martillo@ihuxj.UUCP (Yehoyaqim Shemtob Martillo) (05/10/84)
Binayak is correct that the Hindu ethnic groups never persecuted Jews, but there was at one time a Jewish kingdom in the Maharashtra region which used to have wars with the local Hindu kingdoms. When the Muslims ruled India, they subjected the Jews as well as the other non-Muslims to the usual degradation and humiliation. During the 16th Christian century, Vasco de Gama attacked the Jewish community in Cochin and decimated it. The head of the Jewish community (nasi) was a Polish Jew named Sha'ul Atsil. Rather than be martyred, he converted to Christianity and took the name Pablo de Gama. After that the highest caste of Jews no longer married Ashkenazim. A large part of the intermediate caste Jews were descendents of Ashkenazim who married the lowest caste Jews. The Cochini Jews got along well with the local Indians and had a much higher opinion of Indian culture than other Jews had of European or Muslim culture. The most important scholar from this community was David Rabbani. The Jews in Cochin spoke Marathi which they wrote with Hebrew characters. I do not know if there was a specific Judeo-Marathi dialect.