PUBLICATIONS
Africana Jewish Journeys: Studies in African Judaism
Brettschneider, Marla, Edith Bruder, and Magdel le Roux (eds.). Africana Jewish Journeys: Studies in African Judaism. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
The contemporary phenomenon of people’s attraction to Judaism around the world is remarkable. Additionally, millions of people who are not of Jewish descent are increasingly identifying themselves as Jews or are converting. In this volume, scholars and practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines explore multiple sources and meanings of this new shaping of modern Jewish identities in Africa, the United States, and India.
PUBLICATIONS
New Children of Israel: Emerging Jewish Communities in an Era of Globalization
Devir, N. P. New Children of Israel: Emerging Jewish Communities in an Era of Globalization. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2017.
In the last century, the tragic events of the Holocaust and the subsequent founding of the state of Israel brought about tremendous changes for Jewish communities all over the world. This book explores what may be the next watershed moment for the Jews: the inclusion of millions of people from developing nations who self-define as Jewish but who have no historical ties with established centers of Jewish life. These emerging groups are expanding notions of what it means to be Jewish.
This comparative ethnographic study, the first of its kind, presents in-depth analyses of the backgrounds, motivations, and sociohistorical contexts of emerging Jewish communities in Cameroon, Ghana, India, and other postcolonial locales. It investigates the ramifications of these new movements for the larger Judeo-Christian world, particularly with regard to issues of multiculturalism, immigration, race relations, and messianic expectations concerning the prophecy of Isaiah 11:12, according to which God will "assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
PUBLICATIONS
JEWISH IDENTITY AMONG THE IGBO OF NIGERIA: Israel's Lost Tribe and The Question of Belonging
Lis, D. Jewish Identity Among the Igbo of Nigeria: Israel's Lost Tribe and the Question of Belonging in the Jewish State. 1st ed. London: Afric, 2014.
Among the 20 to 30 million Igbo people in Nigeria, there is a widespread belief in their ancient Israeli origins. Recently, several Igbo Jewish communities have formed in Nigeria. While some Igbo have migrated to Israel, the Israeli public largely remains unaware of the existence of these communities, often referred to as "The Jews of West Africa." The Igbo's Jewish identity has significant political implications for both Nigeria and Israel. This book provides the first in-depth study and genealogical history of the Igbo's controversial narrative of possible Jewish origins, offering a new perspective on Igbo history.
The interdisciplinary research monograph explores different layers of Igbo identity, tracing the Jewish identification that has been part of their cultural practices over the last 250 years. It examines the Igbo's position in post-Biafran Nigeria, highlighting how Judaizing Igbo, supported by parts of the Jewish world, are increasingly orienting themselves towards normative Judaism. The author contributes to the discussion of how Jewish identity is constructed in the context of globalization and Israel.
This work offers a wealth of documented information on the Jewish identity of Nigeria's Igbo, their relationship with Israel, and their recent tragic history. It has been praised for its insightful analysis and meticulous research, marking a significant contribution to the literature on Judaism and Jewry in West Africa. Daniel Lis, from the Institute for Jewish Studies at the University of Basel, is recognized as a leading researcher on Jewish identification among the Igbo.
PUBLICATIONS
Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey
Miles, William F.S. Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey. Princeton: New Jersey: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2013.
While Jews have long had a presence in Ethiopia and the Maghreb, Africa’s newest Jewish community of note is in Nigeria, where upwards of twenty thousand Igbos are commonly claimed to have adopted Judaism. Bolstered by customs recalling an Israelite ancestry, but embracing rabbinic Judaism, they are also the world’s first “Internet Jews.”William Miles has spent over three decades conducting research in West Africa. In /Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey, /he shares life stories from this spiritually passionate community, as well as his own Judaic reflections as he celebrates Hanukka and a bar mitzvah with “Jubos” in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. A concluding encounter with laureate Chinua Achebe reveals unexpected family connections to one of the most intriguing Jewish and African communities to emerge in modern times.
PUBLICATIONS
The Black Jews of Africa: History, Religion, Identity
Bruder, E. The Black Jews of Africa: History, Religion, Identity. Reprint ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc, 2012.
In recent decades, a notable phenomenon has emerged in Africa: a Jewish "rebirth" among various ethnic groups claiming to return to forgotten Jewish roots, with some tracing their lineage to the Lost Tribes of Israel. These encounters with Jewish myths and traditions have fostered a new Jewish identity in certain African societies. This book details the diverse groups of Black Jews across western, central, eastern, and southern Africa and how they construct their Jewish identity through oral history and customs. It examines the impact of colonial influences on these identities and how the flexible narratives of Jewish lineage coexist with historical traces of Jewish presence in Africa. Going beyond the well-known case of the Falasha in Ethiopia, the book explores the broader trend of Judaism in Africa, addressing concepts like "metaphorical Diaspora," global identities, and colonization.
PUBLICATIONS
African Zion: Studies in Black JudaiSM
Bruder E. and Parfitt, T. eds., African Zion: Studies in Black Judaism.Bruder E. and Parfitt, T. eds., Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012.
Over the past century, some Black African societies in Africa and the United States have adopted or rediscovered a Judaic religious identity through various religious encounters. African Zion explores these diverse interactions with Judaism, examining their commonalities and differences, the external and internal factors influencing this identity, and the process of these communities reshaping their narratives as Jews in the contemporary world.
For many Black Jews, connections with Judaism often emerged from the harsh realities of slavery, exile, colonialism, and apartheid, making their identification with biblical Israel symbolically significant. This book presents how the religious identities of African American Jews and Black African Jews—whether real, ideal, or imagined—have been represented and reconfigured over the last century. The essays aim to deepen the understanding of Black encounters with Judaism, Hebrew origins, and their evolution within the complex interplay of race, ethnicity, and religion in the African and African American experience. They reflect the rich geographical and historical diversity of Black Judaism, infused with varying contemporary and historical meanings.
PUBLICATIONS
Orientalism and the Jews (The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry)
Kalmar, I. D. and Penslar, D. (eds.) Orientalism and the Jews. Waltham: Brandeis University Press, 2004.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, despite increasing globalization, a divide persists between the West and the rest of the world. This divide has been critically examined through the lens of “orientalism,” a term popularized by Edward Said’s 1978 work, which identifies the “Orient” primarily as the Islamic world and, to a lesser extent, Hindu India. Kalmar and Penslar expand on Said's ideas, suggesting that orientalism stems from the Christian West's efforts to navigate its relationships with both Muslims and Jews, often intertwining the two in Western discourse.
The anthology Orientalism and the Jews compiles essays from international scholars across various disciplines, illustrating that Jews have historically been perceived as both occidental and oriental. Jews served as a model for medieval portrayals of Muslim warriors, and early modern representations of biblical Jews shaped Western perceptions of the Muslim world. Furthermore, Western imperialists often encountered real or imagined Jews during their explorations. Today, orientalist attitudes in Israel extend to not only Arabs but also Mizrahi Israelis with roots in the Arab world, treating them as Others.
PUBLICATIONS
The Lemba - A Lost Tribe of Israel in Southern Africa?
Le Roux, Magdel. The Lemba: A Lost Tribe of Israel in Southern Africa? Pretoria: University of South Africa, 2003.
The Lemba people regard themselves as Jews or Israelites who migrated southwards into Yemen and later as traders into Africa. Many of their rituals suggest a Semitic influence or resemblances, embedded in an African culture. In 2010, the book was also translated into Venda, an indigenous language within South Africa, and has been reprinted due to popular local demand.
Magdel LeRoux, 2003 A lost tribe of Israel in southern Africa? The case of the Lemba.
Pretoria: University of South Africa Press (Revised 2015)
PUBLICATIONS
The Beta Israel in Ethiopia and Israel: Studies on the Ethiopian Jews
Parfitt, T. and Trevisan Semi, E. (eds.) The Beta Israel in Ethiopia and Israel: Studies on the Ethiopian Jews. 1st ed. London: Routledge, 1998.
For decade the Falashas - the Black Jews of Ethiopia - have fascinated scholars. Are they really Jews and in what sense? How can their origins be explained? Since the Falashas' transfer to Israel in the much publicised Israeli air lifts the fascination has continued and and new factors are now being discussed.
Written by the leading scholars in the field the essays in this collection examine the history, music, art, anthropology and current situations of the Ethopian Jews. Issues examined include their integration into Middle Eastern society, contacts between the Falasha and the State of Israel how the Falasha became Jews in the first place.