Rhodian and other Sephardic Settlements in Central and Southern Africa: 120 Years of Prosperity and Decline, in the Light of Colonialism

Rhodian Jews were pioneers in settlement in the Belgian Congo and British Rhodesia beginning at the end of the 19^th century. They prospered from colonialism in attaining personal wealth and establishing vibrant Judeo-Spanish Sephardic Jewish communities, and with its demise, they suffered in their daily lives, lost most of their fortunes, were compelled to migrate to Brussels, South Africa, North America, Israel, Australia, and elsewhere, and most of their Jewish communities and enclaves disbanded or decayed. With the defeat of apartheid and the end of white rule in South Africa, most of the Sephardic Jews migrated to English-speaking countries, but small Sephardic communities remained in Seapoint, Capetown, and Johannesburg, which despite their small size, have continued to exist as functioning synagogues.