Jews of Africa: Communities You Probably Don’t Know About

Black lives matter. We in Israel may not like some of the things the BLM movement represents, but I would like to think that there is no one among us who denies the essence of their assumption. I would also like to think that we have a similar slant towards the lives of black Jews, but of that I am less confident. In fact, I wonder how much white Jews everywhere care about black Jews.The Jerusalem Post He recently published a story titled “Six Igbo Synagogues Ravaged by Soldiers in Nigeria’s Biafra Region.” The article, based on information provided by 9Africa News, also claimed that more than 50 community members were killed in this tragic episode involving Igbo Jews, caught up in the maelstrom of violent political turmoil involving the Biafran secessionist movement, one of whose leaders -identifies himself as a Jew. Looking for more details, I could only find one other Jewish newspaper, The Forward, that ran the story. Truth be told, a little more research on my own revealed that, in all likelihood, the report was largely “fake news.” While the facts are still emerging, it appears that far fewer synagogues were destroyed and far fewer human lives were taken than reported. Furthermore, it appears that most of the horror perpetrated did not take place within Nigeria’s majority Jewish community, but rather among “messianists” whose claims to be Jewish are false at best. So could the Jewish media’s disregard for the events simply be a matter of responsible journalism? Personally, I think it has more to do with what my wife said when I told her how I intended to respond. “Why write about the Igbo?” she asked. “Nobody cares.” That is exactly the point. Two years ago, when 11 worshipers were massacred at the Tree of Life synagogue, Jewish leaders flocked to Pittsburgh to express their shock, outrage, solidarity and condolences. Six months later, when a parishioner from the Poway, California congregation was shot and killed in cold blood, there was again a great deal of support. As it happened when anti-Semitism broke out in Toulouse, Paris and Halle. But the Igbo in Africa? Whatever the facts, as far as I know, there has been no effort on the part of the organized Jewish community to determine what actually happened there and not a word from any Jewish leader expressing concern for the community. My hope is that this answer, or the absence of one, is less a matter of nonchalance and more a matter of not knowing. While “Jews of color” is currently a hot topic in conversations about American Jews, it is a term that is rarely understood as applicable to hundreds of communities around the world where Jews who are not of color simply do not exist. . I offer, then, this succinct guide to the phenomenon of Jewish communities that you probably know nothing about. To start with, some examples.

Members of the Igbo Jewish communityThe Igbo Jews of Nigeria There are some 30 communities in Nigeria spanning roughly 1,500 to 3,000 ethnic Igbos who fully identify as Jewish, trace their ancestry back to the Biblical tribe of Gad, and adhere to Orthodox Jewish practice to the extent that they are familiar with it. That includes the observance of Shabbat, the daily wearing of tefillin, the brit milah ritual, and the keeping of kashrut. Each has its own synagogue and a chazzan capable of leading the kehila in prayer. Many of the parishioners are familiar with halachic matters and enthusiastically engage their most knowledgeable visitors from abroad in an intriguing discussion on particular issues of their circumstances. However, the confusing issues are another 30,000 Igbo who also claim Hebrew ancestry and adhere to some kind of Jewish practice, but who also adhere to Christian beliefs, hence the lack of clarity regarding recent Nigerian military action and the motives for the atrocities compromised. The Lemba Jews of Zimbabwe It is impossible to know how many of the 70,000 ethnic Lemba living primarily in Zimbabwe identify as fully Jewish. That’s partly due to his efforts to hide his Judaism out of fear of persecution at the hands of his Christian neighbors. But trusted visitors to the community report thousands who are not only devoted to their practice of Jewish customs, but are also resolute in their claim to be of Jewish origin, a claim supported by genetic sampling that revealed the presence of a “Jewish” gene in more than 50% of the males tested. Although the Lemba explain that they lost their “book” (the Torah) long ago, they have persisted in passing on their traditions since ancient times and now, having reconnected with mainstream Judaism, they are experiencing an exhilarating revival, building synagogues and participating in Hebrew and Biblical Studies.The Hidden Jews of EthiopiaAnother African group claiming Jewish ancestry and now coming out of hiding is Kachene and Semien Showa’s Beta Israel. Not to be confused with the remnants of the renowned Ethiopian Jewish community that have been waiting for years to reunite with their relatives in Israel, these “hidden Jews” are supposedly in the hundreds of thousands. But ever fearful of their Christian neighbors who have persecuted them relentlessly, they have been praying in underground synagogues and secretly practicing their version of pre-Talmudic Judaism. Traditions they have managed to preserve include the observance of Shabbat, laws of family purity, funeral customs, and, uniquely, the sacrifice of the red heifer. Some 20 years ago, a younger and more educated generation, emboldened by their contact with the outside world, decided to bring the community out of hiding and reconnect with the rest of the Jewish world. Congregants of the Abayudaya community of Namanyoni (David Breakstone)The Jews of UgandaAnother African Jewish community that connects with the mainstream Jewish community is Uganda’s Abayudaya. However, unlike the others, they do not claim to have Jewish ancestry. The community was born a century ago when its founder, a tribal leader who converted to Christianity, realized after his study of the Bible that it was the truth of Judaism that was speaking to him. His followers and their descendants have led an authentic Jewish life ever since. However, recognizing that they were not halachic Jews, they began converting 20 years ago through the Conservative movement. Today they have an ordained rabbi and synagogues in nine communities comprising about 2,000 members. They then sought official recognition from the Jewish Agency and the State of Israel. The first granted it and recommended that the government do the same, but for the moment, without success. THIS ISSUE of recognition is actually an important issue for all these communities and the hundreds of others scattered around the world. For most, it is simply a matter of being welcomed, a validation of their sense of belonging, of feeling welcome within the family of which they believe they are part. However, there are also huge practical implications that cannot be ignored. They include the right to live in or even visit Israel, to be eligible to join Jewish organizations, or to expect their help in times of need. The stakes are huge. A 2017 report commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs on “Communities with Affinity to the Jewish People” estimates that there are some 35 million people worldwide who belong to them, including, in addition to those who only recently they have found their way. to Judaism, those who claim to be descendants of the Lost Tribes or descendants of Conversos. The Jewish Agency and the State of Israel are now faced with the complex problem of establishing criteria to determine which of them should be recognized as Jewish and under what conditions. Jewish communal organs around the world must do the same. Regardless of the policies that emerge, there is a standard that everyone must apply from the beginning: no consideration should be given to the skin color of those who join us. While there may be legitimate reasons for rejecting the inclusion of those who wish to enter, race should be avoided as one of them. All black lives matter. Jews too. We are all Igbo. ■ The writer was extensively involved in the issue of emerging Jewish communities in recent years in his previous position as Executive Vice President of the Jewish Agency. He is indebted to Eliahu Birnbaum, Ari Greenspan, Dany Limor, Malka Shabtay, Ari Zivotofsky and Kulanu for the information they provided for this column and for their tireless efforts, along with those of others too numerous to mention, on behalf of the Judaizing communities. of all the world. . For inquiries: [email protected].