位于印度南方的科钦古城曾是一个充满活力的犹太社区中心，如今却面临文明传承的危机。[1] 在1950年代，大批社区成员迁居以色列后，科钦的犹太人口急剧下降。[1] 目前该社区仅余不足5000人，而整个印度的犹太人数量也不超过5000人。[1]
两位当地犹太领袖正在带头开展保护工作：帕拉代西犹太人基思·哈勒瓜是有458年历史的帕拉代西犹太教堂的最后一位本地教众，[1] 马拉巴里犹太人埃利亚斯·约瑟菲则修复了建于12世纪的卡达瓦姆巴加姆犹太教堂。[1] 根据2000年的铜板契约记载，印度教国王曾在1000年前授予该社区宗教自由权。[1] 哈勒瓜对自己的身份有坚定的认同，他表示："我生来是印度的犹太人，我将在印度作为犹太人死去。"[1]
为了维系这份独特的遗产，当地社区、全球离散者和非犹太邻民携手合作，通过建立博物馆、修复古老犹太教堂和传承传统手工艺等方式进行历史保护。[1] 穆斯林信徒撒拉伯·易卜拉欣如今经营着已故犹太领袖莎拉·科恩留下的刺绣店，继续传承科钦犹太刺绣的传统工艺。[1]
The Cochin Jewish community, which has flourished in India's ancient port city for centuries, has dwindled dramatically following a mass exodus to Israel in the 1950s [1]. Today, fewer than 5,000 Jews remain in all of India, with the Cochin area representing the country's last significant Jewish settlement [1]. Among those keeping the community's legacy alive are Keith Hallegua, the final local congregant of the 458-year-old Paradesi Synagogue [1], and Elias Josephi, who has undertaken restoration of the 12th-century Kadavumbagam Synagogue [1].
The preservation effort encompasses multiple dimensions of Cochin's Jewish heritage. A copper plate charter documents how a Hindu king granted the community religious freedom approximately 1,000 years ago [1]. Beyond religious sites, traditional crafts are also being safeguarded—a Muslim artisan named Salar Ibrahim now operates the embroidery shop of the late Jewish leader Sarah Cohen, continuing the Cochin Jewish needlework tradition [1]. Hallegua articulated his commitment to this heritage, stating: "I was born a Jew in India, and I will die a Jew in India" [1]. The preservation work draws support from the local community, diaspora members around the world, and non-Jewish neighbors, who together are establishing museums and restoring historic synagogues to ensure this ancient civilization's history endures [1].