readers that they were not forced to leave and did not leave because of "intolerance or discrimination in India."
In Jerusalem, a Conversion-Ulpan called Machon Miriam has been established to cater for Spanish and Portugese speaking people. It has been in existence for 8 years and has an interesting mixure of students, some of them Catholics simply wishing to learn about Judaism and Hebrew, some who wish to convert to Judaism and some former conversos (anusim) who having discovered their Jewish roots and seek to become Jewish after 500 years! For example, a couple who met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, disovered that they both had "marrano" or secret Jewish origins. After many years and several attempts to discover their roots they are now in the ulpan learning how to be full Jews. Another interesting individual is a former Benedictine monk from Argentina who took a tortuous path from wanting to pray as Jesus prayed in Hebrew to converting to Judaism, to becoming a chassid in Jerusalem.
He, like many other Catholics, was surprised to discover that Judaism is far from a "dead" religion, but is very much alive and prospering in the Land of Israel. May it ever do so.
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Note: Information was taken from "The Joy of Judaism" and "The monk in the minyan" by Sam Ser in the magazine section of the Jerusalem Post, Friday Aug 31, 2007, and "In India a Jewish outpost slowly withers" by Emily Wax, JP Sunday Sept. 2, 2007.