Kerala witnesses Jewish wedding after 15 years

The Jewish community of Kerala celebrated a traditional wedding after a gap of 15 years capturing the essence of Jewish customs. The ceremony, which was held at a private resort in Kochi was attended by the family, friends, and community members and officiated by a rabbi who reached the state from Israel. Rachel Malakhai, a data scientist in the US and daughter of the former crime branch SP Benoy Malakhai got married to Richard Zachary Rowe, an American citizen and a NASA engineer. Family sources said this was the first wedding in Kerala that happened outside a synagogue. The event assumed significance due to the rare nature of such weddings in Kerala. The last Jewish wedding to take place in the state was in 2008 after a gap of nearly two decades at the Thekkumbhagam synagogue, Mattancherry.