Igbo Jews comprise almost three-quarters of the known global Jewish population. The majority (some thirty million individuals) of this group resides in Igboland, a forested region in Nigeria reaching the West African coast. Igbo Jews, like their fellow Jews in other parts of the world, have steadfastly kept and practiced their oral laws and traditions over their nearly 3000 years of exile. They are descended from Israelite families which split off from the main population during the civil war between the biblical states of Israel and Judah. Today, the Igbo Israel community is comprised of six hundred autonomous, democratically-organized and egalitarian towns. Want to learn more about Igbo Jews in West Africa?
Dr. Caliben Ike Okonkwo and his family study Torah in their Igbo Israel home in Nigeria. Such study is made possible in large part due to the donation of Jewish books by Jews in other parts of the developed world. (photo courtesy of the Igbo Israel Union)
