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Cemetery, Asmara, Eritrea
Neighboring the nation’s oldest synagogue, this cemetery is a reminder of the once-flourishing Eritrean Jewish community. Roughly 150 people have been buried here, and the last grave was dug in 1996.
Description
A HISTORY OF JEWS IN ERITREA
The Eritrean Jewish community is believed to have been started by Yemenite Jews. Many Jews settled in Eritrea in the late nineteenth century in search of economic opportunities [1]. In 1905, the Asmara Hebrew Congregation was formed, and it continued to grow in the first half of the twentieth century with Jews fleeing Nazi occupation in Europe [2]. At its peak, the Eritrean Jewish community totaled over 500 people [3].
Under British Military Administration (1941-1952), Eritrea was used as an internment location for Zionist guerillas fighting for Jewish independence in Mandatory Palestine [4]. In 1948, after Israel’s creation, many Eritrean Jews emigrated to Israel.
In 1961, Eritrea was annexed by Ethiopia, and the nation began a war for independence, prompting many Jews to immigrate to Israel [5]. In 1975, the Rabbi of the Asmara Hebrew Congregation was evacuated, leaving behind only 150 Jews in Eritrea [1]. Most Eritrean Jews immigrated to Israel, while some went to Europe or North America. Sami Cohen, the last Eritrean Jew to remain there, tends to the synagogue and cemetery [2].
DESCRIPTION
Sitting atop a dry hill overlooking the Eritrean capital sits this small Jewish cemetery. It is an offshoot of a larger Italian cemetery, with a small walled-off portion for Jewish burials [3]. Since the late 1880s, roughly 150 Eritrean Jews have been laid to rest here [2]. The last burial took place in 1996 [2].
Images of the cemetery can be found here:
https://www.africansynagogues.org/html/countries/eritrea/eritrea2.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4955088.stm
Wikipedia has a picture of the Jewish section, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedhof_Asmara_3.JPG.
Asmara, Eritrea
© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap
Sources
[1] Eritrea Virtual Jewish History Tour. (n.d.). Copyright 2023.
[2] BBC NEWS | Africa | Asmara’s last Jew recalls “good old days.” Sunday, 30 April 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4955088.stm
[3] Waronker, Jay A. African synagogues. (n.d.). https://www.africansynagogues.org/html/countries/eritrea/eritrea1.html
[4] Yitzhak Shamir. (n.d.). Copyright 2023. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yitzhak-shamir
[5] Eritrean War of Independence - New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eritrean_War_of_Independence