In a Shavei Israel exclusive, we have three videos from the Igbo Jewish community in Nigeria for Hanukah. Blessings, fervent prayer and hanukkiot light up the African night. You don't want to miss these videos, only on shavei.org....
In 2012, Daniel Limor was invited to a royal audience with an African village king – a member of the Igbo tribe, the second largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The king was wearing a robe with a Star of David on it. So begins the...
Shavei Israel’s mission is to reach out to “lost” and “hidden” Jews around the world. From Poland to Peru, Barcelona to Brazil, Shavei Israel helps descendants of Jews reconnect with the people and State of Israel. In addition to these groups, there are a number...
Irene Orleansky is a multi-talented Israeli musician whose work spans a wide range of genres – from world music to folk to new age and electronica. A popular performer on the Israeli club circuit, her latest project may be her most ambitious yet....
A visit to the Falash Mura of northern Ethiopia - descendants of Ethiopian Jews seeking to return to Judaism and make aliyah to Israel. Shavei Israel is the only Jewish organization today that is actively reaching out to “lost Jews and we are so happy that...
In 1917, a sect led by Semei Kakungulu, a Ugandan military general, developed a religious belief that included practice close to Judaism. The genesis of Kakungulu’s transformation is complex, coming as a result of political struggles between the British administration of the time and African...
There are some who believe that an ancient Jewish presence may have at one time existed in Cameroon via merchants who arrived from Egypt for trade. According to these accounts, the early communities in Cameroon observed rituals such as separation of dairy and meat products,...
[caption id="attachment_6400" align="alignleft" width="300"] Modern Igbo outside Siyahh Yisrael Synagogue[/caption] The Igbo Jews of Nigeria, who call themselves the “Benei-Yisrael,” are part of the larger Igbo ethnic group. Most of the Igbo Jews live in an area which straddles the River Niger, near the Anambra states. The...
There are approximately 1,000 people with alleged Jewish roots in Timbuktu, Mali. They arrived in the 14th century fleeing persecution in Spain, and migrated south to the Timbuktu area, at that time part of the Songhai Empire. Among them was the Kehath (Ka'ti) family, descended...
There is a community of self-proclaimed Jews centered in the village of Rusape, about two hours from Harare, Zimbabwe. The Rusape Jews claim to be spiritually, though not genetically, descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel, exiled from the Jewish homeland by the...
