By: Mahmoud ‘Abdou Salem.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).
A new academic paper issued by Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, titled “Jewish Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa,” and authored by Mahmud ‘Abdou Salem, examines the Jewish presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and its impact on African societies and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It focuses on three main themes. First, it traces the history of Jewish communities in Africa, particularly south of the Sahara, through the emergence and characteristics of contemporary Jewish communities, the factors shaping their development, the emergence of African Jewish identity, and the reasons for the overall decline in Africa’s Jewish population despite the growing presence of “African Jews” in recent decades.
Second, it examines African Jewish communities recognized either by the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel or by the Conservative Jewish movement in the US. These communities are found in Southern Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; East Africa, including Uganda and Kenya; and West Africa, particularly Côte d’Ivoire.
Finally, it examines unrecognized Jewish communities, most of which claim descent from the Tribes of Israel. Although many became active in asserting a “Jewish identity” during the second half of the twentieth century, they have not gained recognition from mainstream Jewish institutions. These include the Lemba and Rusape Jews in Southern Africa; the Igbo community in Nigeria and the House of Israel in Ghana, as well as the Zakhor Movement in Mali, in West Africa; Jewish communities in Cameroon and Gabon in west-central Africa; and the Arusha Jews in Tanzania and the Falash Mura in Ethiopia, in East Africa.
Nevertheless, the phenomenon of “African Jews” is expected to expand despite the overall decline in Africa’s Jewish population, particularly as Jewish institutions worldwide promote it and the Zionist state seeks to capitalize on it.
| Click here to download: >> Academic Paper: Jewish Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa … Mahmoud ‘Abdou Salem (Arabic)  (48 pages, 3.5 MB) |
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