Recent attention has centered on the Indians of the Bnei Menashe who have just arrived in Israel, but there is an older Indian group that has been here since the nation was founded.
Which way you look at it, Cochin’s Jewish culture is an ancient one.
The Jews of the city of Cochin in southwest India can trace their origins there back to the times of the biblical King Solomon if you rely on traditional lore.
If you’d rather go for archeological discoveries, then the trick can be done with 10th-century copper tablets describing the privileges granted to the group by a local ruler.
And, despite these ancient origins, in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala, only eight Cochin Jews remain. The remainder, about 8,000 now, live here in Israel.
Source: https://www.israel21c.org/meet-the-cochin-jews-israels-oldest-indian-community/
