Ibo Benei Yisrael

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria
Produced by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria The Ibo Benei Yisrael Jews of Nigeria
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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 peoples from 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 the River 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 500 BCE. According to the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) the Israeli patriarch Yaàqov 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
The information in this document is copy written by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association February 16, 2003.

Produced by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria
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various elders fathered the Ibo clan structure within the Ibo populace as it exists today. These Ibo ethnic groups are comprised of the following 3 lineage types: Benei Gath: Ibos said to have descended from tribe of Gath ben-Yaàqov, who was the 8th son of the Israeli patriarch Yaàqov (Jacob). [1] This lineage is traced though Gath's son Eri ben-Gath. [2] The clans said to come from this lineage comprise of the Aguleri, Umuleri, Oreri, Enugwu Ikwu, Ogbunike, Awkuzu, Nteje, and Igbariam. Benei Zevulun: Ibos said to have descended from the tribe of Zevulun ben-Yaàqov, who was the 5th son of Yaàqov (Jacob). [3] This lineage comprises of the Ubulu Okiti, Ubulu Ukwu, in Delta State, who settled in Ubulu Ihejiofor. According to tradition, it is said that a descendent of the tribe of Zevulun named Zevulunu, on the advice of an certain Levite, married a woman from Oji, whom descended from the tribe of Judah, and from this union was born Ozubulu ben-Zebulunu. It is said that Ozubulu then went on to have 4 sons of his own who settled into other parts of the region. These sons being: Amakwa, from whom a clan in Neni, Anambra State descended, and Egbema, from whom the Egbema Ugwuta clan in Imo State and the Ohaji Egbema clan in Rivers State descended. Benei Menashsheh: Ibos whom it is theorized may be descendents of the tribe of Meneshsheh benYoseph, who was one of the grandsons of Yaàqov (Jacob) through his 11th son Yoseph (Joseph). [4] According to the Torah Jacob claimed both Menashsheh and his brother Ephrayim as his own sons. [5] It theorized by some that this is the possible lineage of the Amichi, Ichi, Nnewi-Ichi clans.
Fig. 2: Biblical division of the 12 Tribes of Israel in the land of Canaan

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It is also more than possible that certain Ibo Benei-Yisrael families may be descendents of Levitical (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 2 nd 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 as Ethiopia, 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 722 BCE 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 70 CE, 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 rabbis mentioned 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 know the 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 sought in 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 Jewish ancestry 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 Northeast Africa into West Africa.

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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 into West 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 which was 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 communication at 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 with certain 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 from explorers of the region, several of the rulers of the Songhai empire were of Jewish origin, until Askia Muhammad came to power and in 1492 decreed that all Jews either convert to Islam or leave the region. [12]

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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 as Eldad 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 the time 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 of Sennacherib. 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]

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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 and Talmudic 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 Coast of 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 The information in this document is copy written by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association February 16, 2003.

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of West Africa. [14] In 2 nd Kings chapter 10 verse 22 there is also a description of a three year voyage undertaken 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 12th century geographer Al-Idrisi, and the 16th century historian and traveler Leon Africanus wrote accounts of 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 ancient times 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 the 1300'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 the Arab 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 Christian missionaries 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 to 1400'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 the Western 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 of modern 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 have existed. 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 has documents 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 via European efforts to divide Africa among themselves.

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Mounting ethnic tensions between these groups caused the Biafrans - the Ibos and other minority ethnic 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 the unfortunate 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 blockade enforced 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 habitual wanderer, 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 The information in this document is copy written by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association February 16, 2003.

Produced by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria Religious Practices and the Return to the Israeli Way
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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 already established 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 presence in 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 BeneiYisrael 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

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Picture #5: Ilona family in Ozubulu, Nigeria Even to this day Ibo Benei-Yisrael practices are still in line with the commands given in the Torah. Even with the loss of the written record, the Ibo Benei-Yisrael people have maintained the customs and traditions of ancient Israel in an oral form. A few of these customs still in practice are: circumcision of sons on the eighth day of life, separation of women during the menstrual cycle, not cross breading animals or plants, the prohibition of un-kosher animals for consumption, the celebration of Yom Kippur and Sukkoth, immersion for uncleanness, and Passover just to name a few. Similar to the Samaritans in Israel, and some Moroccan Jews certain Ibo Benei-Yisrael elders, believed to be descended from ancient Levites due to their Levitical practices, are distinguished within the community by donning red head coverings which only they can wear. Though, for many Ibo Benei-Yisrael these practices have existed in their society for more than 1,000 years it was not until recently that some were able to make the more distinct connection to exactly why they were to be performed. This of course was another result of the loss of the written Torah from within the Ibo Benei-Yisrael community. According to G.T. Basden in his book, Among the Ibos of Nigeria", p. 31 noted: The Ibo country lies within the recognized Negro belt, and the people bear the main characteristics of that stock There are certain customs which rather point to Levitic influence at a more or less remote period. This is suggested in the underlying ideas concerning sacrifice and

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in the practice of circumcision. The language also bears several interesting parallels with Hebrew idioms. [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 a lot 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 The information in this document is copy written by the Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association February 16, 2003.

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traditional ruler of Aguleri at the instance of an Israeli team on a fact-finding mission in December 1997. What is believed to be one of the memorial onyx stones" for the sons of Israel as HaShem commanded Moses (see Exodus 39:7) was discovered and identified as such by the team leader from the King Solomon Sephardic Federation. On the stone discovered in Aguleri engraved in a form of ancient Hebrew is the name Gad in reminding one of the writing in Exodus 39:14. There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of the twelve tribes. There are also accounts of DNA testing which found the Kohen DNA marker within members of both Ibo and Yoruba peoples. Currently there are thriving Maghrebi Ibo communities in places like Tel Aviv-Israel, southeastern Nigeria, the United States and other places in the world. With the current resurgence of Jewish practice amongst Ibo men and women desiring to return to the international Israeli and Jewish community, the Maghrebi Ibo society is still a growing one with Hebrew and Torah study once again becoming more of the norm. There are currently more than 26 Ibo and non-Ibo Synagogues within Nigeria performing normal Shabbat (Sabbath) services and that number is growing. Further research is also being performed in and outside of Nigeria to give a more clear and concise account of the Jewish origins of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael. It is the hope of this community of Jews that one-day they will be officially recognized under the Jewish Law of Return in Israel and abroad. Written by Remy Ilona The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of Nigeria P.O. Box 11505 Garki-Abuja, Nigeria 011-234-8044103026 rcilona2000@yahoo.com Edited by Ahab Eliyah The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Association of New York 514 E. 88th 3B New York, New York 10128 (917) 432-0836 ahabeliyah@yahoo.com
References
[1] Genesis 30:11 [2] Ibed. Chapter 46:16 [3] Ibed. Chapter 30:20 [4] Ibed. Chapter 30:23-24; also chapter 48 [5] Ibed. Chapter 48:5 [6] Jewish Communities in Exotic Places, by Ken Blady, Page 336 [7] Ibed, Page 335 [8] The Jewish Encyclopedia, Samuel Krauss and Joseph Jacobs, pages 224 - 228 [9] The Penguin Atlas of African History, by Colin McEvedy, Page 30

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[10] Manifesto of Zakhor, The Timbuktu Association for the Friendship with the Jewish World, presented by 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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The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

Fig. 2: Biblical division of the 12 Tribes of Israel in the land of Canaan

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

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

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael within Nigerian History

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

Picture #4: Ibo women from a University acting troupe

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Nigeria

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