Jewish Virtual Library

Black Jews of Cochin Settled on the Malabar Coast During King Solomon Times and After the Kingdom Split

Black Jews of Cochin Settled on the Malabar Coast During King Solomon Times and After the Kingdom Split

Source: India Virtual Jewish History Tour (Jewish Virtual Library) 2021 A.D. Esther 1:1 - "Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)" Esther 8:9 - "Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty…
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Black Jews Along The Niger

Black Jews Along The Niger

Source: Zakhor (Jewish Virtual Library) 2008 A.D. From the source, " ZAKHOR (Heb. "Remember"), black Judaizing movement in Mali comprising around 1,000 people. It was founded in Timbuktu in 1993 by the Malian historian Ismael Daidé Haïdara, whose followers claim to be the offspring of Saharan Jews. In a manifesto published in 1996, the members of Zakhor recognize themselves as Jews and declare themselves to be descendants of the Jews of Touat. The Touat, the region at the limit of the Sahara in western Algeria, was, up to 1492, inhabited by Jews involved in trans-Saharan trade. At that time, Sheikh Abd…
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The Lemba are in Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

The Lemba are in Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

Source: Zimbabwe’s “Black Jews”: The Lemba People (Jewish Virtual Library) 2021 A.D. From the source, "Rusape is located in the northeast Zimbabwe, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Harare. The community claims both an ancient and modern Jewish heritage. The Jews of Rusape believe to be the descendants of one of the lost tribes of Jacob. These people are believed to be offspring from the Bantu people who came from Northern Africa. Almost 2,500 years ago, after the destruction of the Temple, a group of Jews left Judea and settled in Yemen. When the economic situation in Yemen began to fail, the Jews left and moved to Africa; with…
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The Ibo Jews Descend From the Tribe of Gad, Zevulun, Menashe, Levitical Migrants, Judeans, and Asher

The Ibo Jews Descend From the Tribe of Gad, Zevulun, Menashe, Levitical Migrants, Judeans, and Asher

Source: Nigeria Virtual Jewish History Tour (Jewish Virtual Library) 2020 A.D. From the source, "According to oral traditions, the Ibo have resided in “Iboland,” a region of modern-day Nigeria, for over 1500 years. Before that, the tradition asserts that they were migrants from ancient Israel. There exist a number of theories that explain from whom the Ibo are descendant, and how they came to reside in Nigeria. One theory contends that the Ibo are the descendants of one of the lost tribes. Ibo Jews The Ibo of Benei Gath are said to have descended from Gath (Gad), the eighth son of Jacob. The…
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Analyzing Tacitus’ Statements on Jews-Tacitus Viewed Jews as a Threat Due To Their Religious Customs-Romans Both Admired and Envied The Jews For Their Ancient Origins-Utilize Sources About Egyptians and Ethiopians Being Black Because Greco-Roman Individuals Categorized People By Physical Appearance and Customs-The Jews Were Equated To Mostly Being of Egyptian Origin or Ethiopian Origin-A “Stereotypical” Image Was Held By Greco-Roman Thinkers About The Physical Appearance of Egyptians and Ethiopians

Analyzing Tacitus’ Statements on Jews-Tacitus Viewed Jews as a Threat Due To Their Religious Customs-Romans Both Admired and Envied The Jews For Their Ancient Origins-Utilize Sources About Egyptians and Ethiopians Being Black Because Greco-Roman Individuals Categorized People By Physical Appearance and Customs-The Jews Were Equated To Mostly Being of Egyptian Origin or Ethiopian Origin-A “Stereotypical” Image Was Held By Greco-Roman Thinkers About The Physical Appearance of Egyptians and Ethiopians

Source: Tacitus (Jewish Virtual Library) 2021 A.D. From the source, "He gives a bizarre picture of Jewish national and religious origins (Histories 5:2–5), though in referring to traditions which variously make the first Jews Cretan, Egyptian, Ethiopian, or Assyrian exiles, or the nation of the Solymi celebrated by Homer, he is not wholly inaccurate, since the theory of Assyrian origin may fit with the biblical account of Abraham's wanderings from Chaldea. Nor is his account wholly unfavorable, since the Romans, whose own origins were questionable (see the preface to Livy's History), admired and envied peoples who had ancient origins. Tacitus agrees with…
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Babylonian Talmud Says Jews Had Black Faces

Babylonian Talmud Says Jews Had Black Faces

Source: Tractate Megillah: Chapter 1 (Jewish Virtual Library) 450 - 550 A.D. "In the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, they wrote slanders on the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem." Samuel said: Ahasuerus signifies "black," in his time the faces of the Jews were black as the bottoms of pots. R. Johanan says: Ahasuerus signifies "woe to his head" (ah, rosh); and R. Hanina says it signifies "poor" (rash)--his taxes were so heavy that men became poor.
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