Town in India Sees First Jewish Wedding in 21 Years!

First, mazel tov (good luck in Hebrew) to the happy couple! That said, I find this incredibly fascinating on a number of levels. To start with, I’m amazed there’s a Jewish community in the town of Mattancherry, Kochi in India. According to the news story, the wedding was held in the Paradesi Synagogue in the dwindling Cochin Jewish community just after Chanukah. And more surprising, this was their first Jewish wedding in 21 years! Sounds like the “dwindling” ship sailed ages ago. But there were 250 guests at the wedding, and, presumably, a good number of them lived close by and were Jewish.

NEVER ASSUME

You’d think that, with a couple of hundred Jewish people in the neighborhood, there would have been at least a couple of weddings at this beautiful synagogue within the last two decades. Well, I’m totally wrong about many of the 250 living close by. The groom, Solomon, son of Josephai Abraham of the Thekkumbhagam congregation in the Cochin Jewish community married Susan of the Bene Israel Jewish community in Mumbai (formerly Bombay, and a very large city with a significant Jewish population.) Clearly, most of the 250 guests traveled from Mumbai to Kochi (almost 1,400 miles!) for the colorful, 5:30PM ceremony. If you want to find out more about this interesting story, go to http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/29/stories/2008122956551800.htm.

THE WEDDING FAVOR DILEMMA

So it’s a Jewish wedding in India. What to do about their wedding favors? The bride and groom are tied to both cultures. If they decide to go with their Indian background, I’ve got a couple of favorite Indian wedding favors that would add so much to their colorful event. With its richly exotic Indian design, the Golden Lac Box Photo Holder/Place Card Holder (left) is a spectacular and versatile way to thank your wedding guests. And what would an Indian wedding be without elephants, which bring power and strength, long life, patience and wisdom, energy and good fortune—wonderful sentiments for your family and friends! The “Good Luck” Wooden Elephants (right) enhance any table decor  And as they say in Hindi—सौभाग्य! (Good Luck!)