Jews in Somalia and Ethiopia: Africa's History

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

                            Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president of the transitional government of Somalia

I 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.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/us/columbus-ohio-neo-nazi-march-hnk/index.html

https://www.brandeis.edu/jewish-experience/israel-middle-east/2023/january/ethiopia-israel-mola.html#:~:text=Today%2C%20there%20are%20some%20160%2C000,House%20of%20Israel%20in%20Hebrew.

Update:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland#:~:text=The%20union%20of%20the%20two,and%20unrecognised%20or%20occupied%20territories.

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China and Israel, Like Goliath and David

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

A long time ago, from 400 CE on,  Jews traveled on the Silk Road to China as traders. Possibly as early as the first few centuries of the Common Era, large merchant settlements of Jews could be found along the Eastern Silk Road, reaching even into Kaifeng, China, the capital of 7 dynasties.                    

                                Kaifeng Jews

 Kaifeng Palace, located on the north shore of Baogong East Lake, is known as the first government office of Ancient China, where capital officials worked during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Early trade documents in a unique form of Hebrew from the area dating from around 400 CE have been found in China that suggest the community was not only in existence, but thriving by that time. Remains of a great synagogue have also been found in Kaifeng and have been dated to the 11th and 12th Century CE.     

                                                  

The Radenites were Jewish .  Called Radhanim,  they were Jewish medieval merchants. Only a limited number of primary sources use the term, and it remains unclear whether they referred to a specific guild, or to a clan, or generically to Jewish merchants in the trans-Eurasian trade network. Jewish merchants operated in trade between the Christian and Islamic worlds during the early Middle Ages (approximately 500–1000). Many trade routes previously established under the Roman Empire continued to function during that period – largely through their efforts. Their trade network covered much of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of India and China.   

 Then  Marco Polo on September 15, 1254 – January 8, 1324) was a Venetian of Italy merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295 being the first Westerner to see and trade with this unknown world.  Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached Cathay (China).

                                                   

So the mixing and blending of goods, foods and cultures in countries touched by the great Asian trade routes was accomplished by a wide variety of different types of people – most of whom were merchants – out to make a buck along the Silk Road. For thousands of years, Arabs, traded with Africans and Greeks and Jews, and Jews traded with Persians, Georgians, Uzbeks and Chinese, and Chinese traded with Indonesians and Thais and Sri Lankans and Arabs who traded with . . . As bloodlines merged, imported cultural practices became integrated into those held dearly for millennia and modern cuisines emerged from the crucible of history – all blended and formed along the Great Silk Road. (Words by Laura Kelley)        

China and Israel have developed close strategic military links with each other. Bilateral military relations have evolved from an initial Chinese policy of secret non-official ties to a close strategic partnership with the modern and militarily powerful Israel.

                                               

     China and Israel deepening their ties

 China did not establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel until 1992. Since then, Israel and China have developed increasingly close strategic economic, military and technological links with each other. Israel maintains an embassy in Beijing and is planning to open a new consulate in Chengdu, its third in Mainland China. 

China is Israel's third largest trading partner globally and largest trading partner in East Asia. Trade volume increased from $50 million in 1992 to $15 billion in 2013. Israel is about 437 times smaller than China.  China is approximately 9,596,960 sq km, while Israel is approximately 21,937 sq km, making Israel 0.23% the size of China. Meanwhile, the population of China is ~1.4 billion people (1.4 billion fewer people live in Israel).

                     There are Jewish people in China.  

 Shared commonalities and similarities between the cultures and values of the two nations with ancient roots dating back thousands of years as well as convergence of interests have made the two countries natural partners. In addition, China is one of the few countries in the world to concurrently maintain warm relations with Israel, Palestine, and the Muslim world at large.    

                            More Kaifeng Jews

China's status as a potential world power has prompted Israel to maintain closer ties with China by integrating China's global influence with Israel's economic management and its regional strategic importance in the Middle East. Beijing has appreciated Israel's political stability and diplomatic ingenuity and sees the Jewish state as one of the regional pillars for securing China's influence in the Middle East and the entire world.

Israel has become one of the world leaders in cybersecurity. One of those who played a key role in Israel’s pioneering role in this field, which is now emerging as one of the most important aspects of our global economy and security, is Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel.

China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of more than 1.4 billion. China spans five geographical time zones and borders 14 different countries, the second most of any country in the world after Russia.  China is made up of 3.705 million square miles. Actually, The largest country in the world is Russia with a total area of 17,098,242 Km² (6,601,665 mi²) and a land area of 16,376,870 Km² (6,323,142 mi²), equivalent to 11% of the total world's landmass of 148,940,000 Km² (57,510,000 square miles). The USA is the 4th largest.                         

New Jersey above on the East Coast is a tiny orange state.  In 2021, it has 9.4 million population.  

New Jersey is the 5th-smallest US state, covering 20,168 square kilometers or 7787 square miles .As the comparison map above shows, the land currently controlled by the State of Israel (including disputed territories) is not much larger: 27,869 square kilometers or 10,760 square miles.  Israel in its pre-1967 borders was 8,019 square miles or 20,770 square kilometers, just barely bigger than New Jersey.  Considering its tiny size, is Israel large enough that it can afford give away land to try to placate the Arabs?                                                     

Israel is about 1.4 times smaller than Belgium. Belgium is approximately 30,528 sq km, while Israel is approximately 21,937 sq km, making Israel 71.86% the size  of Belgium. Meanwhile, the population of Belgium is ~11.7 million people (3.0 million fewer people live in Israel). .                                 

    Chinese Jews have arrived in Israel.  

In 2020, Israel is the 29th largest trading partner, 29th largest import partner, and 29th largest export partner of Taiwan. The value of exports to Israel was US$842.825,815, an annual increase of 7.706%. Imports from Israel amounted to 1.069. 7 million US$2,546, an annual increase of 7.787%.  Israel's Top 15 Trading Partners

• United States: US$13.1 billion (26.3% of total Israeli exports)
• China: $4.1 billion (8.3%)
• United Kingdom: $3.7 billion (7.5%)
• Netherlands: $2.5 billion (4.9%)
• Germany: $1.7 billion (3.4%)
• India: $1.6 billion (3.2%)
• Belgium: $1.45 billion (2.9%)
• Turkey: $1.41 billion (2.8%)

As far as the USA is concerned, The Biden administration has called managing America’s relationship with Beijing “the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.

A group photo at the Jewish Community of Taiwan’s 2021 Purim party. No masks required. (Archi Chang/ via JTA)

”Taiwan, Trade, Tech and More:are a Tense Era in U.S.-China Ties. China wants Taiwan.   As the small island off China remains blessedly untouched by COVID, its diverse group of Jews prepare to welcome this holiday like all others. This past spring, Taiwan’s small Jewish community gears up for big Passover party — sans masks.

China is determined to keep the peace and to keep a good name for itself, as has been the practice of their culture.  They are doing this at the expense of the individual's rights.  Right now a famous Chinese tennis player is kept away or may even be dead who made the mistake of exposing an important individual with his acts of attacking her, and this cannot be in this particular culture.  Evidently she was testing the water by doing this, and it isn't ready.

They have suffered a lot in the Western culture.  Chinese were taken advantage of and thought of as sub-human because of looking different in places like Seattle where there is an underground city that the Chinese had.  They were brought over to work on the railroad and in gold mining areas. 

 THEir STORY BEGINS IN THE EARLY 1800S IN THE SOUTH CHINA AREA OF TOISHAN, OR CANTON, IN THE GUANGDONG PROVINCE. AFTER YEARS OF GREAT PROSPERITY AND POPULATION GROWTH, THE IMPERIAL NATION WAS NOW FACING A DEVASTATING SEASON OF DROUGHTS, FLOODS, FAMINE, AND POLITICAL UNREST.  During this time, China would accept only silver from the British in trade for their valuable silks and spices. Preferring to keep their silver, the British offered to trade opium instead, and threatened the Chinese with gun boats if they refused. The conflict led to the Opium War in the 1840s, which opened China to a turbulent narcotics trade that ultimately devastated household industries and farming. The crisis was amplified by the Taiping Rebellion from 1850 to 1864, leaving many peasants in poverty and struggling to survive. When word came that gold had been discovered in central California in 1849, many Chinese, mostly men from the Guangdong area, jumped on boats headed to San Francisco or “Land of the Gold Mountain” hoping to strike it rich. What began as a trickle of immigrants soon became thousands of Chinese traveling to the United States, many with plans to make money and then return to their families in China.

During this time, China would accept only silver from the British in trade for their valuable silks and spices. Preferring to keep their silver, the British offered to trade opium instead, and threatened the Chinese with gun boats if they refused. 

The conflict led to the Opium War in the 1840s, which opened China to a turbulent narcotics trade that ultimately devastated household industries and farming. The crisis was amplified by the Taiping Rebellion from 1850 to 1864, leaving many peasants in poverty and struggling to survive.  When word came that gold had been discovered in central California in 1849, many Chinese, mostly men from the Guangdong area, jumped on boats headed to San Francisco or “Land of the Gold Mountain” hoping to strike it rich. What began as a trickle of immigrants soon became thousands of Chinese traveling to the United States, many with plans to make money and then return to their families in China.

China celebrated its 100 anniversary of Communism this past summer.  They have been demonstating from  increasing aggression on the global stage right from Beijing.  In March, the U.S. and its allies — including the European Union, the U.K. and Canada — imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in the western region of Xinjiang. Beijing retaliated with sanctions of its own.

Even with the accelerated nuclear expansion, Beijing is still behind the United States, with its nuclear stockpile of 5,550 warheads, and Russia, which has 6,255, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent organization. China has about 350 nuclear warheads, the organization said.Nov 3, 2021'

WASHINGTON — China is continuing to strengthen its strategic nuclear arsenal and could have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, according to a new Defense Department report released Wednesday.

Resource:

https://silkroadgourmet.com/the-jews-of-the-great-silk-road/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/taiwans-small-jewish-community-gears-up-for-big-passover-party-sans-masks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo

https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/country-size-comparison/israel/belgium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Israel_relations#:~:text=China%20and%20Israel%20have%20developed,modern%20and%20militarily%20powerful%20Israel.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/us-china-tensions-explained.html

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/cyber-week-how-israel-became-a-leader-in-cyber-tech-and-investment-674168