“New Jews” in Cameroon and Kenya

Abstract The Beth Yeshurun in Cameroon and the Kasuku in Kenya illustrate the phenomenon of spontaneous adhesion to Judaism, analogous to what happened among the Abayudaya of Uganda. The recently formed Beth Yeshurun came together in a small village in Cameroon, while the Kasuku self-proclaimed and converted to Judaism in the early 2000s in central Kenya. Every Saturday, both communities perform the Sabbath service and read the parasha, partly in Hebrew and partly in the local language. This chapter explores how these communities have transitioned from Christianity to Judaism for theological reasons—without referring to an ancient Hebrew or Jewish history—having found the teachings in the Old Testament to be “truer” and more “logical.” They very quickly acquired an extraordinary knowledge of Jewish religious practices, largely from religious books and from rabbis online. In less than a quarter of a century, these two communities have become the “New Jews” of Africa.