Kerala witnesses Jewish wedding after 15 years
Kochi (PTI): 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 here on Sunday 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.
Rabbi, Ariel Tyson, from Israel officiated the wedding.
The wedding ceremony took place under a canopy (that symbolised the home) called Huppah.
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.
As the number of participants were limited inside the synagogue, the families decided to conduct the ceremony at the private resort in order to allow other family members also to witness in the rituals.
According to some historians, the first Jews to reach Kerala were traders and they came during the time of King Solomon, that is, more than 2,000 years back.
Only a few families are right now left in the state.
#WATCH | Kerala: Kochi witnessed its first Jewish wedding in 15 years on 21st May, when Rachel and Richard tied the knot at a resort. The marriage was officiated by a Rabbi from Israel.
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2023
Rachel is the daughter of former Crime Branch Superintendent Binoy Malakhai while Richard is… pic.twitter.com/UNEroILNOb
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Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee holds roadshow in south Kolkata to end campaign
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a roadshow in south Kolkata spanning over six kilometres on Monday afternoon at the fag end of campaigning for the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly election.
The TMC chief was accompanied by party Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose and candidates Aroop Biswas and Debasish Kumar from Tollygunge and Rashbehari, respectively.
People waiting on the roadside and on rooftops and balconies waved at Banerjee as she greeted them with folded hands, walking briskly, as her party compatriots had a tough time keeping pace with her.
The chief minister is contesting from the Bhabanipur assembly seat, where she is pitted against her bete noire, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, who defeated her in the 2021 elections in Nandigram.
Banerjee was subsequently elected from Bhabanipur in a byelection.
The roadshow started at Sukanta Setu in the Jadavpur area and culminated at Gopalnagar crossing, past her Kalighat residence, with two small stopovers in between.
TMC flags, festoons, cutouts of Banerjee and banners with slogans in favour of the candidates adorned the roadsides through which the road show passed and culminated at around 5.30 pm.
A large number of TMC supporters participated in the roadshow that Banerjee conducted to end her campaign for the 2026 assembly election in West Bengal.
