History of the Jews in Madagascar

Malagasy Jews

Jiosy Gasy Juifs Malgaches מָדָגַסְקָר סְפָרַד‎ (Madagascar Sepharad)
A Jiosy Gasy (Malagasy Jew) in Ampanotokana recites the Havdalah prayer to mark the end of Shabbat
Total population
360 (approximate)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Madagascar: Mainly in Ampanotokana.
Languages
Malagasy, Hebrew, French
Religion
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Malagasy peoples, Sephardi Jews

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History of Madagascar
Ancient history c. 500 BCE–700 Exploration era c. 700–1500 Merina Kingdom 1540–1897 French protectorate 1882–1897 French colony 1897–1958 First Republic 1958–1975 Second Republic 1975–1992 Third Republic 1992–2010 High Transitional Authority 2009–2014 Fourth Republic 2014–present
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Uncertain accounts of Jews in Madagascar go back to the earliest ethnographic descriptions of the island, from the mid-17th century. Madagascar has a small Jewish population, including normative adherents as well as Judaic mystics, but the island has not historically been a significant center for Jewish settlement. Despite this, an enduring origin myth across Malagasy ethnic groups suggests that the island's inhabitants descended from ancient Jews, and thus that the modern Malagasy and Jewish peoples share a racial affinity. This belief, termed the "Malagasy secret", is so widespread that some Malagasy refer to the island's people as the Diaspora Jiosy Gasy (Malagasy Jewish Diaspora). As a result, Jewish symbols, paraphernalia, and teachings have been integrated into the syncretic religious practices of some Malagasy populations. Similar notions of Madagascar's supposed Israelite roots persisted in European chronicles of the island until the early 20th century, and may have influenced a Nazi plan to relocate Europe's Jews to Madagascar. More recently, the possibility of Portuguese Jewish conversos making contact with Madagascar in the 15th century has been proposed.

Madagascar's small Jewish community faced challenges during the Vichy regime, which implemented antisemitic laws affecting the few Jews on the island. In the 21st century, some indigenous Malagasy communities informally identified with Jews and Judaism have adopted rabbinic Judaism, studying the Torah and Talmud across three small congregations and undergoing Orthodox conversion. The unified rabbinic Jewish community practices a Sephardic liturgy and refers to its ethnic division within Judaism as Madagascar Sepharad.