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Post-Colonial Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea (1952–1962) Autonomy within Ethiopia (1952–1962) Eritrean War of Independence (1961–1991) Annexation as theEritrea Province (1962–1993) Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991)
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Jews in Eritrea can trace their history back to the late 19th century arrival ofYemenite Jews.

Eritrea once had a small community of Yemenite Jews who arrived in the country after having been attracted by new commercial opportunities driven by Italian colonial expansion in the late 19th century. In 1906, theAsmara Synagogue was completed inAsmara, the capital. It includes a main sanctuary which can seat up to 200 people, classrooms, and a small Jewish cemetery.

In the 1930s, the Jewish community was bolstered when many European Jews emigrated to Eritrea to escapeNazi persecution in Europe.

DuringBritish administration, Eritrea was often used as a location ofinternment for Irgun and Lehi guerrillas fighting for Jewish independence in theBritish Mandate of Palestine (nowIsrael).^[1] Among those imprisoned were future Israeli Prime MinisterYitzhak Shamir^[2] andHaim Corfu, a founder ofBeitar Jerusalem.

In 1948, after Israel was founded as a Jewish state, many Yemeni Jews residing in Eritrea emigrated to Israel. In the 1950s, 500 Jews still lived in the country. The last Jewish wedding at Asmara Synagogue was celebrated during that decade. The synagogue also served Jews who came from all over Africa to observe theHigh Holy Days there.

In 1961 theEritrean War for Independence began afterEritrea was annexed byEthiopia, and Eritreans began to fight for independence. It was then that Jews began to leave Eritrea. In the early 1970s, Jewish emigration increased because of ensuing violence between Eritrean separatists and Ethiopia. In 1975, the Chief Rabbi and much of the community were evacuated. Many Jews settled in Israel, while others went to Europe or North America. By then, only 150 Jews remained in the country.^[3]

Eritrea formally gained its independence in 1993. At the time, there were only a handful of Jews still left in the country. (In 2001 the Cohan family numbered four)^[4] All but one have either died or emigrated. There was only one last native Jew left in Eritrea, Samuel Cohen, who ran an import-export business and attends to the Asmara Synagogue.^[5][6][7]

Judaism is not one of the four religions recognized by the Eritrean government. Despite this, the government never restricted Jewish freedom to worship, and the country has no history of any persecution of Jews.^[8]

• Religion in Eritrea

• Jewish Eritrean history
• Judaism in Africa
• Yemeni-Jewish diaspora

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