Black Jews of Cameroon

Serge Etele lives in Cameroon in the locality of Sa’a. He is nevertheless convinced of being Jewish and practices this religion with a congregation. Serge Etele is a 31-year-old cocoa farmer living in Sa’a, a small village in Cameroon. While he and his family, like a thousand others in his village, are members of a Christian Pentecostal congregation, Serge considers himself a Jew. He is today the spiritual leader of the Jewish community Beth Yeshourun of Cameroon. What is surprising about Serge’s transformation is that at the time of his conversion he had never heard of the existence of Jews in Cameroon (although there are traces of old connections to Judaism), and had never met or been in contact with Jews. How then did this unusual conversion happen 13 years ago? At a rally on 92nd Street in New York on February 23 – his first time out of Cameroon – Serge told his story to a captivated audience. After the presentation, I had the privilege of interviewing Serge for more details on his spiritual journey. Serge was chaperoned during his visit to the United States, visiting as part of a program of meetings between Jewish organizations organized by Rabbi Geral Sussman and his wife. Two years ago, a Jewish organization called Kulanu, which supports emerging and isolated Jewish communities around the world, sent the Sussmans to Cameroon to help Serge and his congregation improve their understanding of Judaism, obtain prayer books, and the material, and make contact with other Jewish groups. Serge’s journey began when he was studying the New Testament at the Pentecostal Church in Cameroon, where Christianity is the most popular religion. He said that the more he pushed his reading, the less he managed to dispel the contradictions. In particular, his perception was that Jesus did not fulfill the conditions of the Old Testament for the Jewish Messiah: “Jesus did not bring the golden age of the Messiah”. The fact that Christians declare that the return of Jesus will fulfill the Messianic prophecies did not suit him. In addition, he was troubled by the fact that Jesus “was not of the lineage of David,” another prerequisite for the messiah. Although Mary’s husband, Joseph, he said, was the descendant of David according to Matthew’s gospel, he was not the biological father of Jesus. Serge then asked himself, “If Jesus was the Jew as he was portrayed in the New Testament, then to honor his teachings should I not live the life of a Jew, not that of Jesus the Messiah, but that of Jesus the practicing Jew? “. Doubtless, the strongest cause of Serge’s conversion was his answer to the question of the meaning of conversion to Judaism for him. In his sure, spiritual and strong way, he said he could not explain it in terms of words or logic, but the more he explored Judaism, the deeper he felt that he was Jewish. A moment of silence petrified the audience. When Serge, with many members of his family and a number of the Pentecostal group decided to convert, they did not know how to do it. They did not have Jewish prayer books and did not know how to practice. Shortly after, however, the world of Judaism opened to Serge when the Internet was extended in his village in Cameroon. Although he stopped in high school – he could not afford college – he had a thirst for learning. He became a regular at the local cyber café where he engaged in intense study. He improved his English, learned to speak Hebrew, and soon began to read the Torah in Hebrew. Serge then sought to truly practice Judaism – by observing the Sabbath, celebrating all Jewish holidays – by strictly following the law. But very quickly, he wondered how to do this without teaching. So he said to himself that there is no better source than the Torah, since all the Jewish laws come from it. So, during their first Passover celebration, his group followed the recommendations of Exodus and Deuteronomy – two books of the Torah – sacrificing a lamb, as was practiced in the temple of Jerusalem before its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE He was soon to learn contemporary Jewish practices. Helped by access to the Internet, he sought to connect with other Jews, seeking mentorship and guidance on Jewish practices. Unsuccessful beginnings, as his attempts to contact rabbis and Jewish organizations ended in failure. Almost nobody answered. In hindsight, he thinks his failure is due to the fact that he identified himself and his group as Pentecostals, which no doubt drove the Jews he met to think he was riding between Judaism and Messianic worship. Fortunately for him, Kulanu was intrigued by Serge’s request and responded. Harriet Bograd, president of Kulanu, was impressed by Serge’s relentless pursuit of Judaism. Kulanu thus became the path that opened the doors of Judaism. To give him better access to Jewish communities in the United States, Kulanu had the formal conversion of Serge to Judaism. The ceremony was celebrated in New York by three rabbis. Circumcision, pre-requisite for Jews, was not a problem, since Serge was circumcised in Cameroon, which is a common practice. In Cameroon, Serge sees interest in Judaism rising in his community and hopes that even more will swell the ranks. Gerard and Bonita Sussman firmly believe that Serge’s growing scholarship, sincerity and sense of mission will make him a voice of Judaism in the years to come. What are Serge’s ambitions for the future? His dream is to intensify his studies of Judaism and to be ordained a rabbi. Then, he aims to build a small synagogue and acquire an authentic parchment of the Torah. For now, Beth Yeshourun is in charge of the home service of the members.