Filmmaker Laurence Gavron is on a journey to document lost
Jewish tribes in Africa. The French-born Gavron, who has made
Senegal her home since 1989, says she was immediately taken by
the project, which she says combines her passion for Africa with
the mystery of rediscovering Judaism. The film, titled “Black
Jews, Juifs noir en Afrique,” focuses on a dozen African tribes
– in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and other countries – each with a
Jewish story. Some claim to be descendants of the Bible’s 10
Lost Tribes. Others believe that their ancestors were Jews who
emigrated from Judea to Yemen looking for gold. Rabbinical
authorities have not accepted any of the groups as Jewish under
halachah, Jewish law, although all the tribes strive to be
recognized as such at some level or another. Edith Bruder, who
has been studying these Jewish groups for more than a decade and
wrote the book “The black Jews of Africa, history, identity,
religion,” turned to Gavron for the film, which is expected to
be released in the coming m