White Jews

Paradesi Jews

Portrait of David Henriques de Castro, by Gabriel Haim Henriques de Castro (1838-1897)
Regions with significant populations
Israel	70
India	5+2
Languages
Initially Ladino, later Judeo-Malayalam, Tamil now mostly Hebrew
Religion
Orthodox Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Spanish and Portuguese Jews Cochin Jews Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews in India Luso-Indian De Castro family (Sephardi Jewish) Henriques family

Paradesi Jews were originally Sephardic immigrants to India from Sepharad (Spain and Portugal) during the 15th and 16th centuries who fled conversion or persecution in the wake of the Alhambra Decree expelling Jews from Spain. They are sometimes referred to as White Jews, although that usage is generally considered pejorative or discriminatory and refers to relatively recent Jewish immigrants (end of the 15th century onward), predominantly Sephardim.

Paradesi Jews of Cochin were mainly traders are a community of Sephardic Jews settled among the larger Cochin Jewish community located in Kerala, a coastal southern state of India.

Paradesi Jews of Madras traded in diamonds, precious stones and corals, they had very good relations with the rulers of Golkonda, they maintained trade connections to Europe, and their language skills were useful. Although the Sephardim spoke Ladino (i.e. Spanish or Judeo-Spanish), in India they learned Tamil and Judeo-Malayalam from the Malabar Jews.

The East India Company (EIC) wanted to break the monopoly of Portugal in trading with diamonds and precious stones from the mines of Golkonda. The EIC entered India around 1600 and had built Fort St. George (White Town) fortress by 1644 at the coastal city of Madras, now known as Chennai.

EIC policy permitted only its shareholders to trade in diamonds and precious stones from the mines. The Company considered the Madras Jews to be interlopers because they traded separately through their Jewish community connections.

Madras Jews specialised in diamonds, precious stones and corals. They had very good relations with the rulers of Golkonda and this was seen as beneficial to St. George, so Madras Jews were gradually accepted as honourable citizens of St. George/Madras.

Jacques (Jaime) de Paiva (Pavia), originally from Amsterdam, was an early Jewish arrival and a leader of the community. He established good relations with those in power and bought several mines. Through his efforts, Jews were permitted to live within Fort St. George.

De Paiva died in 1687 after a visit to his mines and was buried in the Jewish cemetery he had established in Peddanaickenpet, which later became the north Mint Street. In 1670, the Portuguese population in Madras numbered around 3000. Before his death he established ‘The Colony of Jewish Traders of Madraspatam’ with Antonio do Porto, Pedro Pereira and Fernando Mendes Henriques. This enabled more Portuguese Jews, from Leghorn, the Caribbean, London and Amsterdam to settle in Madras. Coral Merchant Street was name after the Jews' business.