Non­fic­tion

The Jew­ish Phe­nom­e­non in Sub-Saha­ran Africa

  • From the Publisher
May 3, 2016

There are poten­tial­ly as many peo­ple involved in Jew­ish life and Jew­ish­ly-relat­ed com­mu­ni­ties in Sub-Saha­ran Africa— from South Africa and Mada­gas­car to Nige­ria and Ghana — as there are Jews count­ed in main­stream stud­ies of glob­al Jew­ry. What are the his­to­ries of these diverse com­mu­ni­ties? How do they under­stand them­selves, their rela­tions to their neigh­bors in Africa, and their rela­tions with glob­al Jew­ry? In what ways are com­mu­nal prac­tices sim­i­lar to those of Jews in the North, and what are some dif­fer­ences? How do the ris­ing Jew­ish trends of the region impact Israel, the Unit­ed States, and world Jew­ry? Mar­la Brettschnei­der exam­ines the pow­er dynam­ics between com­mu­ni­ties, schol­ars, vol­un­teers, and pol­i­cy mak­ers between the two hemi­spheres, adding to her own long career of explor­ing race, gen­der, and oth­er Jew­ish diver­si­ty issues.

Discussion Questions