History of the Jews in Zambia
[6][7] Northern Rhodesia’s fertile land, World War II, and independence from the British Colonial rule all had a profound impact on both immigration and emigration of Jewish refugees.
"[2] Simon Zukas' father emigrated to Southern Africa from Lithuania in 1936 in search of economic prosperity during the Nazi's reign in Europe.
[3] Northern Rhodesia was considered a safe haven for Jewish refugees as visas were readily available for those fleeing the Nazis, however its accessibility was not widely known.
[1][2] Austrian and German Jewish escape committees were not notified of the possibilities that Northern Rhodesia held for those fleeing Nazi persecution and was considered to be a closely guarded secret.
[13] Reasoning for this is described by scholar and historian Frank Shapiro as, “while they were more than conscious of their obligations to their European coreligionists, they were also determined to protect their own positions in the British society.
For the Anglo-Jewish leadership during the Nazi crisis the overriding priority was to defend their status as loyal British subjects and, at the same time, retain their stature in the Jewish Community and not feel threatened by any antisemitic claim of dual loyalty".
[15] Northern Rhodesia’s mostly empty population, large fertile lands, and abundance of access to water deemed it a highly suitable place for mass immigration.
[13][8] A Commission was also sent to Africa by the Anglo-Jewish leadership team to assess possibilities for refugees, however no further action was taken, resulting in the failure to save large quantities of endangered Austrian and German Jews.
[16] Those that immigrated to Northern Rhodesia had brought minimal capital, however their status as refugees influenced their drive to become successful and make a living.
[3][16] Early Jewish immigrants who came to Northern Rhodesia in 1900 and 1901 engaged heavily in cattle-trading ventures which introduced other goods such as gold to the country as a means of transaction.
[15] Cattle stock was largely bought from Barotseland and then sold to Southern Rhodesia and neighbouring countries in both rural and urban areas.
[15] The adaptive nature of Jews meant there was a positive business relationship between stakeholders in the region, especially due to their inclination to communicate in the language and overcome racial barriers.
[8] The Jewish settler group in Northern Rhodesia mostly belonged to the Ashkenazi branch of Judaism which holds large differences in terms of levels of orthodoxy.
[16][15] The Jewish settlers were a predominant ethnic group in Northern Rhodesia and became active in the political life, most importantly in the struggle for independence from the British Colonial rule.
[15][13] Another key Jewish figure in Northern Rhodesia was Stanley Fisher, the governor of the Bank of Israel and formerly the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
[4] In reference to Simon Zukas, historian Frank Shapiro deemed that, “for a while he suppressed his political radicalism and concentrated on the process of adaptation”.
[17] Zukas was an African Nationalist and leader of the Ndola Anti-Federation Action Group, and sought to end racial discrimination, a significant issue amongst black individuals living under British Colonial rule.
[17] Educational, political, and social concerns surrounding the creation of the independent Zambian state and the desire to not live under a black majority left only roughly one hundred Jews in Zambia by the mid-1970s.
