History of the Jews in Zambia

Zambian Jews
Languages
Hebrew, Yiddish
Religion
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Russian, German, Latvian, Lithuanian
The location of Zambia in Africa

The history of the Jews in Zambia goes back to the early 1900s. Jews were always a small community with a notable role in Zambian history.[1][2] The history of the Jews in Zambia dates to 1901 when it was still under British Colonial rule.[3] Northern Rhodesia was colonized in the 1890s by the British South Africa Company, otherwise known as BSAC. Initially, Northern Rhodesia was split into North-eastern and North-western Rhodesia.[3] However, the BSAC united them in 1911 to form Northern Rhodesia, which has its capital in Livingstone, near Victoria Falls.[4][5] Among the population of 1 million people, there were 1,500 white residents in Northern Rhodesia, of whom many were the Jewish settlers.[3] Northern Rhodesia became under British Colonial Rule partially so that the British Government could increase the number of white individuals and settlers in the country, which would contribute to a wider strategy to increase the influence that the British has between Kenya and South Africa.[3] The Jewish settlers were one of the dominant ethnic groups and became highly involved in local politics, with prominent Jewish figures driving the push for Zambian independence and African nationalist rhetoric.[6][7]  Northern Rhodesia’s fertile land, World War II, and independence from the British Colonial rule all had a profound impact on both immigration and emigration of Jewish refugees.[2]  The Jewish diaspora introduced trade and commerce into the region in both regional and urban areas through cattle trading, ranching, mining, communication networks, storefronts, transport, and butchery, amongst others.[3] The Jewish settlers, whether they are Jewish through origin, birth, marriage, or confession, all formed a small, yet strong community.[4][8] The Jews in Zambia were a Jewish diaspora cultural and religious settler minority group, which raises concerns about the notion of who is the coloniser, who is the colonised, who is the victim and who is the oppressor.[9] This deems that it can be studied through a postcolonial framework.[10][11] Following Zambia's independence in 1964, there was a large exodus of Jews and white individuals from the country.[9] In 2022, there remains less than fifty Jews in Zambia.[8]After existence for 130 years as of 15 June 2024 the total of Jews in Zambia numbers 11 [12]

  1. ^ "Zambia: Virtual Jewish History Tour". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b "The forgotten story of Zambia's Jewish settlers". CNN.com. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e Shapiro, Karin A. (2001). MacMillan, Hugh; Shapiro, Frank (eds.). "Zambian Jews". Journal of Southern African Studies. 27 (4): 873–875. ISSN 0305-7070. JSTOR 823423.
  4. ^ a b Mwale, Nelly; Chita, Joseph (9 December 2019), "Religion and Development in Zambia", Religion and Development in Southern and Central Africa: Vol 1, Mzuni Press, pp. 416–438, doi:10.2307/j.ctvx0785f.30, S2CID 213215992, retrieved 17 May 2022
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Blake, Cecil (2005). "An African Nationalist Ideology Framed in Diaspora and the Development Quagmire". Journal of Black Studies. 35 (5): 573–596. doi:10.1177/0021934704264298. ISSN 0021-9347. S2CID 143281240.
  7. ^ Bond, Patrick (2001). "Radical Rhetoric and the Working Class During Zimbabwean Nationalisms Dying Days". Journal of World-Systems Research: 52–89. doi:10.5195/jwsr.2001.189. ISSN 1076-156X.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference worldjewishcongress1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Marienstras, Richard (1983). The Jews of the Diaspora : or The vocation of a minority. [Medem Jewish Socialist Group]. OCLC 483517974.
  10. ^ Darian-Smith, Eve (1996). "Postcolonialism: a Brief Introduction". Social & Legal Studies. 5 (3): 291–299. doi:10.1177/096466399600500301. ISSN 0964-6639. S2CID 144302747.
  11. ^ Ogunyankin, Grace Adeniyi (26 March 2019). "Postcolonial Approaches to the Study of African Politics". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.830. ISBN 978-0-19-022863-7. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Zambia's Jewish community: A tiny population influential beyond its numbers". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 17 June 2024.