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Jewish communities are emerging in sub-Saharan Africa, although most say they haven’t been recognised by Israel.

After completing her fifth prayer at the mosque one Friday evening this September, Fatimata Diallo made her way to Kol Yehuda, Ivory Coast’s first synagogue, where she recited her blessings in Hebrew during Shabbat services.

Born and raised a Muslim, the 70-year-old’s life took a profound turn 10 years ago when she first heard about the Torah. She not only learned Hebrew but also adopted Orthodox Jewish practices, embracing Judaism alongside her Islamic faith.

In Cote d’Ivoire, Judaism is fairly new, dating back to less than half a century. Yet in the heart of Abidjan, the economic capital of the West African country, other Ivorians, like Diallo are joining a small, emerging Jewish community.

With the financial support of Kulanu, a New York-based organisation that seeks to bring Jews from isolated and emerging places together, Yehouda Firmin, leader of the Ivorian community, has been teaching the readings of the Torah and Jewish practices since 2001. There are now at least four different independent Jewish communities in Abidjan, each with their respective synagogues.

Today, sub-Saharan Africa is still the region with the lowest Jewish population in the world and most have not been recognised by Israel. Like in most African nations, it is hard to quantify the Jewish community. Firmin estimates that there are about 300 people who attend the religious services at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue and the other three Jewish communities estimate between 30 and 230 members each.

In Cote d’Ivoire, nearly 43 percent of the population are Muslims while Christians account for about 40 percent of the population. This has played a significant role in the political landscape centred on a rivalry between current President Alassane Ouattara, largely supported by Muslims in the north, and his predecessor and rival Laurent Gbagbo, supported by Christians in the south.

Like Diallo, many other Ivorians with a Christian or Muslim background who are interested in Judaism have integrated both sets of practices into their lives. Kulanu representatives say one reason for this is the difficulty of fully incorporating all Jewish traditions and practices in Africa. Another is that these new converts face potential isolation by those in their community who, due to their unfamiliarity with Judaism, erroneously associate the religion with witchcraft.

Kulanu co-founder Bonita Sussman explains that the internet has helped in spreading the teachings of the Old Testament across sub-Saharan Africa, where some see the expansion of Judaism as a way to dissociate faith from imperialism.

“They google Judaism and they, too, find it interesting,” Sussman said, referencing her conversation with multiple newly converted Jews across the region. “They admire Israel and they admire that the Jewish people were able to build their own state after the Holocaust. After their colonial experience, they could learn from it, and build their own country.”

Since 2012, Kulanu has been sending Torahs and books about Judaism to the synagogue. The organisation also brought a rabbinical court to perform 40 conversions and participated in Cote d’Ivoire’s first Jewish wedding ceremonies, marrying six couples. “We’re not there to change their practice,” Sussman said. “We’re here to put them on the map.”

A woman reads the prayers in Hebrew during Shabbat services
A woman reads prayers in Hebrew during Shabbat services at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue and Kabbalah Centre on Friday evening. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Ivorians pray facing east (Mizrah) during Shabbat services.
Ivorian Jews pray facing east (Mizrah) during Shabbat services. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
[Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Ivorian men read blessings on Shabbat evening at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Ivorian Jews listen to Rabbi Ariel Palmon’s prayer during Shabbat services at the Kol-Yehuda Synagogue and Kabbalah Center on Friday evening
Ivorian Jews listen to Rabbi Ariel Palmon’s prayer during Shabbat services at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue on Friday evening. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Firmin Yehuda stands inside the synagogue he built
Yehuda Firmin stands inside the synagogue he built. His efforts became a starting fire for other communities, creating a ‘multiplier effect’, as he says. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Yehuda Firmin shows a picture of Ariel Palmon teaching the community how to perform kosher slaughterings
Firmin shows a picture of Ariel Palmon teaching the community how to perform kosher slaughtering. This is one of the multiple Jewish teachings in the community, including prayers in Hebrew, Torah readings and more. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Since 2012, New York-based NGO Kulanu has been sending Torahs and books about Judaism to the synagogue
Since 2012, New York-based NGO Kulanu has been sending Torahs and books about Judaism to the synagogue. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
The cook prepares a kosher meal for Yom Kippur. After fish, beef is the most consumed animal protein in the country, according to the African Development Fund. Jewish practices forbid certain fish and require that animals be slaughtered according to a specific and painless procedure, known as kosher
The cook prepares a kosher meal for Yom Kippur. Jewish practices forbid certain fish and require that animals be slaughtered according to a specific and painless procedure known as kosher. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
Ivorians from the Kol-Yehuda synagogue at the end of the Yom Kippur service
Ivorian Jews from the Kol Yehuda Synagogue at the end of the Yom Kippur service. As more people join the emerging Jewish communities in sub-Saharan Africa, most have not been recognised by Israel. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
After this year’s Yom Kippur service at the Kol-Yehuda synagogue
After this year’s Yom Kippur service at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue, Ivorian Jewish practitioners were invited to eat a kosher meal. The chicken had been slaughtered three days earlier by Ariel Palmon, only a few steps away from where the prayers were held. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
From left: Léa Agré, a librarian who sells Jewish books, assists Christiane Kona, 32, at the kitchen. Kona is a Catholic Ivorian woman who has learned how to cook kosher food as part of her job
From left, Lea Agre, a librarian who sells Jewish books, assists Christiane Kona, 32, in the kitchen. Kona is a Catholic Ivorian woman who has learned how to cook kosher food as part of her job at the Kol Yehuda Synagogue. Agre and Kona are preparing the Yom Kippur dinner that will end fasting. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]
A man stands at the entrance of the Kol-Yehuda Synagogue
A man stands at the entrance of the Kol Yehuda Synagogue and Kabbalah Centre. Founded in 2001, this is the first synagogue in the country. [Isabel Bonnet/Al Jazeera]