Thehistory of theJews inMalawi formerly known asNyasaland, and part of the formerFederation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Rhodesia and Nyasaland).
Malawi was once part of theMaravi Empire. In colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British, under whose control it was known first as theBritish Central Africa Protectorate (1889-1907) and laterNyasaland (1907-1964). It became part of theFederation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953-1963). The country achieved full independence, as Malawi, in 1964. After independence, Malawi was ruled as a one-party state until 1994.
Press reports of the time state that duringWorld War II (1939-1945), 60Polish-Jewish families went to Nyasaland, then under British colonial rule and today known as modern day Malawi, arriving viaIran to escapethe Holocaust. After the war, however, most of these Polish Jews left the area. By 1959, only twelve Jews were living in Malawi.[1] In 1941 as German forces nearedCyprus 270 Jews were subsequently shipped to Nyasaland andTanganyika by the British.[2] An eyewitness report states that "a hundred" Jewish refugees from Cyprus were shipped via Palestine to Nyasaland during World War II.[3]
The most notable person with partial Jewish parentage to serve in a high position was SirRoy Welensky (1907-1991). He was aNorthern Rhodesian (nowZambia) politician and the second and lastprime minister (1956-1963) of theFederation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Born inSouthern Rhodesia (nowZimbabwe) to anAfrikaner mother and aLithuanian Jewish father, he moved toNorthern Rhodesia. His father, Michael Welensky (b.c. 1843), was ofLithuanian Jewish origin, hailing from a village nearWilno (today Vilnius); a trader in Russia and horse-smuggler during the Franco-Prussian War, he settled in Southern Rhodesia after first emigrating to the United States, where he was a saloon-keeper, and then South Africa.[4] His mother, Leah (born Aletta Ferreira;c. 1865–1918),[4] was a ninth-generationAfrikaner ofDutch ancestry.[5] His parents, for whom Raphael or "Roy" was the 13th child, kept a "poor white" boarding house.[6]
Malawi and Israel established diplomatic relations with each other in July 1964 and have since continued.[7] Malawi under prime ministerHastings Banda's (1898-1997) foreign policy was one of only three Sub-Saharan African countries (the others beingLesotho and Swaziland (since 2018 renamed toEswatini)) that continued to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel after theYom Kippur War in 1973.[7] Israel has assisted Malawi with a few social and economic development programs. Post Banda Israel continues a relationship with Malawi on a non-residential basis.[8]
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