BOOK NOTE
Remy Ilona gives us an overview of what we know about the history of
the Igbo people and their connections to Judaism. He uses scholarly
sources as well as extensive interviews as his chief sources. Perhaps
the most intriguing aspect of his book is his connecting Igbo
traditional practices with those of Temple-era Judaism as depicted in
the Hebrew Bible.
In this regard, his work resembles the seminal scholar of the Bene
Israel of India, Haeem Samuel Kehimkar. As evidence for Israelite
ancestry of his Bene Israel people, Kehimkar links traditional Bene
Israel practices with Biblical practices including the sacrificial
system of the Temple.
Kheminkar's work was seminal and influential, and one anticipates that
in time, so will Ilona's.
Friends of the Igbo, as well as scholars of emerging Jewish
communities, will be keenly interested in his work.
Nathan Katz
Distinguished Professor
Florida International University
Remy Ilona gives us an overview of what we know about the history of
the Igbo people and their connections to Judaism. He uses scholarly
sources as well as extensive interviews as his chief sources. Perhaps
the most intriguing aspect of his book is his connecting Igbo
traditional practices with those of Temple-era Judaism as depicted in
the Hebrew Bible.
In this regard, his work resembles the seminal scholar of the Bene
Israel of India, Haeem Samuel Kehimkar. As evidence for Israelite
ancestry of his Bene Israel people, Kehimkar links traditional Bene
Israel practices with Biblical practices including the sacrificial
system of the Temple.
Kheminkar's work was seminal and influential, and one anticipates that
in time, so will Ilona's.
Friends of the Igbo, as well as scholars of emerging Jewish
communities, will be keenly interested in his work.
Nathan Katz
Distinguished Professor
Florida International University
