- Joseph Rabban
Joseph Rabban (Hebrew: Yosef Rabban;
Judeo-Malayalam : Isuppu Irabbân) was aJewish merchant, possibly fromYemen , who came to theMalabar coast (in present-dayIndia ) in the mid eighth century. According to the traditions of theCochin Jews , Joseph was granted the rank of prince over the Jews of Cochin by the Chera rulerBhaskara Ravivarman II (in some versions,Cheramal Perumal , King of Malabar).He was granted the rulership of a pocket
principality inAnjuvannam , nearCranganore , and rights to seventy-two "free houses". These rights were engraved on a set ofbronze tablets known as the "Sâsanam" (Burnell, "Indian Antiquary," iii. 333-334), which are still in the possession of the Jewish community ofIndia . The date of the charter can be fixed at about 750; it can not, for paleographical reasons, have been much earlier than this, nor later than 774, since a grant made to theNestorian Assyrians at that time was copied from it.Joseph's descendants continued to exercise dominion over the Jews of the Malabar coast until a conflict broke out between one of his descendants,
Joseph Azar , and his brother in the 1340s. The ensuing strife led to intervention by neighboring potentates and the eradication of Jewish autonomy in southern India.Resources
*Blady, Ken. "Jewish Communities in Exotic Places". Northvale, N.J.:
Jason Aronson Inc., 2000. pp. 115-130.External links
* [http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Sharon_2003/sharon_041.htm Israeli Prime Minister Sharon given replica of the Sasanam]
* [http://www.hostkingdom.net/india.html#Anjuvannam Anjuvannam at Bruce Gordon's Regnal Chronologies]
* [http://www.amyisrael.co.il/asia/india/ Am Yisrael India]
* [http://www.the-south-asian.com/March2001/Jews_%20of_India_Cochin_Jews1.htm Jews of India by Raphael Mayer]
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