At least six Igbo synagogues have been razed by soldiers in Nigeria’s River State, a part of the country’s Biafra region, according to 9Africa news. The Biafra region has been an area of unrest in Nigeria since the 1960s, when it declared independence shortly after the British left their former colony, kicking off the Nigerian…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Nigerian woman and her four children were deported from Israel on Sunday night after they spent three weeks in an Israeli prison. The case of the woman, identified as Marcy, who had been in Israel illegally since 2010, gained public attention after her children were brought to prison three weeks ago,…
A new website from Nigeria offers an intimate view into a little known Jewish community — despite decades of activity and its growing numbers. Launched this summer, the blog is run by Tikvat Israel Synagogue, an influential Igbo congregation in Abuja that has longstanding ties to American and Israeli religious outreach groups. A September post…
In Nigeria, there are mounting calls to oust the Igbo population from the north of the country — and threats of violence if they don’t comply. Now, a group of United Nations experts have “grave concern” about the possibility of ethnic bloodshed. This summer, an ultimatum and accompanying social media campaign in the northern Hausa…
Among the Igbo, a large ethnic group in Nigeria, there is widespread identification with Jews and Israel. But a recent genetic test carried out by an American missionary group searching for “Jewish roots” came back negative — prompting fierce backlash from activists who called the project faulty and irresponsible. Amidst waves of social media outrage…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s ambassador to Nigeria donated the embassy’s fund for an Independence Day celebration to establish a soccer league in the African nation for refugee children. Guy Feldman canceled the embassy’s Yom Ha’atzmaut reception and set up the league for 225 children who escaped the Boko Haram terrorist organization, Ynet reported. The embassy…
A program to test the Igbo of Nigeria for genetic links to Jews has heightened tensions between international groups representing mainstream Jews and Messianic Jews. In February, Jewish Voice Ministries International organized a test to compare genetic samples from some 100 members of the Igbo group, who claim ancestral connections to the biblical Israelites, against…
On the weekend of President Trump’s inauguration, hundreds took to the street to march. They blocked traffic, sang songs and danced. In the crowd, scores of them wore yarmulkes and tallitot as they waved Israeli flags. This was not a scene from a major American city — where supporters and protestors similarly thronged the streets….
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