Hanukkah under Coconut Palms By V. M. de Malar
Deck the halls, and string up lights on the balcao, it's Christmas and Goa is the best place to experience real cheer and bonhomie at this time of the year. The old neighborhoods are swarming with visiting families and friends from every part of the world, kitchens are busy with sweets and traditional goodies, churches are all spruced up, and our children are steadily working themselves up into a state of excitement that will take weeks to subside; holiday time in Goa brings familiar joys and treats, our whole state gets into the party mood until well past new year. This year, the 25th of December also marks another significant religious holiday. And just at sundown on Christmas Day, as we finally wind down our epic holiday lunches, small worshipful gatherings will be getting together in villages along our coastal strip. At each, the group will gather around eight-branched candelabra and, as sunlight fades, a single taper will be kindled into flame, and voices will raise a blessing (or Berakah) that was composed thousands of years ago. It's age-old Judaism, and on our beaches it meets the new age; it's Hannukah in the coconut grove , Goa stye. Why should we care? Well, sheer numbers make it significant, everybody seems certain that there are well over 10,000 Israelis already in Goa right now, ready to party on through New Year. There are estimates that this number could double, even quadruple. As we turn into the peak of high season our tiny Goa swells with the largest contingent of Israelis abroad in one place other than the USA. In some ways, our Israeli visitors are merely restoring tradition. There's strong evidence of Jewish presence in Goa that far predates the Portuguese, and the Bene Israeli community of nearby coastal Maharashtra has been resident for at least 2000 years. Further south, Cochin has been a stronghold for Jewish traders for centuries, the famous old synagogue bears stately witness to a rich and cosmopolitan cultural tradition. More recently, Baghdadi Jewish families (including the fabulously moneyed Sassoons) achieved great power and influence during the British Raj, particularly in Bombay and Calcutta, unfortunately all these flourishing sub-communities have been decimated by migration to modern-day Israel. We Goans should note that the only episode of official anti-semitism in India's long history took place right here under the Portuguese, during the extremist excesses of the Inquisition. In one particularly shabby episode, the bones of the great botanist Garcia da Orta (a convert) were disinterred and burned at an Auto da Fe, but there were many such stories in that time of great terror and blind zealotry. We Goans should also note, this time with pride, the great mutual respect and affection that built up between our people and General Jacob, the governor who still remains the best administrator we've had. The thousands of Israelis who congregate in Goa each season come from a highly charged political cauldron in the Middle East, many have just finished the arduous and soul-wrenching military service that's required of all youth. They've come to Goa to blow off steam, to unwind, to escape; this partly explains their reputation for arrogance and clannishness. Up to now, we Goans have barely understood this rapidly growing Israeli sub-culture on our soil, and the Israelis have collectively shown no interest in the place where so many of them congregate year after year. But a kind of integration must be on its way. Improbable, yes, but so is the sound of a lone voice reciting praises in Hebrew, "Baruch atah adonai…" in a vaddo that only resounded with Konkani before, so is the idea that ten thousand Israelis are here today in Goa and many more are pouring in every day. In 2005, those eight-branched candelabra (or menorahs) will be lit in quiet interior rooms, as befitting a community that doesn't know or understand how welcome it is in this tropical corner of the subcontinent. Next year, may these be proudly displayed like they are supposed to be, illuminating the night and bearing witness to the travels and triumphs of this ancient, formidable, tradition. Happy Hanukkah to our Israeli guests, and to all of Goa. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. 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