In Nigeria, Igbo synagogues burned and bulldozed amid broader civil unrest
Time to Eat: Igbos celebrate Sabbath kiddush after services. Image by William F.S. Miles
By David Ian Klein November 13, 2020
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 Civil War. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and largest economy.
The region is primarily populated by the Igbo ethnic group, who are mostly Christians. However, many Igbo believe that they are descended from a lost tribe of Israel, and some have taken on certain Jewish practices, while a smaller group identifies as Jews themselves.
The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra movement is led by an exiled activist, Nnamdi Kanu, who identifies as a Jew. The movement has been outlawed.
He tweeted Wednesday about the destruction of synagogues.
“Our Synagogue, ‘Beth Knesset Amud ha’Emet’ (Pillar of Truth Synagogue) in #Obigbo has been brought down with bulldozer. The very biggest synagogue in #Biafra. Very sad indeed”-Emeka
The consequences for persecution of Biafran #Jews will be dire & swift Enough said! @KnessetIL pic.twitter.com/bP3HQMXqlV
— Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (@MaziNnamdiKanu) November 12, 2020
Two Igbo Jews were arrested by Nigerian authorities, according to 9Africa.
The police action in Biafra comes amid a movement against police violence that has been sweeping Nigeria ever since 10 were killed in Lagos at a protest in late October.
According to Amnesty International, police opened fire on protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, who were advocating against the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), which have been accused of extrajudicial killings and extortion.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Fast Forward 5 Jewish senators accuse Trump of using antisemitism as ‘guise’ to attack universities
-
Fast Forward Jewish Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky reportedly to retire after 26 years in office
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Fast Forward 5 Jewish senators accuse Trump of using antisemitism as ‘guise’ to attack universities
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.