The Jews of Africa -- The House of Israel of Ghana

The House of Israel Community, Ghana

secular life

House of Israel community members pounding fufu, Ghana

Life for members of the House of Israel Community of Ghana is very similar to life of other local Ghanaians. Most members of the community are farmers, raising cash crops such as cocoa or sustenance crops like yams, cassava and fruits like mangos and coconuts. Though non-farming work is difficult to find, some community elders have been to school and are now professionals – "Rabbi" Alex has graduated university as an engineer, for example, and David Ahenkorah is a photographer. Community elder Kofi Kwateng owns a small shop on the main strip of town which is close enough to the post office for him to double as the community’s communications officer, fielding the community’s telephone calls (there are no telephones in the Jewish community so all calls come there) and retrieving mail from its post box. There is an unspoken yet distinct division of labor between men and women – women work in the house, cooking, cleaning and taking care of their many children. Both male and female children attend school though, and woman are not discouraged from speaking their minds in public. There is no Jewish instruction in public school, though the Jewish children appear to be well-received by their non-Jewish neighbors. People are poor in this part of Ghana and there is rarely enough money for books. In the absence of writing materials most children learn their lessons by heart.

Daily life in this part of Ghana is slow and simple. Everyone works hard, from dawn to dusk, on the farm or in the store or at home preparing meals and looking after the house. Shabbat is a particularly welcome break from the monotony of the week’s work, as are the evening meetings at which the community members gather to learn about Judaism and sing songs. Ghanaians appreciate a hard day’s work, but they also understand the importance of taking time to greet friends and neighbors and to enjoy life with their children.

Non-Jewish neighbors are curious about the House of Israel’s practices, especially now that they have begun to have visitors from the West. Local tribal chiefs, impressed by the community’s ability to bring in visitors from outside Ghana, have begun to consider the group’s claim that traditional Sefwi culture is actually a remnant of ancient Judaism. Local chiefs have granted the House of Israel community a large stretch of land along the river. The land floods during the rainy season and is too dry during the rest of the year for planting crops, but community leaders hope connection with the West will yield them enough support to buy water pumps so they may farm market-ready vegetables on the fertile land, therefore raising the economic level of the community.