Jews of Cochin

This July 15th program went very well IMHO. Turnout of 80 was amazing! Gila and I estimated a crowd of only 20-30, so she only made 50 vadas (the Indian-Jewish fusion equivalent of falafal). Luckily they were large enough to cut each in half and give them out one at a time. All the vadas went, along with virtually all of the tamarind sauce (the sweet one). For some reason, we had almost all of the super-spicy pickle chutney left. I thought the chutney was great, but that’s just me.
Oh yeah, the presentation. Gila was very informative, speaking about how Jewish people came to a town in southern India, and how they kept their customs while integrating themselves into the community. For example, despite being Jewish, Gila attended catholic school. She said she never felt discriminated against while growing up.
Gila also showed photos of her family and of the interior of temples. The photo of Hebrew torahs, bedecked in colorful Indian garlands, was another example of combining Jewish and Indian customs.
--dena