Meet the last jew of Eritrea

Decades ago this synagogue in Asmara was full of worshippers. The Jewish school next door full of children. Hundreds of Jews were a natural part of daily street life for generations. So came war and death followed by emigration. Now this man, Sami Cohen is the only one left. Meet the last Jew of Eritrea.

His ancestors crossed the nearby waters from Southern Yemen which was then a British protectorate in the late 1800s. As Italy had colonized Eritrea new commercial opportunities had opened up.

“My father exported essences, imported perfumes and glass. He opened a store by the big mosque on the central street. All religious communities lived side by side peacefully. We had a good life here”.

They were later joined in the 1930s by Jews fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe and over 500 Jews called the city their home in the 1950s. Their community thrived under the protection of various colonial regimes: the Italians, the British and the Ethiopians. Then, in the 1970s, Eritrea’s war of independence reached Asmara, causing the exodus of the entire Jewish community.

But one man stayed.

I asked him how a normal day looks like and his voice echoed in the empty synagogue as he answered. “I do the prayers here in the morning. I clean the synagogue. I go to the market. I watch TV and talk to my relatives in Israel on the phone. Of course I feel lonely.”

Maybe one day more Jews will live in Asmara. Maybe not. Until then Mr Cohen is on his own carrying a unique legacy on his shoulders.

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