ROTENBURG

ROTENBURG, family in Cochin (kochi ). Probably originating in Frankfurt, the Rotenburgs were one of the leading "White" Jewish families in Cochin throughout the 18th century. The first prominent member of the family was SIMON SAMSON ROTENBURG, whose business trip to Mocha on behalf of his relative ezekiel rahabi became a cause célèbre (1733–40). From 1763 to 1772 JOSEPH ROTENBURG came to the attention of the Dutch East India Company and the rajah of Cochin because of his unauthorized departure from the state. His case led to an investigation of the legal status of the White Jews in relation to the company and the rajah. When Cochin was under British rule, NAPHTALI ROTENBURG was a leading figure in the community and his Hebrew signature is found on many communal documents. He saved the life of Colonel Macauley, British resident of Cochin and Travancore, during a rising of the population in 1808. As a token of gratitude, Colonel Macauley presented the Paradesi Synagogue with a gold and silver crown for the Torah scroll. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Fischel, in: Studia Rosenthaliana, 1 no. 2 (1967), 32–44 (Eng.). (Walter Joseph Fischel)