Aspect of history
Part of a series on the |
|---|
| History of Madagascar |
 |
|
Madagascar has a small Jewish population, but has never been home to a significant Jewish presence.
| Part of a series on |
| Jews and Judaism |
|---|
| History of Madagascar |
|---|
| |
|
Madagascar has a small Jewish population, but has never been home to a significant Jewish presence.
According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a vast majority of Malagasies believe they are descended from Jews. However, no statistics back up the JTA’s claim. [1] Indeed for centuries there was a widespread belief that Madagascar had been settled by Jews since ancient times and there was speculation that the island was associated with ancient Ophir. [2] 17th century French governor Étienne de Flacourt reported that a group known as the Zafy Ibrahim in the vicinity of the island of Nosy Boraha were of Jewish descent. [3] The Zafy Ibrahim have been theorized variously to be Yemenite Jews, Khajirites, Qarmatians, Coptic or Nestorian Christians, and pre-Islamic Arabs coming from Ethiopia. In 1880, James Sibree published an account of the Zafy Ibrahim, quoting one in affirmation: "we are altogether Jews". [4]
After France colonized the island and Europeans began settling there in the 19th century, a small number of Jewish families settled in Madagascar, but did not establish a Jewish community.
In the summer of 1940, the Madagascar Plan was proposed by the Nazis, under which 4 million European Jews would be forcibly relocated there. The plan ultimately became unfeasible, and was scrapped.
When Madagascar gained independence as the Malagasy Republic in 1960, Israel was one of the first countries to recognize its independence and send an ambassador. Relations between both countries are close and friendly.
The country continues to be home to a tiny Jewish population, and there is a small trickle of aliyah to Israel from Madagascar. A small community of Malagasies began practicing Judaism in 2010, and three separate communities formed, each embracing a different wave of Jewish spiritual practice. [5] Many of those who converted previously belonged to Messianic Jewish congregations, which incorporate elements of rabbinic Judaism but retain belief in Jesus. [6] Community members searched for religious resources about Judaism online and ultimately came in contact with Kulanu, a Jewish outreach group that has organized group conversions elsewhere. [7] In May 2016, 121 members of the Malagasy Jewish community were converted in accordance with traditional Jewish rituals; appearing before a beit din and submerged in a mikvah. The conversion, organized with the help of Kulanu, was presided over by three Orthodox rabbis. [5]
There are no definite figures for the number of Jews living in Madagascar, but there was a small community in 2022. [8]
Demographic features of the population of Madagascar include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Libertatia was a purported pirate colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson. The main source for Libertatia is Volume 2 of A General History of the Pyrates, a 1724 book which describes Captain Misson and Libertatia. Little to no corroborating evidence for Libertatia beyond this account has been found, however. Whether Libertatia was real but somehow "lost" to history, a pirate legend that the author recorded based on interviews with sailors, or a concocted work of utopian fiction by the author from the start is contested.
The Abayudaya are a Jewish community in eastern Uganda, near the town of Mbale. They are devout in their practice, keeping kashrut and observing Shabbat. There are several different villages where the Abayudaya live. A community that converted to Judaism in the 20th century, most community members are affiliated with the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism. In June 2016, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin led a Beit Din that performed an Orthodox conversion for the Putti community of Abayudaya.
African Jewish communities include:
Alexander Stille is an American author and journalist.
The Bene EphraimBnei Ephraim, also called Telugu Jews because they speak Telugu, are a small community living primarily in Kotha Reddy Palem, a village outside Chebrolu, Guntur District, and in Machilipatnam, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India, near the delta of the River Krishna. They claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Ephraim, of the Ten Lost Tribes, and since the 1980s have learned to practice modern Judaism.
The House of Israel is a Jewish community located in southwestern Ghana, in the towns of Sefwi Wiawso and Sefwi Sui. This group of people, of the Sefwi tribe, built a synagogue in 1998. Many of the men and children read English, but no one knows Hebrew.
The B'nai Moshe, also known as Inca Jews, are a small group of several hundred converts to Judaism originally from the city of Trujillo, Peru, to the north of the capital city Lima. Judaism moved to the south into Arequipa and to other populated cities like Piura.
Jewish Nicaraguans or Nicaraguan Jews are Nicaraguans of Jewish ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to Nicaragua. They are part of the ethnic Jewish diaspora.
Jews are a minor ethno-religious group in Vietnam, consisting of only about 300 people as of 2007. Although Jews have been present in Vietnam and Judaism has been practiced since the late 19th century, most adherents have been, and remain today, expatriates, with few to no native Vietnamese converts.
Haim Watzman, is an American-born, Jerusalem-based writer, journalist, and translator.
Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice Judaism.
Jews or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Hebrews or Israelites of the ancient Near East, and whose traditional religion is Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly interrelated, as Judaism is an ethnic religion, although not all ethnic Jews practice it. Despite this, religious Jews regard individuals who have formally converted to Judaism as part of the community.
Operation Yakhin was an operation to secretly emigrate Moroccan Jews to Israel, conducted by Israel's Mossad between November 1961 and spring 1964. About 97,000 left for Israel by plane and ship from Casablanca and Tangier via France and Italy.
ITIM is an Israeli not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 by Rabbi Seth Farber to improve the way the State of Israel regulates and administers matters of Jewish identity and Jewish life. ITIM addresses government policies that govern personal status in legal matters such as registering marriages and the right to enter Israel under the Law of Return that are determined in part by an individual's legal status as Christian, Muslim or Jewish.
David Graeber was an American anthropologist and social theorist. Unless otherwise noted, all works are authored solely by David Graeber.
Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia is a 2023 book by David Graeber.
The history of the Jews in Ivory Coast dates back at least 50 years. A small Jewish community has emerged in the capital city of Abidjan. Most Ivorian Jews are either local converts or foreign-born residents.
The history of the Jews in Gabon dates back to at least the 17th century, when Black Jewish communities existed along the Gabonese coastline. The contemporary Jewish community in Gabon is mostly composed of converts and foreign-born residents.
Kulanu is a Jewish non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish communal life among lost and dispersed communities, primarily in Africa and Central America.