Jewish India is over 2000 years old. Historical Hindu India was and is today almost entirely devoid of the oldest institutionalized hatred on earth, antisemitism. Deeply distressing to Jews worldwide, especially after the human nightmare of the Holocaust, antisemitism is once again finding new life in the Muslim and Christian worlds. The United States is no exception.
For most American Jews, Jewish India is mysterious, dark, fascinating, exotic, and opaque. With the establishment of the modern state of Israel, most of the small Indian Jewish community voluntarily emigrated there. Indian Jews did not emigrate to Israel because of antisemitism. Over 2,000 years, the Jews of India have been proud, loyal, and patriotic Indians. They honor India as their Father. The Land of Israel, Haaretz, always, always remained their mother.
The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation is privileged to cooperate with renowned Jewish Indian scholar, Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins, M.D., in the development of an emerging Jewish Indian Heritage Marker Trail System. To date, seven markers have been sited. Thirty more + are in various stages of development.
Recently, with the generous help of the Travancore Royal Family of Travancore, India, and the State of Travancore, a new Jewish Indian Heritage Trail marker was dedicated in a grand ceremony at the Puthenmalika Palace.
The marker is superficially simple. The marker text is short. The marker is complex, as complex and diverse as the Indian Jewish experience.
The marker is 42 words long, 90 if you include the dedication lines. Three symbols are incorporated in the marker: The crest of Travancore’s royal family; a Golden Torah Crown, and a Star of David.
At the top of the marker is the crest of the Royal Family of Travancore. It features a sacred conch shell surrounded by a garland, flanked by two elephants (strength and wisdom), with their trunks raised. The design symbolizes the state’s prosperity, its strength, and deep devotion to Lord Padmanabhaswamy. The crest rests on a banner embroidered with the Sanskrit motto, Dharmo Smat Kuladewatam, Dharma is Our Family Deity.
The word Dharma comes from ancient Sanskrit, an Indo-European language dating back 3,500-4,000 years. Judaism is slightly older, at ~4,000 years.
Dharma signifies cosmic order, righteous duty, and the natural law of the universe, central concepts in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Dharma guides ethics and responsibility. Dharma shapes honesty, self-control, and non-violence.
Below the crest are two sentences reflecting the beliefs and values of the Travancore Royal Family:
–“Dharma is our family Deity.”
–“We do not have a tradition of abandoning those who are under our protection.”
Jewish refugees have long found shelter in India. Some say from the time of the fall of the Temple to the Babylonians, others to later exiles. We know for a fact that Jews escaping from the Holocaust found refuge in India.
The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation sculpturally memorialized the Maharaja Jam Sahib, who sheltered 1400 Polish children, at the Indian Jewish Heritage Museum in Nevatim, Israel. A significant number of Jewish children were among the 1400 protected by the Maharaja. He did not ask if the children were Christians or Jews. His concern was saving the children’s lives.
Over 2,000 years, there have been wars, natural disasters, including the rabidly antisemitic Spanish Inquisition, which have caused Jewish communities to uproot and seek refuge. The Hindu States never turned the Jews away because they were Jews.
Jews settled in Kerala, which encompassed the later Kingdom of Travancore (1701-1949), and established the non-pejoratively named Jew-Town. Jews living in the Kingdom of Travancore were never harassed for being Jews. The Maharajas of Travancore honored their family tradition. They never abandoned those who were under their protection.
The Europeans, the Dutch, the Portuguese, the English, Catholic vs Protestant, much like earlier Muslim efforts, sought to conquer, and convert India. During the early 19th century, the British East India Company desired to conquer Travancore economically and militarily.
The Maharaja of Travancore resisted. He chose the wrong side in the war.
The Jews of Travancore and Jew-Town mediated between the Maharaja and the British, bringing peace. In recognition of the Jews’ role as intermediaries in peace-making, the Maharaja commissioned a magnificent Golden Torah crown. He presented the Crown to the Paradesi Jewish community (Jews of Spanish heritage) in their synagogue, in Jew-Town. The Torah Crown has remained, for over 200 years, a treasured symbol of the peaceful bonds between the Kingdom of Travancore and its faithful Jewish subjects.
“The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.”
India is an ancient land with many paths to God. The Indian Jewish path to God is one of the respected pathways to the common Eternal.
The Star of David symbol is relatively recent. It became an international symbol of Jewish identity and Zionism after 1897. The Jewish Menorah was the ancient, recognized symbol of Israel. The Star of David, a geometric hexagram, is a non-Jewish symbol found throughout India. Since the establishment of the modern State of Israel, the Star of David has replaced the Menorah as the symbol of Jewish identity.
When designing the marker, the Travancore Royal family felt the Star of David would best represent the Jewish identity and people respectfully. Since October 7, 2023, there are communities in India where the Star of David cannot be publicly displayed safely.
In January 2026, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation and Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins presented the Travancore marker to the Royal Travancore family with sincere respect and appreciation of the goodwill between the State of Travancore and the Jewish people.
Jewish India is over 2000 years old. Historical Hindu India was and is today almost entirely devoid of the oldest institutionalized hatred on earth, antisemitism. Deeply distressing to Jews worldwide, especially after the human nightmare of the Holocaust, antisemitism is once again finding new life in the Muslim and Christian worlds. The United States is no exception.