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Cimetière de Non-Musulmans, Djibouti, Djibouti
In the nation of Djibouti, this cemetery is one of the last relics of the country’s Jewish population.
Description
THE JEWS OF DJIBOUTI
The first Jews to arrive and permanently settle in Djibouti traveled to the port city from Yemen, on the other side of the Gulf of Aden. The first documented Jewish presence coincides with the French building of the port at the end of the nineteenth century, and the community was a key part of the port’s development and success [1]. It is unknown if these Jews originated from Yemen’s Adeni community or Baladi community from the north, as the Djiboutian Jews share minhagim (customs) with both [2].
The Jewish population in Djibouti was never particularly large, with only a few hundred Jewish families in the region [2]. Many were jewelers, craftsmen, or traders, though they were best known for their superior halakhic knowledge [1]. One of the last known Rabbis of the community would travel to Jewish communities in neighboring countries, such as Ethiopia and Eritrea, where he was sought as a mohel for Jewish circumcision ceremonies [2].
In 1948, there was a mass Aliyah from Yemen to Israel, which included almost all Djiboutian Jews [2]. Over the next few decades, the remaining Jewish families left for either Israel or France. The Jewish homes were reoccupied by locals, and Jewish sites in Djibouti were repurposed. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that today, there are only three Jews remaining in the country [3].
DESCRIPTION
Djibouti’s capital city of Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, is home to the country’s claim to fame–their incredibly important regional port [2]. Situated outside of the city’s downtown and near the coast is a small cemetery called the “Cimetière de Non-Musulmans,” or the Cemetery of Non-Muslims. This cemetery was used by all non-Muslims in Djibouti, and the walled-off portion serves as the final resting place of the former Jewish community’s late Rabbi and his wife [1]. The grave of the Rabbi’s wife is marked with a cross, as her body was moved from an earlier cemetery that had been located in a different part of the city. The exact number of Jewish graves at this site is unknown.
Djibouti
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Sources
[1]Ali, Aweis. “A Brief History of Judaism in the Somali Peninsula.” Somali Bible Society Journal II, no. I (May 2021). Accessed 11 July, 2023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351330011_A_Brief_History_of_Judaism_in_the_Somali_Peninsula.
Jewish Action. “Out of Africa - Jewish Action,” July 27, 2020. Accessed 11 July, 2023. https://jewishaction.com/jewish-world/travel/out_of_africa/.
[2]Zivotofsky, Ari; Greenspan, Ari (January 2012). "No Vital Signs In Djibouti" (PDF). Mishpacha. 391: 56–62. Accessed 11 July, 2023. http://halachicadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/djibouti-mishpacha.pdf
[3]Jews Were Here. “Djibouti - Jews Were Here,” October 7, 2020. http://jewswerehere.com/africa/eastafrica/djibouti/.
Ali, “A Brief History of Judaism in the Somali Peninsula.”