Zion in Africa : the Jews of Zambia / Hugh Macmillan with Frank Shapiro.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Macmillan, Hugh, 1945- author.

Shapiro, Frank, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Zambia--History.

Jews.

Ethnic relations.

History.

Zambia--Ethnic relations.

Zambia.

Physical Description:

xiii, 383 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

New revised paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : I.B. Tauris Publishers in association with The Council for Zambia Jewry, 2017.

Summary:

The Jewish community played a pivotal role in the history and economic development of Zambia - and Central Africa more broadly - in the course of the twentieth century. This book tells the story of the coming of the first Jews to the area in the late nineteenth century, the heyday of the Jewish community in the mid-twentieth century, and its decline since Zambian independence. Dealing primarily with the Jewish traders in Zambia who flourished in the face of both anti-Semitism and their own acute social dislocation, Hugh Macmillan and Frank Shapiro explore a number of interrelated topics: the colonial office discussions about Jewish immigration in the 1930s, the arrival and settlement of refugees who escaped the Holocaust, Jewish religious life in the region, and the remarkable cultural, professional and political role played by members of the Jewish community. Setting these issues in the context of a general history of southern and central Africa, this book constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the economic history of the entire region. This new edition includes an epilogue which brings the story up to the present day. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Jews on the Frontier 1

2 The Susman Saga: the Early Years, 1901-30 16

5 Jewish Networks, the Line of Rail and the Growth of Towns: 1905-39 38

4 A Wandering Jew: Moss Dobkins's Story 70

5 The Copperbelt: Boom, Bust and Recovery, 1924-39 82

6 'Land of Milk and Honey': Settlement Schemes and Immigration Debates, 1934-39 103

7 Escape from the Holocaust 120

8 Bigger Business: from the Depression to Independence, 1930-64 133

9 The Climax of the Community, 1945-70 158

10 The Galaun Story 182

11 Bigger Business Continued: Independence and After 194

12 Religion 206

13 Politics 224

14 Intellectuals and Some Professionals 259

15 Conclusion 286

16 Epilogue: 1999-2016 294.

Notes:

Originally published in hardback: 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 326-364) and index.

ISBN:

1784536660

9781784536664

OCLC:

993067633

Publisher Number:

99972271735