Zimbabwe
The Lemba are a Zimbabwean and South African tribe, many of whom believe that the group are Jewish in origin. Their oral history tells that the Lemba left Israel through Yemen 2500 years ago and lost their Torah en route. Nevertheless, they retained many customs that are strikingly similar to Jewish practice and distinguish them from their Christian and Muslim neighbors. Some, especially a group centered in Harare, wish to embrace their Jewish identity and connect to mainstream Judaism. The Harare Lemba Synagogue and Lemba Cultural Association are key community institutions that support the religious and economic life of Zimbabwe’s black Jews – hosting Pesah seders, distributing siddurim to the many rural communities, implementing agricultural projects, and more.
The Harare Lemba Synagogue choir
The community celebrate Pesah together
Friday night services
Praying in the fields with visitors from Israel
Children reap the rewards of Kulanu-funded agricultural projects
Community Size
6000
Languages
Shona, English
Local Industries
Subsistence farming
Kulanu support since
2010
Without Kulanu our reintegration to halachic Judaism would not have been possible. Kulanu has been there for us to guide us, support us and connect us with the world Jewish community. They help with our Jewish education, bringing Jewish educators. They help us with Judaica like siddurim, mezuzot, Chumashim, etc. They help with our community center, a portal to connect ourselves to the world’s Jews and the Jewish religion. They help with community development projects. We are what we are because Kulanu has been there to guide us and walk with us every step of the way.
Discover Zimbabwe
Strengthening identity
The Lemba are beginning to craft a unique Jewish identity that is decidedly Lemba, but also connected to global Jewry. Music is a powerful tool that is used with new melodies being composed for parts of the siddur, while standard Ashkenazi American tunes and Sephardi melodies are also sung. Recently, some Lemba Jews have undergone formal conversion in the US and Israel, mostly under the auspices of the Conservative movement, and others still have visited or studied overseas.
Oral traditions
The oral tradition of the Lemba includes customs that seem to closely resemble Jewish practices. Regarding food, the Lemba only eat in the houses of other Lemba, slaughter meat in a particular way for their own consumption, and have special meals prepared for them in public contexts (like schools) because they do not mix meat and dairy or consume pork, shellfish, or insects. A women’s celebration marks the new moon; mourning practices resemble shiva; and seasonal holidays intersect with Jewish celebrations. Even names and naming customs appear to be Jewish, with common choices dating back some generations including Hillel, Shlomo, Aviv, Miriam, and Yehuda. Circumcision is practiced at age 8; it is believed that the timing was changed from 8 days to 8 years to obscure the Jewishness of the community who feared persecution; babies are often unclothed, and this would have given away a family’s identity. Recently, the oral tradition has been strengthened through the discovery that half a particular Lemba group possesses the “Cohen gene” (Cohen modal haplotype Y chromosomal type).
Kulanu and Zimbabwe
Kulanu has arranged almost a year of cumulative visiting teachers, shipped books and Judaica and provided food aid during a severe drought. Perhaps the most important contributions of Kulanu are in the realm of agriculture. Major successful projects have included the construction of two weirs and a soil conservation effort, which together ensure food and livestock thrive even during droughts. The nourished land is used to grow food for Shabbat meals and for community distribution. The improved situation allows children to attend school more often since families need not travel far to source water for their livestock, and has brought together seven religiously diverse villages who have all contributed to, and benefit from, the projects.