出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/05/19 08:01 UTC 版)
Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews (Malabar Yehudan), are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots dating to the time of King Solomon. Historically, they lived in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the state of Kerala. Several rounds of immigration of the Jewish diaspora into Kerala led to an ethnic, but not a linguistic, diversity: the community was divided into White Jews and Black Jews, both of which spoke Judeo-Malayalam, a form of the Malayalam tongue native to the state. The vast majority of the Cochin Jews emigrated to Israel; the number remaining in Kerala itself is minuscule, and the community faces extinction there.