Israel opens new embassy in Zambia, once home to a historic Jewish community

As of last year, Zambia was home to just 11 Jews, but throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds settled there after fleeing persecution in Europe.

By Grace Gilson, JTA

Israel has opened an embassy in Zambia, more than half a century after it was shuttered following the Yom Kippur war and as the African nation’s Jewish population has dwindled to near zero.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe opened the embassy together on Wednesday.

“It’s an honor to be in Lusaka for the opening of Israel’s embassy,” Sa’ar tweeted, adding that the two countries were “enhancing our partnership in agriculture, health and much more.”

Zambia and Israel first established diplomatic ties in 1966, but Zambia severed its ties with Israel in 1973 following the Yom Kippur War at the urging of the Organization of African Unity.

The two countries reestablished diplomatic ties in 1991, and in 2015, Zambia opened an embassy in Tel Aviv. The new embassy comes as Israel looks to strengthen ties across Africa as its alliances elsewhere in the world have frayed.

As of last year, Zambia was home to just 11 Jews, but throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds settled there after fleeing persecution in Europe.

The community shrank sharply after Zambia gained independence from British colonial rule in 1964 and its leader declared that only native Zambians could receive work permits, prompting much of the country’s Jewish population to leave.

In Livingstone, the Gateway Jewish Museum, which was opened in 2013, chronicles the history of Jews in the Southern African nation.