Nadene Goldfoot
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president of the transitional government of SomaliaI note that Mr. Ahmed has the same fine features of recent Ethiopian immigrants, also a beautiful people, into Israel that I had seen.
Somalia is next door to Ethiopia on the East. It has a huge strip of lovely beaches. I was surprised to find that a few of our Jewish ancestors made it to Somalia. The history of Jewish communities in Somalia is a subject of debate, but there is evidence that Jews have lived in the country at various times: A small number of Jews, perhaps 100–200, settled in coastal towns as traders. The Yibir, a tribe of Jewish origin who became a low caste in Somali society. say they are descended from Hebrews who arrived before Somali nomads. The majority of Yibir practice Islam, but their Hebrew origins may explain their lower status in Somali society.
A friend in Israel when I wrote to him, orthodox, a lawyer, traveled from Africa to Israel to do
his milueem, later moved family to Israel, and my favorite picture. He may have come from Kenya, can't remember. I do remember that he had a DNA test, showing J1, I believe; a well-known and common Jewish and Arab line. While there is limited evidence of any Somali clans embracing Judaism during the pre-Islamic era, the conversion , possibly due to marriage, of individuals and families cannot be ruled out. The Hebrew heritage of marginalized Somali clans, including the Yibir, can be traced back to the Beta Israel, or Ethiopian Jews.
Somalia was likely one of the first lands to be settled by early humans due to its location. Hunter-gatherers who would later migrate out of Africa likely settled here before their migrations. During the Stone Age, the Doian and Hargeisan cultures flourished here. The oldest evidence of burial customs in the Horn of Africa comes from cemeteries in Somalia dating back to the 4th millennium BCE.
The book, The Last Two Jews of Mogadishu, tells the story of a crypto-Jewish community in Mogadishu. The book is based on email correspondence with a young man and his mother, both of whom were born and raised in Somalia. Their families had lived in Somalia for over 100 years. Somalia is a predominantly Muslim country, with over 99% of the population identifying as Sunni Muslim. Christians in Somalia have faced persecution and death due to the ongoing civil war in the south.
A young Muslim Somalian lady works in the assisted living home I live in now. She is able to wear her long clothing and head is covered with a scarf, and she has the most beautiful face. As an artist that has done many portraits, I am awed. She speaks English quite well, and gives me a hug every time. Here I am writing about all the Muslim terrorists and I'm overwhelmed by her kindness and vibes that I feel from her; kindness, and love her hugs. I don't think she knows I'm Jewish, but I do keep a very Jewish-looking apartment full of pictures, etc. with a star of David in the window. I do wish others would have such an encounter. Maybe it's our female hormones that draw us together instead of keeping us apart. When I first saw her, I was quite alarmed, but not anymore. Our enemies today, terrorists with Nazis, as of WWII
Now with today's news (11/18/2024) that Columbus, Ohio sported a Nazi group that was practicing their freedom of speech but not harming anyone, keeping themselves free from being arrested, it's time that minority groups like Miss B and myself stick together ! Blacks and Jews, anti-Semitism has risen to the Nazi level now. How awful, and I just became a great grandmother. What is our future to become? Miss B's parents may have reached the US hoping for safety from war, but she has problems to face, too.
I had the same feeling living in Eastern Oregon's Ontario, OR, of being the only Jew in the area and how hard it was to be Jewish. Here is a report as told in the Jerusalem Post about such a family in Somalia.
It was from a young Jewish man and his inspiring mother, Ashira Haybi. They were alone without family, with roots extending back well over one hundred years. Rami’s dad, killed during the civil war, traced his roots to Aden, Yemen, while his mom traced hers to Ta’iz, also in Yemen. Ashira was an accomplished businesswoman trading in textiles. She kept a kosher home, was Shabbat observant and raised Rami to continue the tradition. They fought vigorously to preserve their Judaism under extreme duress. This mother was special in her determination not to let her son forget who he was. No doubt she came from just such a home in Yemen.
I was living in Israel from 1980 to Thanksgiving's November 1985 when we saw the new Ethiopian immigrants move into apartments across the street from our David Eleazar Street in Safed, Israel. In the 1980s and 1990s, a large portion of the Ethiopian Jewish community was airlifted to Israel in response to the Ethiopian Civil War and famine. This operation, known as Operation Solomon, involved 34 Israeli planes that made 40 flights over 36 hours, airlifting more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
The Queen of Sheba was said to have been from Ethiopia, and she arrived,
meeting King Solomon, who fathered her son. According to Jewish traveler, Eldad ha-Dani, the Tribe of Dan established their own kingdom in Ethiopia, "They went by way of Egypt further down the upper Nile River and settled in Ethiopia, in East Africa. The Danites were great warriors, and after fighting many battles against native tribes, they established themselves securely, with a kingdom of their own." Marco Polo and Benjamin of Tudela also mention the existence of an Ethiopian Jewish community.
The Ethiopians came with illnesses picked up in Africa so spent their first weeks in
hospitals till better. We had lots of apartments in Safed empty, so many moved here,
and I saw that they soon picked up our shopping habits. They had an art show, where
we saw their talents. Many waited in Ethiopia for their turn to come, and have arrived.
Mola is at Brandeis this academic year, analyzing oral histories of Ethiopian Israeli women.
A few years ago there are approximately 12,000 Ethiopian Jews remaining in Ethiopia, and around 160,500 in Israel. As of September 2023, there are about 168,800 people of Ethiopian descent living in Israel, which is about 2% of the country's total population. This community is known as Beta Israel, which translates to "House of Israel" in Hebrew. Many Ethiopian Jews have been the same social problems in Israel as Blacks have had in the USA.
Update: 11/19/2024:
- Somaliland's claim to independence: Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not received international recognition for its sovereignty.
- Self-governance: Despite not being recognized internationally, Somaliland functions as a self-governing region with its own government, currency, and elections.
- International perspective: The international community considers Somaliland to be part of Somalia.
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