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[thejewishkeshet-blog]

Black History Month Day Twenty Four: Lemba People (Mwenye)

The Lemba, wa-Remba, or Mwenye are a southern African ethnicity found in Zimbabwe and South Africa, with smaller, little-known branches in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Tudor Parfitt, Professor of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, in 2002 they numbered an estimated 50,000. They speak the Bantu languages spoken by their geographic neighbours and resemble them physically, but they have some religious practices and beliefs similar to those in Judaism and Islam, which they claim were transmitted by oral tradition. These include the following:

They observe Shabbat. 

They praise Nwali ([their] deity) for looking after the Lemba, and identify themselves as part of the chosen people. 

They teach their children to honour their mothers and fathers. (This is common to many ethnicities and religions.) 

They refrain from eating pig and other beasts forbidden by the Torah, and forbid certain combinations of permitted foods. 

They practice ritual animal slaughter and ritual preparation of meat for consumption, which is a Middle Eastern practice rather than common to African ethnicities.

They practice male circumcision; according to Junod's work in 1927, surrounding tribes regarded the Lemba as the masters and originators of that art. 

Since the late 20th century and increased attention to possible Jewish ancestry, they have placed a Star of David on their tombstones. 

Lemba are discouraged from marrying non-Lemba,just as Jews are discouraged from marrying non-Jews.

According to Magdel le Roux, the Lemba have a rite of sacrifice which they call the "Pesah", which seems similar to the Jewish Pesach or Passover.

Since the late twentieth century, there has been increased media and scholarly attention to the Lemba's claim of common descent to the Jewish people. Genetic Y-DNA analyses in the 2000s have established a partially Middle-Eastern origin for a portion of the male Lemba population. Both Arabs and Jews share this DNA, but the Cohen Modal Haplotype, an indicator of Jewish ancestry, has been found among the males of one leadership clan at rates even higher than in the general Jewish population.

Halakhic Jewish status in Orthodox Judaism is determined by documenting an unbroken matrilineal line of descent or by conversion to Judaism. Jews who adhere to Orthodox or Conservative rabbinism believe that "Jewish status by birth" is passed only 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. Because of the absence of matrilineal Jewish descent for the Lemba, Orthodox or Conservative Judaism would not recognise them as 'Halakhically Jewish.' Lemba would have to complete a formal conversion process to be accepted as Jews.

The Reform and Reconstructionist branches of Rabbinic Judaism and the Karaites, on the other hand, all recognise patrilineage. As more is learned of widespread people's histories, the Reform branch has acknowledged unusual descent outside the European and indigenous Middle Eastern spheres. Especially since publication of the genetic results of the Lemba, American Jewish communities have reached out to the people, offering assistance, sending books on Judaism and related and study materials, and initiating ties to teach the Lemba about Rabbinic Judaism. So far few Lemba have converted to Rabbinic Judaism. [x]

[kilimotanzania]

Mwenye akili na Mpumbavu

Kwa Wanadamu MWENYE AKILI Ni Yule Ambaye Anaweza Kufanya Maamuzi Sahihi Yenye Kuleta Matokeo Chanya Na MPUMBAVU Ni Yule Ambaye Anajua Kipi Sahihi Na Bado Anatenda Kisicho Sahihi. Kwenye UFALME WA MUNGU; MWENYE AKILI Ni Yule Ambaye Anafanya Bidii KUJUA…

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