The history of the Jews in Malawi formerly known as Nyasaland, and part of the former

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...

(Rhodesia and Nyasaland).

Background

Malawi was once part of the

Maravi Empire Maravi was a kingdom which straddled the current borders of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the 16th century. The present-day name " Maláŵi" is said to derive from the Chewa word "malaŵí", which means "flames". History At its greatest ex ...

. In colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British, under whose control it was known first as the British Central Africa Protectorate (1889-1907) and later Nyasaland (1907-1964). It became part of the

(1953-1963). The country achieved full independence, as Malawi, in 1964. After independence, Malawi was ruled as a one-party state until 1994.

Jews in Nyasaland

Haven during the Holocaust

Press reports of the time state that during World War II (1939-1945), 60

Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

families went to Nyasaland, then under British colonial rule and today known as modern day Malawi, arriving via Iran to escape the Holocaust. After the war, however, most of these Polish Jews left the area. By 1959, only twelve Jews were living in Malawi. In 1941 as German forces neared Cyprus 270 Jews were subsequently shipped to Nyasaland and Tanganyika by the British. An eyewitness report states that "a hundred" Jewish refugees from Cyprus were shipped via Palestine to Nyasaland during World War II.

Rhodesia and Nyasaland

Sir Roy Welensky

The most notable person with partial Jewish parentage to serve in a high position was Sir Roy Welensky (1907-1991). He was a

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

n (now Zambia) politician and the second and last prime minister (1956-1963) of the

. Born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to an

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

mother and a Lithuanian Jewish father, he moved to

. His father, Michael Welensky (b. ''c''. 1843), was of Lithuanian Jewish origin, hailing from a village near Wilno (today Vilnius); a trader in Russia and horse-smuggler during the Franco-Prussian War, he settled in Southern Rhodesia after first emigrating to the United States, where he was a saloon-keeper, and then South Africa.Lowry, Donal
"Welensky, Sir Roland (1907–1991)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2016 (subscription or UK public library membership required). His mother, Leah (born Aletta Ferreira; ''c''. 1865–1918), was a ninth-generation

of Dutch ancestry."Sir Roy Welensky", ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'', 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. His parents, for whom Raphael or "Roy" was the 13th child, kept a "poor white" boarding house.

Malawi

Israel–Malawi relations

Malawi and Israel established diplomatic relations with each other in July 1964 and have since continued.Israel Among The Nations: Africa
Retrieved November 26, 2012. Malawi under prime minister Hastings Banda's (1898-1997) foreign policy was one of only three Sub-Saharan African countries (the others being

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

and Swaziland (since 2018 renamed to

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

)) that continued to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel after the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israel has assisted Malawi with a few social and economic development programs. Post Banda Israel continues a relationship with Malawi on a non-residential basis.Israel to assist Malawi in agriculture, Slovan in hydroelectric power
''

Nyasa Times ''Nyasa Times'' is an online newspaper providing Malawian news, founded by Edgar Chibaka, who remains its Managing Editor, assisted by Thom Chiumia. It began reporting in late 2006. According to its own website, it received "over 8 million hits per ...

'' November 30, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2012.

References

Jewish Malawi Malawi History {{Africa topic, History of the Jews in