Jewish communities in sub-Saharan Africa

Beyond the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the best-documented community, several groups in sub-Saharan Africa claim Jewish ancestry or affiliation. The Lemba of Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Mozambique preserve oral traditions of Middle Eastern origin and observe practices recalling Jewish dietary and ritual prohibitions, while genetic studies have revealed in certain of their clans Y-chromosome markers associated with Jewish populations. Other communities, such as the Abayudaya of Uganda, adopted Judaism in the twentieth century through voluntary conversion, and groups in Nigeria (among the Igbo), Ghana, and Cameroon variously claim ties to Jewish identity. These phenomena raise complex methodological questions about criteria of belonging, the distinction between historical filiation and contemporary adherence, and the pathways of Judaism's diffusion. They are the subject of anthropological, historical, and genetic research that enriches understanding of the diversity of the worldwide Jewish diaspora.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗