The ongoing conflict, referred to as war between the Jews of Israel and the resistance movement Hamas, proclaiming to represent the Palestinians has made everybody including nations have an opinion on it. As the war escalates, the world has forgotten that Hamas is not Palestine. Does anybody benefit from this age-long conflict?
We Goans have grown up with the making of the ‘old man’ of straw and burning it to ring in the new year. Every Goan irrespective of community has childhood images of beating the flames of this burning effigy with coconut fronds and the word, ‘Judeo’ was repeated with each bang. My childhood memories go back to the boys in the villages of AVC going on hunting expeditions to kill lizards. The reason given in oral history is ‘Devak dakhoilo’ which implies their betrayal of Christ to the Jewish soldiers. In our culture ‘Judeo’ is always looked upon as a traitor and the Judas’ kiss is a part of our conversational parlance. Nobody even pays a second thought to these practices. It was a Norwegian Jew, Ivar Fjeld, (who many years back had organised a conference on the Jews in Goa) who explained how all of the above depicted a very racist attitude. It felt very shameful then of not even questioning these otherwise very innocuous fun-filled events.
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In my lifetime, I have met only two other Jews besides Fjeld. All three thorough gentlemen! One is Robert Newman, the internationally famous anthropologist, who has worked on Goa after staying here for a long period of sabbatical leave. He has since completed over 50 years of a happy marital life with his Hindu wife Sudha. Another is Jacob, my brother’s Dufferin classmate. They would study for their Master Mariners exams together in our house. All three are simply not the Judeos of my childhood!
To understand the concept of Judeo more closely we need to delve into the history of Goa to examine the Jewish connection. The present conflict reminds us of our past. Some of the Jews, expelled from Spain in 1492 (by King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain) settled in Portugal. The Jews in Portugal became the intellectual and economic elite of the country. Jews were involved in all aspects of the explorations, from financing the sailing fleets to making scientific discoveries in the fields of mathematics, medicine, and cartography. Many were employed as physicians and astronomers as well royal treasurers, tax collectors, and advisors. After the Portuguese Inquisition in 1536, they migrated to Portuguese Indian trading places.
After the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India a number of Sephardic Jews fled anti-semitism in Iberia. Hundreds of Jews were living in Goapakapattana (Old Goa) and had contributed, at one stage, to the building of the former capital during the brief rule of Yusuf Adil Shah (498-1510). Later, it became famous as one of the largest cities on par with London of that era. A street in Old Goa was called Rua dos Judeus or the street of the Jews. “There were synagogues in the city”, as acknowledged by historian, Jose Nicolau da Fonseca in his book, ‘A Historical and Archaeological Sketch of the city of Goa’.
The books, ‘Bombay, exploring the Jewish urban heritage’ by Shaul Sapir and Ivar Fjeld’s ‘Jewish Martyrs of Old Goa’ trace the history of Jewish presence in Bombay and Goa. It is acknowledged that the Muslim ruler who was tolerant to people of all religious groups had invited Jews to participate in the construction of the city of Old Goa. The commander of the fleet under the Muslim ruler is named, Gaspar da Gama, a Jew.
Shalva Weil’s ‘Jews in Goa’ discusses the history and legacy of the Jews, through texts and primary documents, missionary literature and records of the Inquisitorial trials from the Lisbon and the Goa Archives. I also traced many files in the National Archives of Spain in Madrid with reference to the Jews and the Inquisition both in Spain, Portugal and Goa.
A prominent landmark in Old Goa are the ruins of St Augustine’s Tower. According to ASI, the St Augustine Tower complex was built by Augustinian Friars from Portugal between 1590 and 1600. Ivar Fjeld claimed that the St Augustine’s Tower complex could never have been built by the Portuguese. He explained that the stones used in the construction of the complex came from Bijapur. Portuguese rulers could never have procured such stones from an enemy kingdom. He further argued that the carvings on some of these stones are similar to those found at existing Jewish synagogues in Bulgaria.
Fjeld claimed that the colored paintings on some walls inside the complex also indicated that they are of Ethiopian Jewish origin and reiterated that these decorative paintings are used till date in Ethiopia. A large stone plaque depicts an eagle carrying a box containing the Torah, the holy text of Judaism, by its right claws. A well or pool, similar to those found at Jewish synagogues exists inside the complex. Such wells are used till date for the traditional Bar Mikvah ceremony during which Jewish teenagers confirm their faith by circumcision. However this Jewish legacy in Old Goa including ruins of their settlement have disappeared without a trace.
The influx soon aroused the opposition of the Portuguese and ecclesiastical authorities, who complained bitterly about the New Christians’ influence in economic affairs and their secret adherence to Judaism. This was one of the reasons for the Portuguese Inquisition to be established in Goa in 1560, and lasted, apart from a temporary suspension from 1774 to 1778, for almost 250 years. Jews, who had formed an organized community in Goa became subject to the persecution of the Inquisition. Arthur Zimmler’s book, ‘Guardian of the Dawn’ discusses this period and makes reference to Old Goa and Benaulim.
Even before the Inquisition was formally established, a physician named Jeronimo Diaz had been burned in 1543 for maintaining heretical opinions. The great botanist Garcia de Orta, (after whom the Panjim garden is named) was not affected during his lifetime, but 12 years after his death, in 1580, his remains were exhumed, burned, and the ashes thrown into the ocean. Among those who were burnt at the stake included his sister.
In the latter part of the 16th century Coje Abrahão served as interpreter to the Portuguese Viceroys, despite ecclesiastical objections. Eighteenth century travellers refer to the existence of a synagogue and organized Jewish communal life. Many Jews from Portuguese Goa fled to Bombay, and Portuguese Cochin in Kerala. India was considered as a peace haven for the Jews in modern times till the Chabad house killing took place in Bombay.
Most studies concentrate on the Bene Israel community from Maharashtra, the Cochin Jewish community, or the Baghdadi Jewish community of Kolkata who emigrated to Israel. These Jews have returned to their relatives in India because of the war. Today, there are few families in Goa who trace their descent from conversos. Besides Israeli backpackers, a sprinkling of Jewish and Israeli businessmen, there are no Jews in Goa today. Field is of the opinion “The knowledge of this dark chapter in our history is hidden and needs to be uncovered”.
History however takes a back seat in times of conflicts or wars. Is this war just an Arab-Israeli conflict? If the conflict between the Jews and the Arabs end and they both decide to live in peace in the Middle East, what will happen to the armament industry?
(Prof (Dr) Sushila Sawant Mendes is an author & senior faculty in History)
