Some people "were looking for some psychological boost to hang on to" so began to make the Jewish connection, he says. They saw themselves as persecuted people, much as Jewish people have been through history, especially during the Holocaust.
He argues that as evidence suggests the Igbos were among those who migrated out of Egypt several thousand years ago, it may be that Jews picked up Igbo customs when they went there.
Several years ago controversial efforts were made to prove a genetic lineage, but a DNA test found no Jewish connection. Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz, chairman of the foreign affairs department of the Rabbinate Council of Israel - the body that determines claims of Jewish ancestry, is also in no doubt. He said unless the Nigerian Jews converted to Judaism - a process that entails various rituals and appearing before a Jewish court which is unavailable in Nigeria - they would not be recognised.
Mr Yaakov regards the idea of having to go through a conversion as an insult. The congregants at Gihon take their beliefs seriously - and they and Nigeria's estimated 12,strong community of practising Jews - are supported by some other Orthodox Jewish groups around the world, which donate to them, make solidarity visits and campaign for their recognition. One prominent supporter is Dani Limor, a former Mossad agent who once ran an operation to secretly take Ethiopian Jews to Israel via Sudan.
He has been visiting the Jewish communities in Nigeria since the s and argues that Jewish practice in the West African nation predates the civil war. He believes in a school of thought that says they came from Morocco years ago, first settling in Timbuktu before travelling further south - and he hopes they will eventually get the recognition they deserve. Gihon synagogue, said to be the oldest in Nigeria, was founded in the s by Ovadai Avichai and two others who had been raised as Christians.
The friends decided to turn to Judaism when they realised the Bible's Old Testament was the foundation of the Jewish religion. He said it was like the Jew in him had been rekindled - and given the similarities between Jewish customs and Igbo traditions he was convinced that Judaism was the true path.
Abuja's Gihon synagogue now has a mixture of different ethnic groups among the more than 40 families who attend. In the last few years the number of those worshipping as Jews in southern Nigeria has increased sharply, says the BBC's Chiagozie Nwonwu, an expert on the region.
This is largely thanks to the Indigenous People of Biafra Ipob , a group which restarted the Igbo campaign for secession in It is led by Nnamdi Kanu, who has reminded his followers of their alleged Jewish heritage and encouraged them to embrace the faith. The charismatic leader was once purportedly pictured praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The tribe of Judah stands out among the twelve tribes because of its associations with the house of David, the southern kingdom of Judah, and its capital in Jerusalem.
Of course, not every member of the tribe of Judah is exemplary compare the thief Achan in Josh , but there is a continuing sense of preeminence in the narratives identifying the tribe of Judah as the leader among the company of tribes.
Thus the tribe of Judah leads the procession that leaves Mount Sinai Num Ultimately, the most important Judahite is King David. In the exile , Daniel of the tribe of Judah becomes a model for correct behavior and faithfulness Dan As the fortunes of the Israelite monarchy declined, the messianic vision held that the future was in the hands of a Davidic descendant within the tribe of of Judah who would restore the nation and its relationship with God Isa , Mic Victor H.
Matthews, "Tribe of Judah", n. Matthews Professor, Missouri State University. According to the Bible, the house of David ruled the southern kingdom of Judah for several centuries, and extrabiblical evidence appears to confirm this designation for the monarchy of Judah. Descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's first son; often identified with many or all ethnic Arabs. Relating to or associated with people living in the territory of the northern kingdom of Israel during the divided monarchy, or more broadly describing the biblical descendants of Jacob.
A system of rule with a monarch as its head; or the hereditary system passed from one monarch to another. The kingdom of Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible ruled by a king in the line of David from the 10th century B. Solomon's Administrative Officers 1King Solomon was king over all Israel,2and these were his high officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;3Elihoreph and Hannah and her Seven Sons. Herodian Dynasty. Hillel and Shammai. Jewish High Priests. Jewish Links to Holy Land.
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Who Were Hebrews? Map of the Twelve Tribes Click on any tribe for more information.
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