House of Israel (Ghana)

House of Israel
Total population
c. 400 (est.)
Regions with significant populations
200 in Ghana[1]
Languages
Sefwi, French, English
Religion
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Sefwi

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, mostly of the Sefwi tribe, built a synagogue in 1998. Many of the men and children read English, but no one knows Hebrew.[2][3] The House of Israel claims to have roots in the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel.[4]

History

Main article: History of the Jews in Ghana

The people of Sefwi Wiawso, who claim to have roots in the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel, trace a call for a "return" to normative Judaism by Aaron Ahomtre Toakyirafa, a community leader who, in 1976, is said to have had a vision.[4] In 2012, Gabrielle Zilkha, a Toronto-based filmmaker, visited Sefwe Wiawso to do research for a documentary about the House of Israel she is making. According to Zilkha, about 200 people—mostly children—live in the community. She states that the lack of a historical record makes it difficult to verify the group's claims, but that there is an oral tradition dating back 200 years.[1]

In the 1990s, the House of Israel began to reach out to the wider Jewish world. The community worked with Jewish organizations such as Kulanu and Be'chol Lashon.[5] A smaller community of Jews from the House of Israel lives in Sefwi Sui, a small farming community located twenty miles from Sefwi Wiawso.[6] In the two communities, many of the men and children read English, but no one knows Hebrew.[2][3]

The leader of the House of Israel since 1993, David Ahenkorah claims to have received his own vision in taking up the mantle.[7] He has been granted a 40-acre plot of land to build a Jewish school for the community, but they have not yet been able to raise funds for construction. Children currently attend a local school run by Christians.

The community built a synagogue in 1998 in New Adiembra, a Jewish neighborhood in Sefwi Wiawso. Recently, they painted it blue and white, colors commonly associated with Judaism.[7] There are several family compounds nearby and about 200 people belong to the synagogue.[7] It is a single-room synagogue with a miniature Sefer Torah. There is no mechitza.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Shlomo Kasputin, "Ghana's House of Israel, descendents of lost tribes?" Archived 2012-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Tribune, December 2012, accessed 22 May 2013
  2. ^ a b "Ghana Virtual Jewish History Tour". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  3. ^ a b "The lost Jews of Ghana". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. ^ a b Parfitt, Tudor (2002) The Lost Tribes of Israel: the History of a Myth. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson pp.182-3;Parfitt, Tudor Black Jews in Africa and the Americas, Harvard University Press ( 2013) pp.118-119
  5. ^ "Ghana's deep spirituality points some, joyfully, back to Judaism". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  6. ^ "The House of Israel". Scattered Among the Nations. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  7. ^ a b c "In West Africa, a Synagogue Where the Pavement Ends". Forward. The Forward. 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  8. ^ "Bet You Didn't Know About the Jews of Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  9. ^ "A VISIT TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF SEFWI WIAWSO, GHANA". Kulanu. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
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