Ibo Benei Yisrael- Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria

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The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria Page 1 of 13

Produced by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria Rev. 3

The Ibo Benei Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael of Nigeria, sometimes addressed as "Igbo," are an Ibo ethnic group whom

descended from the southern and westward migrations of both ancient Hebrew and later Israeli peoplesfrom the Middle East into Africa. In more modern times the ancestral homeland of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael

is in the Southeast and Western regions of Nigeria. The area where a majority of Ibo dwells straddles theRiver Niger, which divides the River and the Anambra States. Nigeria operates on a federal structure, of

36 states and the capital Abuja. The overall Ibo populations are normally found in the states of: Abia,

Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers State, Delta State, and Imo.

Fig. 1: Map of post Biafran War states of Nigeria

The oral traditions of the Ibo maintain that their presence has been in what is termed "Iboland" for

over 1500 years. The same oral histories also state that their ancestors were migrants from ancient Israel,

possibly beginning with the Semitic migrations from Northern Arabia into Eastern Africa around 500BCE.

According to the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) the Israelipatriarch Ya`aqov ben-Yitzhhaq (Jacob son of Isaac), had twelve sons whose descendents became the 12

tribes of Israel whom inherited the land of Canaan. There are several tribes of Israel, which according to








It is also more than possible that certain Ibo Benei-Yisrael families may be descendents ofLevitical (Levite Priests) migrants from Jerban, Tunisia whom were said to have left Judah and settled in

North Africa before and after the destruction of the 1 st and 2nd Temples in Jerusalem. [6] The most likely

scenario is that the ancestors of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael were made up of familiar clans of Israelis and Judaens whom, for various reasons, left Israel before and during the Assyrian and Babylonian sieges.

This would explain how their oral tradition contains the specific tribes these clans originated from.

Methods of Hebrew and Jewish Migrations into the Maghreb (West)

According to most accounts, the earliest Israeli settlements in Africa were in places such asEthiopia, Egypt and Tunisia. It is believed that these settlements may have been in existence as early as

the kingdoms of David and Solomon, as well as during the Assyrian invasion of northern Israel in 722BCE and the Babylonian captivity of Judah in 586 BCE in the Punic-Carthaginian age. These communities

were augmented by subsequent arrivals of Jews after the destruction of the 2 nd Jerusalem Temple in 70CE, when 30,000 Jewish slaves were settled throughout Carthage by the Roman emperor Titus. [7]

Africa is thus identified with it even more closely (Tamid, 32b, and the parallel passage, where,

"African land," is evidently the same as Carthage). The Septuagint (Isa. xxiii. 1), and Jerome (on Ezek.xxvii.), who, though a Christian, was taught by Jews, and very often the Aramaic Targum on the

Prophets, identify the Biblical Tarshish with Carthage, which was the birthplace of a number of rabbismentioned in the Talmud (compare above the identification with Tunis). Africa, in the broader sense, is

clearly indicated where mention is made of the Ten Tribes having been driven into exile by the Assyrians

and having journeyed into Africa (Mek., Bo, 17; Tosef., Shab. vii. 25; Deut. R. v. 14; and especially Sanh. 94a).

Connected with this is the idea that the river Sambation is in Africa. The Arabs, who also knowthe legend of the Beni Musa ("Sons of Moses"), agree with the Jews in placing their land in Africa (compare

Bacher, "Ag. Tan." i. 298; Epstein, "Eldad ha-Dani," p. 15). The probable basis of this legend must be soughtin the actual existence of the Beta Yisrael (Jews of Ethiopia) in Africa. Rabbi Akiba, who traveled in

Africa, on one occasion made use of an African word (Rapoport, in "Bikkure ha-'Ittim," iv. 70, 1823). [8]

In terms of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, there are three possible methods from which their Jewishancestry arrived within West Africa, specifically Nigeria.

1) Through early Hebrew and later Israeli migrations west from the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Ethiopia,

Kenya, and the Sudan.2) Through trade and travel of North African Jews within the West African Kingdoms of Mali, Songhai,

and Kanem-Bornu.

3) Through Jews traveling with Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) trade caravans from various parts of NortheastAfrica into West Africa.






Fig. 3: Migration Routes of ancient Israelis into Africa

The exact arrival date of the first Israeli ancestors of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, from the Middle East intoWest Africa, is somewhat of a mystery. It is believed that the first migration of Semitic peoples into the

region was prior to 202 BCE with the appearance of iron working civilizations, the most notable of whichwas the Nok. According to "The Penguin Atlas of African History", Page 30, by Colin McEvedy:

"The technology [iron working] had presumably spread from Egypt via Nubia and the Sahel

corridor: spread from North Africa seems less likely (for a lack of trans-Saharan communicationat this time) and independent local invention improbable (the timing fits the transmission

hypothesis too well)." [9]

According to Nahum Slouschz's book, Travels in North Africa , page 211, "Inscriptions indicate that

certain tribes of Israel, Asher and Zevulun, lived in Carthage ever since the foundation of the city." [10]Slouschz further wrote:

"We have seen that in all probability there were in Carthage and its dependencies large numbers

of Jews, whom followed the Phoenicians into Africa. In this local tradition is in agreement withcertain historical indications, while the manners and customs of the Jews of Tunis still give

evidence of their ancient origin. There is not the slightest doubt that the Jew was persisted in

these parts from the Roman epoch to our times." [11]

In later centuries ancient Israelis and Jews are believed to have settled in Western Africa during

the height of the Songhai, Mali, Ghana and Kanem-Bornu empires. According to various accounts fromexplorers of the region, several of the rulers of the Songhai empire were of Jewish origin, until AskiaMuhammad came to power and in 1492 decreed that all Jews either convert to Islam or leave the region.

[12]






Fig. 4: Map of historical African kingdoms

It is also more than possible that the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, as well as other West African Jews, may be

descendents of a people described by the 9 th Century Jewish traveler Eldad ben-Mahli (also known asEldad the Danite) who related the location of several of the "Lost Tribes of Israel." He further detailed

that his tribe, Dan, had migrated from their Palestinian home so as not to take part in the civil war at thetime of Yeroboam's secession, and were residing in the land of Havilah beyond the Rivers of Ethiopia.

Three other tribes, Naphtali, Gath and Asher, were with them; these had joined them in the times ofSennacherib. They had an entire body of Scriptures barring Ester and Lamentations. They knew nothing

of the Mishna nor the Talmud; but they had a Talmud of their own in which all the laws were cited in the

name of Yehoshua ben-Nun (Joshua son of Nun) as he had received them at the hands of Mosheh(Moses). Eldad exhibited a ritual dealing mostly with the rules pertaining to the killing of animals for

food. [13]






Picture # 1: Iddao Ishaak descendents of Berber Jews forced to convert to Islam

Historically, Jews have migrated from region to region in Africa based upon three factors: 1)

Persecution, 2) Trade, and 3) Freedom to practice Torah. Jewish communities in locations such as Egypt,Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Morocco served as the core population centers of the Jewish periphery in Africa.

During times of Islamic persecution, and also during times of relative calm, Jews traveled all over

Northern and Western Africa for the purpose of establishing trade connections. According to Biblical andTalmudic sources this trade route, with West Africa, may have existed from as early as the reign of King

David and the use of the term Tarshish in the Tanakh, Hebrew Bible, could also describe the Ivory Coastof West Africa.

Picture # 2: Ibo synagogue service in Abuja, Nigeria

This route may have been established in part because of the need in ancient Israel to produce the

tekhelet dye used for the tztzith (fringes) of Jewish garments. This dye, made from a gland of the Hillazon

fish, was at one time very prominent in the Mediterranean and according to some accounts on the shores






of West Africa. [14] In 2nd Kings chapter 10 verse 22 there is also a description of a three year voyageundertaken during the reign of King Solomon that was said to have returned from a portion of Tarshish

with gold, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Arab chroniclers of West Africa such as the 13th century historian Ibn Khaldun, the famous 12 th

century geographer Al-Idrisi, and the 16th century historian and traveler Leon Africanus wrote accountsof peoples whom they termed as "Jewish Negroes" in the Western Sudan. Looking at maps from the

period we find similar use of the terms Tarshish, Ethiopia, and Kush, which were often used in ancienttimes to describe all peoples whom at the time some chroniclers were calling "Negro/Negroid" in the

various regions of Africa. Early maps made by these explorers often depicted the "Sudan" and "Ethiopia"

as lands from as far-east as modern day Ethiopia to as far west as modern day Nigeria and Cameroon.This similar to the way the "Africa" is used to describe the continent.

The decline of the Jewish communities of the Africa-Maghreb (West Africa) most likely began

with the influx of Muslim invaders into North Africa starting in 640 CE and later into West Africa in the1300's and 1400's CE. Various accounts record that Jews were instrumental in fighting with and often

times leading the coalitions of peoples who unified to fight off the Islamic invasions. The most notable of

which was the Jewish Berber Queen Kahina Dahiyah Bint Thabitah ibn Tifan, known as El Kahina.Believed to have been a descendent of the Israeli priestly class, El Kahina was able to lead North-African

Jews, Berbers, Christians, and Greeks alike against the Arab invasions until her defeat at the hands of theArab commander Hassan Ibn Numan. [15] During these times many of the Jews in Northern and Western

Africa were forced to covert to Islam, exiled, sold into slavery, or massacred. Incursions of Christianmissionaries may have also played a role in the decline of the distinct Jewish written element in the

region.

As with other Jewish communities in Moslem controlled lands, the Jews of West Africa also

suffered at the hands of various nobles in the Islamic ruling parties, which took power in the 1300 to1400's. Such is the case of Al-Maghili whom tolled the death knell of Sahara and savanna Jewry when, in

1492 after destroying the Jewish enclaves in the Tuat, Mali he convinced potentates throughout theWestern Sudan and the founder of Songhai to banish Jews from the empire's cities. No doubt that some

sought refuge south and south east toward the forest. The records of such are some three hundred years

later than the destruction of the independent Jewish enclaves of Qamnurya or Naghira, in the area ofmodern day Senegal, in the 11th and 12th century.

Due to these and other pressures the Ibo Benei-Yisrael along with other West African Jewish

communities lost whatever written documents such as Torah, and other written traditions that may haveexisted. Yet, these communities, including the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, to this day were able to maintain at the

least a knowledge of their Israeli origin and in some cases continue to practice their traditions in secret.

Records of these communities however do exist within the Timbuktu, Mali Islamic library, which hasdocuments of the presence of several Jewish families in West Africa dating from before the Muslim

arrival in the 1300's CE.

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael within Nigerian History

Modern day Nigeria is a federation of states segregated by 3 major ethnic groups: the Ibo (Igbo),the Hausa/Fulani, and the Yoruba. The Ibo dominate the eastern and some southern regions, the west by

the Yoruba and the north by the Hausa/Fulani. These three major groups were brought together viaEuropean efforts to divide Africa among themselves.






Mounting ethnic tensions between these groups caused the Biafrans - the Ibos and other minorityethnic groups - in the southern-eastern region to fight for their independence from the federation only 6

years after Nigeria gained it independence from British rule in 1960. [16]

Fig. 5: Map of current day Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael as with other Jews have had to fight persecution as was seen during theunfortunate Nigeria - Biafra war (1966 to 1970), when abandoned by all, the Ibos alone faced Britain,

Russia and the rest of greater Nigeria for more than 2 years. The Ibos forged armored cars from sedans,

refined petrol using the crudest home made implements, made rockets, all these while under a blockadeenforced by Nigeria, Britain, Russia, and certain Arab States, which sent military personal to the region.

The current Ibo population is estimated to be between 30 - 40 million worldwide. A brief

rendition of the character and behavior of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael and Ibo in general is that of, "a habitualwanderer, a trader, but his heart is always in Iboland." A true and popular saying in Nigeria is, “If you visit

anyplace and fail to see an Ibo there, leave the place with haste as it is uninhabitable.”

Picture #3: Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jewish family of the Ozubulu clan, Nigeria






Religious Practices and the Return to the Israeli Way

There are two theories in regard to the Jewish heritage of the Ibos. One theory states that as early Ivrim (Hebrews) migrated into Nigeria, the moniker by which they were called by outsiders was

corrupted from Ivri to Ibo or Igbo. The second theory is that Ibo society may have been alreadyestablished before Jewish migrations into the region. This theory goes on to state that as Jews made their

way into West Africa that they intermingled with certain Ibo ethnic groups and thus only certain Ibo

families have Jewish descent while others may have converted or were influenced by the Jewish presencein the society.

Most Ibos profess a belief system about which a partial description of can be found in the

writings of Olaudah Equiano titled, "Interesting Narratives of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African,1789." This belief system is believed to be that of an early form of the Israeli faith before and during the

early stages of when the people of Israel settled in Canaan. This system, as described by Olaudah

Equiano, has for some Ibo been fused with Christianity due to the push of missionaries into West Africa.Yet, there is a minority that still cling on to the older purer version, which is believed to be the core of the

Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jewish heritage.

When missionaries first made their way into West Africa the Ozubulu clan of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael resisted the Christian religion and most never converted. In recent years, a number of Ozubulu

descendents are modernizing the very ancient form of the Israeli faith that their ancestors once practiced.

In the Ozubulu region, they built a synagogue, even though for a lack of better terms they called it a"Traditional Church." This move took place with no outside influence, and is now causing a ripple effect

within the local Ibo Benei-Yisrael communities.

Picture #4: Ibo women from a University acting troupe








in the practice of circumcision. The language also bears several interesting parallels with Hebrewidioms.” [17]

Picture # 6: Men of the Beith Keneseth Siyahh Yisrael Synagogue in Abuja, Nigeria

Recent archaeological discoveries in Igboukwu, a town about 30 kilometres from Onitsha by a

team of researchers led by Professor Thurstan Shaw (1970) of the University of Ibadan, seem to suggest alot more facts about the relationship between the Ibos and the Jews of old than was hitherto imagined.

Like the mentioned teams of archaeologists, a fact-finding team of Israelis from King Solomon Sephardic

Federation made yet another significant discovery on the origin of the Ibos in 1997. On this Alaezi (1998)comments.

Picture #7: Ibo Kohein wearing traditional read head-covering wrapped in a linen fringed garment

According to various accounts there is a very significant concentration of the descendents of Eri,the fifth son of Gad (see Genesis 46:16) live in Aguleri, Anambra State. Recently a very important

discovery of clear evidence of Jewish ancestral origin of the Maghrebi Ibos was made in the domain of the








[10] Manifesto of Zakhor , The Timbuktu Association for the Friendship with the Jewish World, presentedby Rick Gold for Kulanu.

[11] Travels in North Africa, by Nahum Slouschz, Philadelphia, 1927, page 230

[12] Ibed, Page 271

[13] First Steps in Hebrew Prayer, by Dr. Danny Ben-Gigi, page 86

[14] History of the Jewish People, by Margolis and Marx pages 278-279 written 1927

[15] Jewish Communities in Exotic Places , by Ken Blady, Page 294

[16] ICE Case Studies: The Biafran War (http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/biafra.htm)

[17] Among the Ibos of Nigeria, by G.T. Basden, p. 31

Figures

Figure #1: Courtesy of the ICE Case Studies site (http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/biafra.htm)

Figure #2: Courtesy of the Samaritans of Israel (http://www.the-samaritans.com)

Figure #3: Courtesy of the Black Jews of Israel: Dimona Negev Community

Figure #4: Courtesy of "Exploring Africa" (http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/curriculum/lm7/stu_7aactivitythree.html)

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Ibo Benei Yisrael- Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria