Igbo-Israel Union Handbook
Aims and objectives of this organization which can be addressed as the ‘Union, or as the IIU:
- The Rebuilding of the Igbo people; a people henceforth to be addressed by their ancient names: ha-Ibri (Hebrews) or/ and Igbo-Israelites.
- The Rebuilding of Igbo land; a territory henceforth to be known and addressed as Igbo-Israel.
- The Reconciling and Re-uniting of the Igbo-Israelites with fellow Igbo-Israelites.
- The Realigning of the Igbo-Israelites with other children of Israel.
- Ensuring that the Igbo-Israelites learn about the Igbo-Israel people, the Jewish people, and the world of Israel.
- And that the Igbo-Israelites contribute to the growth and development of kelal Yisrael (the Community of Israel).
The ‘Union shall try to achieve these aims and objectives by executing the following programmes:
- Socio-cultural
- Political
- Economic
- Educational
Socio-cultural: As the glue that holds all ’am Yisrael (People of Israel) together are the Hebrew language and Israelite culture; likewise are the Igbo-Israel language (asusu Igbo) and Igbo-Israel culture (Omenana) the only glues that are capable of uniting the Igbo-Israelites, because they are the only ideological factors that the Igbo-Israelites have in common.
However as we can say with authority that Igbo-Israelite unity has not materialized, but has rather eroded, in spite of the best efforts of many Igbo-Israelites, and that Igbo-Israelite unity is not foreseeable in the horizon; the ‘Union will strive to ensure that the Igbo-Israelite culture which is quintessentially Hebrew Culture is revived. And that the Igbo-Israelite language which is derived from ancient Ivrith (Hebrew language), and Ivrith itself are revived among the Igbo-Israelites.
And as a new-born baby can hardly thrive without a mother the ‘Union will strive to see that the Hebrew language is also revived among the Igbos.
As the instrument that helps the People of Israel to have a distinct identity, holiness, and self-respect in the world is Israelite culture, so is Omenana supposed to make the Igbo-Israelites distinct, holy, and self-respecting. However as we have seen Omenana abused, desecrated, and abandoned; almost to the extent that the Igbo-Israelites could be said to have lost their culture, and consequently their identity in Nigeria, the ‘Union will strive to recover and revive that culture which gave the Igbo-Israelite person the sense that other Nigerians called the Igbo sense with admiration in years past.
Political: As we have seen the Igbo-Israelites reduced to a minority people in Nigeria, due to their carelessness principally. And confined to five states, while equivalent peoples have six and seven states respectively. And have been marginalized to the extent that no Igbo-Israelite could seriously aspire to be Nigeria’s president anymore, the ‘Union will strive to redress the dwindling political fortunes of the Igbo-Israelites in Nigeria. It will strive to heal the fissures and divisions in the Igbo-Israel nation that makes the competing peoples of Nigeria to always get the better of the Igbo-Israelites in political contests.
And will do whatever is within its power within the laws of Nigeria to ensure that the Igbo-Israel people get their due political rights, privileges and dues in Nigeria.
And internationally the ‘Union will strive to ensure that the Igbo-Israelites in secondary galuth (exile / uzo ije) receive equitable treatment from their hosts. And that Igbo-Israelites join in the civilized campaign to help Medinath Yisrael to become a member of the African Union. The ‘Union shall also work together with other peoples who are also re-discovering their Hebrew/Jewish origins to form a common wealth (union) of Hebrew communities.
Economic: the ‘Union shall strive to revive and recreate those virtues, qualities, practices, ethics and norms that made the Igbo-Israelites the most skillful entrepreneurs in Africa in times past. The ‘Union shall ensure that Igbo-Israel becomes an economic hub so that the Igbo-Israelites will no longer have to troop out of Igbo-Israel as economic refugees, and producers of cheap labour. The ‘Union shall strive to polish and showcase the tourist potentials of Igbo-Israel. A prominent Jewish visitor to Nigeria observed that the story that the Igbos came from Israel, and the artifacts of the Igbos will be inviting to tourists, if proper presentation of them is made. The ‘Union shall strive to get Jewish investment into the Igbo-Israel territory. And shall connect sincere Igbo-Israel businessmen and women with sincere Jewish businessmen and women.
Educational: As we have observed most Igbo-Israelites do not see anything to be proud of in Igbo-Israel culture and consequently themselves anymore, principally because things fell apart when colonialism came in; and condemned Igbo culture and the Igbos as inferior, and started the process of replacing it with European culture. Igbo-Israel acceptance and internalization of the Europeans’ diktat inevitably led to the Igbo-Israelites losing their self-worth and pride, because if a people are told that they are inferior enough times, and they begin to believe that they are; in time they will begin to feel and become inferior.
To eradicate this blight the ‘Union shall continue to highlight Igbo-Israel culture, the only culture that came from God without passing through intermediaries, with the hope that with time the Igbos-Israelites will realize that their culture was not inferior, that their conquerors described it as inferior in order to make them a subject people, and that it is their responsibility as a part of Israel to be a light to humanity.
As we have observed; the Igbo-Israelites are not producing record breakers again, as they produced in the past. Accordingly the ‘Union shall strive to revive the ‘Igbo sense’ that made the Igbo-Israelites to produce the very best; like Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chimamanda Adiche, Chukwuraa Emeagwali, Chukwuma Soludo, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Okey Ndibe, etc.
The ‘Union shall articulate and introduce programs that will be so attractive that Igbo-Israelites in tertiary and non tertiary institutions will have no interest nor desire to join campus secret and public cults, and engage in other vices like campus prostitution; that are totally alien to Igbo-Israel culture. The ‘Union shall strive to get Jewish educational assistance for schools in Igbo-Israel territory. The ‘Union shall strive to get more universities and polytechnics established in Igbo-Israel so that any Igbo-Israelite who aspires to have a university or polytechnic education in Nigeria can have it, and in Igbo-Israel, because we have observed that the Igbo-Israelites who indulge more in ime aru (committal of abominations) like insulting their parents and ancestors are those ones that grew up (spent their young and impressionable years) in the non Igbo-Israel localities where cults that specialize in waging war on ‘ancestors’ abound.
The ‘Union shall work at achieving the above mentioned objectives using its various organs.
The ‘Union shall be open to co-operate with, and collaborate with knowledgeable and well meaning Igbo-Israel and Jewish persons, authorities and organizations.
Membership: Every Igbo person; every descendant of Israel; is entitled to be a member of this ‘Union.
The ‘Union shall have as its administrative organs and officials the following:
A Governing Council to be composed of the following officials.
- Chairman
- Vice Chairman
- Executive Director
- Secretary General
- Assistant Secretary General
- Treasurer
- Assistant Treasurer
- Public Relations Officer
- Assistance PRO
- Provost
- Assistant Provost
- Welfare officer
- Assistant welfare officer
- Women leader
- Assistant Women leader
- Youth Leader (Male)
- Youth Leader (Female)
And thirty-seven ex-officio members to be drawn from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and the Igbos in Delta, the Igbos in Rivers, the Igbos in Edo and the Igbos residing in the other states of Nigeria and Abuja.
The ‘Union shall have chapters in the 36 states of Nigeria; in Abuja, in every Local Government Area in Nigeria; in every Igbo-Israel clan; in every tertiary institution in which there are Igbo-Israelites, and in every country where Igbos/Jews are residing. Every chapter shall have a governing council modeled after the premier Governing Council.
The ‘Union shall be having monthly meetings and annual summits after the Feast commemorating the most important event in the history of the Igbo-Israelites/the People of Israel; the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
The annual summits shall be at Little Jerusalem (Enugu) and or at Yarushalayim/Jerusalem (the Holy City).
The ‘Union’s activities shall be funded by contributions by members, donations by the members, and by public spirited members of the Igbo-Israel and Jewish communities, and by Igbo-Israel organizations and authorities.
The ‘Union shall raise extra funds by engaging in business activities; like marketing of Igbo-Jewish books like ‘The Igbos: Jews In Africa’ series, ‘A Short Story from Igbo Israel’, the forthcoming ‘The Igbos and Israel: Forty Million More Jews’, etc, and production and sales of other Igbo-Israel objects and memorabilia, like kippoth, talletoth, mezuzoth, magen David ornaments, stickers, tee-shirts with Igbo-Israel insignia, Igbo-Jewish music, and films, etc.
Drafted by-
Chukwukaodinaka ‘Remy’ Ilona (protem Executive Director, Igbo-Israel Union)
With contributions from-
Caliben Ike Okonkwo (protem Chairman, Governing Council of the Igbo-Israel Union)
Malachi Iheanacho (protem Coordinator of the ‘Union’s affairs in Lagos and Oyo states, and at the University of Ibadan)
And approved by the Governing Council of the Igbo-Israel Union.
