Lemba
Encyclopedia
The Lemba or 'wa-Remba' are a southern African ethnic group
to be found in Zimbabwe and South Africa with some little known branches in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Parfitt they are thought to number 70,000. Many of them claim a common descent
to the Jewish people.
Although they are speakers of Bantu languages
related to those spoken by their geographic neighbours, they have specific religious practices and beliefs similar to those in Judaism
, which some suggest were transmitted orally. Today, many Lemba are Christian
s (including Messianic Jews) or Muslim
, and maintain several Jewish practices. Recent genetic analyses have established a partially Semitic (Middle-Eastern) origin for a significant portion of the Lemba population.
The name "Lemba" may originate in chilemba, a Swahili
word for turbans worn by East Africans or lembi a Bantu word meaning "non-African" or "respected foreigner".
Circumcision, not marrying non-Lembas, their dietary practices and a suggested relationship between many Lemba clan-names and known Semitic words; e.g., Sadiki, Hasane, Hamisi, Haji, Bakeri, Sharifo and Saidi led W. D. Hammond-Tooke to the conclusion that they were Arabs.
, later migrating into East Africa
. According to the findings of British researcher Tudor Parfitt
, the location of Senna was more than likely in Yemen
, specifically, in the village of Sanāw
within the easternmost portion of the Wadi Hadhramaut
. The city had a vibrant Jewish population since ancient times, but it dwindled to a few hundred people since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
According to their oral tradition, the male ancestors of the Lemba came to southeast Africa to obtain gold
After entering Africa, the tribe is said to have split off into two groups, with one staying in Ethiopia
, and the other traveling farther south, along the east coast. The Lemba claim this second group settled in Tanzania
and Kenya
, and built what was referred to as "Sena II". Others were said to have settled in Malawi
, where descendants reside today. Some settled in Mozambique
, and eventually migrated to South Africa
and Zimbabwe
, where they claim to have constructed or helped construct the great enclosure
(see below). Most academics agree, though, that for the most part, the construction of the enclosure at Great Zimbabwe is attributable to the ancestors of the Shona
.
The Lemba prefer their children to marry other Lembas, with marriage to non-Lembas being discouraged. The restrictions on intermarriage
with non-Lemba make it particularly difficult for a male non-Lemba to become a member. A woman who marries a Lemba male must learn the Lemba religion, dietary rules and other customs. She may not bring any cooking equipment from her previous home, as it may have been tainted by inappropriate use (see Kashrut
). Initially, she may have to shave her head. Her children must also be brought up as Lembas. Lemba men who marry non-Lemba women are expelled from the community unless the women agree to live according to Lemba traditions. Normative
Judaism only recognizes matrilineal descent; however, patrilineal descent was the norm among the Israelites who lived prior to its adoption.
Lemba tradition tells of a sacred object, the ngoma lungundu or "drum that thunders", that was brought with them from Sena, Yemen
. Tudor Parfitt
, Professor of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London
, has theorised that it was the Ark of the Covenant
, lost from Jerusalem after the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar
in 587 BC. In a Channel 4 programme, Parfitt claimed he had traced a missing copy of the artefact to a museum in Harare
, Zimbabwe
. Radiocarbon dating showed it to be over 600 years old, and Parfitt suggested that it was a replica made while the Lemba were in Yemen, after the original Ark had been destroyed. In February 2010 the Lemba ngoma lungundu rediscovered a few years before, believed by some Lemba to be a nearly 700-year-old replica of the Ark of the Covenant, went on display in a museum in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In the Zoutpansberg region in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Lemba were so highly esteemed for their mining and metalwork skills that surrounding tribes regarded them as an almost alien (but very welcome) community. In the 1920s their medical knowledge earned them great respect.
known as the Cohen modal haplotype
(CMH), as well as, a haplogrup of Y-DNA Haplogroup J
found amongst some Jews and in other populations across the Middle East. Studies have also suggested that there is no Semitic female contribution to the Lemba gene pool.
One particular sub-clan within the Lemba, the Buba clan, is considered by the Lemba to be their priestly clan, while among Jews, the Kohanim
are the priestly clan. The Buba clan carried most of the CMH found in the Lemba. This is the element in the Y chromosome that appears to be a signature element, if you like, for the Cohanim or Jewish priesthood. The fact that we found this marker in such high concentrations in one of the Lemba subclans, the Buba—much higher, incidentally, than the general Jewish population—seemed finally to provide a real, useable link between the Lemba and Jews.
Among Jews the marker is also most prevalent among Jewish Kohanim
, or priests. As recounted in Lemba oral tradition, the Buba clan "had a leadership role in bringing the Lemba out of Israel" and into Southern Africa.
More recently, Mendez et al. (2011) observed that a moderately high frequency of the studied Lemba samples carried Y-DNA Haplogroup T
, which is considered to be of Near East
ern origin. The Lemba T carriers belonged exclusively to T1b*, which is rare and was not sampled in Jews of Near East
or Africa
, but shares a similar estimate expansion time with the T1* Somalis
. T1b* has been observed at low frequencies in the Bulgarian and Ashkenazi Jews as well as in a few Levant
ine populations.
cites the following claims:
Most scholars however, generally agree that Great Zimbabwe was built by the Shona people
as part of the 13th century kingdom of Zimbabwe, and successor to the earlier Kingdom of Mapungubwe, also known for its stone ruins.
Jewish status
(Jewish status according to Jewish law) in modern rabbinic Judaism is determined by an unbroken matrilineal line of descent or by conversion to Judaism
. Jews who adhere to Orthodox or Conservative rabbinism therefore believe that Jewish status by birth is passed by a Jewish female to her children (if she herself is a Jew by birth or by conversion to Judaism) regardless of the Jewish status of the father. It is therefore very unlikely that Orthodox or Conservative Judaism would recognize the Lemba as Halakhically Jewish. The Reform branch of Judaism on the other hand recognizes patrilineage and acknowledge unusual descent outside of the European and Middle Eastern spheres.
South African Jews have been aware of the Lemba but have never regarded them more than an "intriguing curiosity"
The case for the Lemba being accepted as Jews is generally rejected, but has been advocated by several rabbis and Jewish associations who view them as one of the "Lost Tribes of Israel
". The Lemba Cultural Association has approached the South African Jewish Board of Deputies asking for the Lemba to be recognized as Jews by the Jewish community. The Association complained that "we like many non-European Jews are simply the victims of racism at the hands of the European Jewish establishment worldwide" and threatened to start a campaign to "protest and ultimately destroy 'Jewish apartheid'".
According to Gideon Shimona in his book, Community and conscience: the Jews in apartheid South Africa:
Rabbi Bernhard stated that the only way for a member of the Lemba tribe to be recognized as a Jew is to undergo the formal Halakhic conversion process, after which they "would be welcomed with open arms."
According to Torah
itself and Karaite halakha, however, the Lemba are ethnically Jewish per Patrilineal Descent.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
to be found in Zimbabwe and South Africa with some little known branches in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Parfitt they are thought to number 70,000. Many of them claim a common descent
African Jews
Some Jewish communities in Africa are among the oldest in the world, dating back more than 2700 years. African Jews have ethnic and religious diversity and richness. African Jewish communities include:...
to the Jewish people.
Although they are speakers of Bantu languages
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
related to those spoken by their geographic neighbours, they have specific religious practices and beliefs similar to those in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, which some suggest were transmitted orally. Today, many Lemba are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s (including Messianic Jews) or Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, and maintain several Jewish practices. Recent genetic analyses have established a partially Semitic (Middle-Eastern) origin for a significant portion of the Lemba population.
The name "Lemba" may originate in chilemba, a Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
word for turbans worn by East Africans or lembi a Bantu word meaning "non-African" or "respected foreigner".
Judaic or Arab links
Many Lemba beliefs and practices can be linked to Judaism. According to Rudo Mathivha, this includes the following:- They call God Nwali.
- They observe ShabbatShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
. - They praise Nwali for looking after the Lemba, considering themselves part of the chosen peopleJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. - They teach their children to honor their mothers and fathers.
- They refrain from eating porkPorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and other foods forbidden by the TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, and forbid combinations of permitted foods. - Their form of animal slaughter, which makes meats fit for their consumption, is a form of shechitaShechitaShechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws...
. - They practise male circumcisionCircumcisionMale circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
; (furthermore, according to Junod, surrounding tribes regarded them as the masters and originators of that art). - They place a Star of DavidStar of DavidThe Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
on their tombstones. - Lembas are discouraged from marrying non-Lembas, as other Jews are discouraged from marrying other non-Jews.
Circumcision, not marrying non-Lembas, their dietary practices and a suggested relationship between many Lemba clan-names and known Semitic words; e.g., Sadiki, Hasane, Hamisi, Haji, Bakeri, Sharifo and Saidi led W. D. Hammond-Tooke to the conclusion that they were Arabs.
Lemba traditions and culture
According to some Lemba, they had male ancestors who were Jews who left Judea about 2,500 years ago and settled in a place called SennaSena, Yemen
Sena is an abandoned ancient town in Yemen located in the eastern Hadramaut valley. This village is distinct from the capital of Yemen, San'a and the town of Sanāw in Oman.-Overview:...
, later migrating into East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. According to the findings of British researcher Tudor Parfitt
Tudor Parfitt
Tudor Parfitt is a Welsh Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies , where he was the founding director of the Centre for Jewish Studies, historian, writer, traveller, broadcaster and adventurer...
, the location of Senna was more than likely in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, specifically, in the village of Sanāw
Sena, Yemen
Sena is an abandoned ancient town in Yemen located in the eastern Hadramaut valley. This village is distinct from the capital of Yemen, San'a and the town of Sanāw in Oman.-Overview:...
within the easternmost portion of the Wadi Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut, Hadhramout, Hadramawt or Ḥaḍramūt is the formerly independent Qu'aiti state and sultanate encompassing a historical region of the south Arabian Peninsula along the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, extending eastwards from Yemen to the borders of the Dhofar region of Oman...
. The city had a vibrant Jewish population since ancient times, but it dwindled to a few hundred people since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
According to their oral tradition, the male ancestors of the Lemba came to southeast Africa to obtain gold
After entering Africa, the tribe is said to have split off into two groups, with one staying in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and the other traveling farther south, along the east coast. The Lemba claim this second group settled in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and built what was referred to as "Sena II". Others were said to have settled in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, where descendants reside today. Some settled in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, and eventually migrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, where they claim to have constructed or helped construct the great enclosure
Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which existed from 1100 to 1450 C.E. during the country’s Late Iron Age. The monument, which first began to be constructed in the 11th century and which continued to be built until the 14th century, spanned an...
(see below). Most academics agree, though, that for the most part, the construction of the enclosure at Great Zimbabwe is attributable to the ancestors of the Shona
Shona people
Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
.
The Lemba prefer their children to marry other Lembas, with marriage to non-Lembas being discouraged. The restrictions on intermarriage
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
with non-Lemba make it particularly difficult for a male non-Lemba to become a member. A woman who marries a Lemba male must learn the Lemba religion, dietary rules and other customs. She may not bring any cooking equipment from her previous home, as it may have been tainted by inappropriate use (see Kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
). Initially, she may have to shave her head. Her children must also be brought up as Lembas. Lemba men who marry non-Lemba women are expelled from the community unless the women agree to live according to Lemba traditions. Normative
Norm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
Judaism only recognizes matrilineal descent; however, patrilineal descent was the norm among the Israelites who lived prior to its adoption.
Lemba tradition tells of a sacred object, the ngoma lungundu or "drum that thunders", that was brought with them from Sena, Yemen
Sena, Yemen
Sena is an abandoned ancient town in Yemen located in the eastern Hadramaut valley. This village is distinct from the capital of Yemen, San'a and the town of Sanāw in Oman.-Overview:...
. Tudor Parfitt
Tudor Parfitt
Tudor Parfitt is a Welsh Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies , where he was the founding director of the Centre for Jewish Studies, historian, writer, traveller, broadcaster and adventurer...
, Professor of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, has theorised that it was the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
, lost from Jerusalem after the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar was the name of several kings of Babylonia.* Nebuchadnezzar I, who ruled the Babylonian Empire in the 12th century BC* Nebuchadnezzar II , the Babylonian ruler mentioned in the biblical Book of Daniel...
in 587 BC. In a Channel 4 programme, Parfitt claimed he had traced a missing copy of the artefact to a museum in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Radiocarbon dating showed it to be over 600 years old, and Parfitt suggested that it was a replica made while the Lemba were in Yemen, after the original Ark had been destroyed. In February 2010 the Lemba ngoma lungundu rediscovered a few years before, believed by some Lemba to be a nearly 700-year-old replica of the Ark of the Covenant, went on display in a museum in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In the Zoutpansberg region in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Lemba were so highly esteemed for their mining and metalwork skills that surrounding tribes regarded them as an almost alien (but very welcome) community. In the 1920s their medical knowledge earned them great respect.
DNA testing
The Lemba have become world famous because of genetic testing that has demonstrated the authenticity of some of their oral traditions. A genetic study in 1996 suggested that more than 50% of the Lemba Y-chromosomes are Semitic in origin. A subsequent study in 2000 reported more specifically that a substantial number of Lemba men carry a particular haplotype of the Y-chromosomeY chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
known as the Cohen modal haplotype
Y-chromosomal Aaron
Y-chromosomal Aaron is the name given to the hypothesised most recent common ancestor of many of the patrilineal Jewish priestly caste known as Kohanim . In the Torah, this ancestor is identified as Aaron, the brother of Moses...
(CMH), as well as, a haplogrup of Y-DNA Haplogroup J
Haplogroup J (Y-DNA)
In human genetics, Haplogroup J is a Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. It is one of the major male lines of all living men...
found amongst some Jews and in other populations across the Middle East. Studies have also suggested that there is no Semitic female contribution to the Lemba gene pool.
One particular sub-clan within the Lemba, the Buba clan, is considered by the Lemba to be their priestly clan, while among Jews, the Kohanim
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
are the priestly clan. The Buba clan carried most of the CMH found in the Lemba. This is the element in the Y chromosome that appears to be a signature element, if you like, for the Cohanim or Jewish priesthood. The fact that we found this marker in such high concentrations in one of the Lemba subclans, the Buba—much higher, incidentally, than the general Jewish population—seemed finally to provide a real, useable link between the Lemba and Jews.
Among Jews the marker is also most prevalent among Jewish Kohanim
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
, or priests. As recounted in Lemba oral tradition, the Buba clan "had a leadership role in bringing the Lemba out of Israel" and into Southern Africa.
More recently, Mendez et al. (2011) observed that a moderately high frequency of the studied Lemba samples carried Y-DNA Haplogroup T
Haplogroup T (Y-DNA)
In human genetics, Haplogroup T is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. From 2002 to 2008, it was known as Haplogroup K2. It should not be confused with the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup T, of the same name....
, which is considered to be of Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
ern origin. The Lemba T carriers belonged exclusively to T1b*, which is rare and was not sampled in Jews of Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
or Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, but shares a similar estimate expansion time with the T1* Somalis
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
. T1b* has been observed at low frequencies in the Bulgarian and Ashkenazi Jews as well as in a few Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ine populations.
Construction of Great Zimbabwe
As evidence of a prehistoric link between the Lemba and Zimbabwe, GayreRobert Gayre
George Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg was a Scottish anthropologist who founded Mankind Quarterly. An expert on heraldry, he also founded The Armorial, and produced many books on this subject....
cites the following claims:
- Models of circumcised male organs were found at Great ZimbabweGreat ZimbabweGreat Zimbabwe is a ruined city that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which existed from 1100 to 1450 C.E. during the country’s Late Iron Age. The monument, which first began to be constructed in the 11th century and which continued to be built until the 14th century, spanned an...
; (the Lembas introduced that practice into southern Africa); - The Lemba bury their dead in an extended rather than a crouched position – i.e., in the same style as in certain Zimbabwean graves, where gold jewellery confirmed their association with the ancient civilization;
- The old Lemba language was a dialect of Karanga – which is spoken today in the MasvingoMasvingoMasvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
area of Zimbabwe; (thus, the Lemba female ancestry must have contained a large MaKaranga element).
Most scholars however, generally agree that Great Zimbabwe was built by the Shona people
Shona people
Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
as part of the 13th century kingdom of Zimbabwe, and successor to the earlier Kingdom of Mapungubwe, also known for its stone ruins.
Halakhic status as Jews
HalakhicHalakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
Jewish status
Who is a Jew?
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions...
(Jewish status according to Jewish law) in modern rabbinic Judaism is determined by an unbroken matrilineal line of descent or by conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
. Jews who adhere to Orthodox or Conservative rabbinism therefore believe that Jewish status by birth is passed by a Jewish female to her children (if she herself is a Jew by birth or by conversion to Judaism) regardless of the Jewish status of the father. It is therefore very unlikely that Orthodox or Conservative Judaism would recognize the Lemba as Halakhically Jewish. The Reform branch of Judaism on the other hand recognizes patrilineage and acknowledge unusual descent outside of the European and Middle Eastern spheres.
South African Jews have been aware of the Lemba but have never regarded them more than an "intriguing curiosity"
The case for the Lemba being accepted as Jews is generally rejected, but has been advocated by several rabbis and Jewish associations who view them as one of the "Lost Tribes of Israel
Ten Lost Tribes
The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to those tribes of ancient Israel that formed the Kingdom of Israel and which disappeared from Biblical and all other historical accounts after the kingdom was destroyed in about 720 BC by ancient Assyria...
". The Lemba Cultural Association has approached the South African Jewish Board of Deputies asking for the Lemba to be recognized as Jews by the Jewish community. The Association complained that "we like many non-European Jews are simply the victims of racism at the hands of the European Jewish establishment worldwide" and threatened to start a campaign to "protest and ultimately destroy 'Jewish apartheid'".
According to Gideon Shimona in his book, Community and conscience: the Jews in apartheid South Africa:
In terms of halakha the Lemba are not at all comparable with the Falasha. As a group they have no conceivable status in Judaism.
Rabbi Bernhard stated that the only way for a member of the Lemba tribe to be recognized as a Jew is to undergo the formal Halakhic conversion process, after which they "would be welcomed with open arms."
According to Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
itself and Karaite halakha, however, the Lemba are ethnically Jewish per Patrilineal Descent.
See also
- Beta IsraelBeta IsraelBeta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
(Ethiopia) - Gathering of IsraelGathering of IsraelThe Gathering of Israel is the promise given by Moses, in the Hebrew Bible, to the People of Israel before his death, prior to their entrance to Eretz Israel...
- Jews and Judaism in Africa
- Jews of the Bilad el-Sudan (West Africa)Jews of the Bilad el-Sudan (West Africa)Jews of the Bilad al-Sudan describes West African Jewish communities who were connected to known Jewish communities from the Middle East, North Africa, or Spain and Portugal. Various historical records attest to their presence at one time in the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires, then called the...
- Y-chromosomal AaronY-chromosomal AaronY-chromosomal Aaron is the name given to the hypothesised most recent common ancestor of many of the patrilineal Jewish priestly caste known as Kohanim . In the Torah, this ancestor is identified as Aaron, the brother of Moses...
- Yemeni Jews
External links
- "Lost tribes of Israel (2000)" (PBS documentary on the Lemba and their origins)
- BBC News - Lost Jewish tribe 'found in Zimbabwe'
- The Lemba, their origins and the Ark - Extrageographic